Alex Pongrass AM

Alex Pongrass AM was a towering figure in Australian football.  He helped shape the game in Australia as president of the St-George Budapest Football Club for over 40 years and played a pivotal role in establishing the NSL, the nation’s first national sporting competition, in 1977.

READ MORE: The impact of football 'visionary' and recent Hall of Fame inductee Alex Pongrass AM

He overcame many challenges, including the loss of both of his parents in the Holocaust, evading capture by the Nazis while distributing life-saving visas as a member of the Budapest Jewish Underground, and escaping communism for a better life in Australia. He never let these challenges define him and instead embraced his life as “an Australian by choice” and worked to build not only a better future for himself but also a lasting and positive impact on his adopted homeland and footballing community.

Alex and his wife Clara arrived in Sydney as refugees in 1950, and they welcomed two sets of twins. Together with his brother George, he set up a small engineering company in Mascot. This later grew to a publicly listed Pongrass Industries employing 600 people and became a significant player in Australia’s industrial and commercial landscape. Despite his business successes, Alex's greatest passion was football. In 1958, he took over the St. George-Budapest Football Club, transforming it into a powerhouse of Australian football. Under his leadership, the club won the NSL in 1983 and five NSW First Division championships.

A visionary in the sport, Alex co-founded the National Soccer League (NSL) in 1977, alongside Frank Lowy. He convened the first meeting of clubs, laying the foundation for Australia's first national soccer competition. His foresight brought professional coaching to the game, notably when he recruited Frank Arok and hired Rale Rasic, who referred to Alex as “a giant of Australian football.”

He was instrumental in the career of Johnny Warren, who wrote that Alex was “in many ways my mentor and hard as nails but, in the end, always fair and someone who contributed so much to Australian Football.” Alex's influence extended to the women's game, as the St.George Budapest women’s team made up all but two of the recently recognised “first Matildas”.

As a primary benefactor of the St. George Stadium at Barton Park, Alex helped create a venue that hosted local and international matches, including Pele’s 1972 trip to Australia with Santos.

In recognition of his vast contributions, he was awarded the Member of the Order of Australia (AM) in 1988 for "Services to Soccer".

Alex Pongrass AM passed away in 2000.