Vale Steve Gasparinatos (1949-2009)

Photo: Steve Gasparinatos

Steve Gasparinatos, the former president of Football Federation Tasmania, passed away on Thursday at the age of 59.

Gasparinatos was still a member of the FFT Board at the time of his death.

He was first elected to the Board in 2002 and became president in 2004.

He stood down as president earlier this year due to ill health and Sean Collins, a Board member, took over as president.

Gasparinatos was a prominent member of the Tasmanian fishing industry and served on several boards.

He had been involved in the abalone industry since moving to Tasmania from Sydney in the early 1980s.

His two sons are involved in football as players and Steve watched them play as often as possible.

Billy transferred from South Hobart to Oakleigh Cannons in Victoria last season, while Jesse still plays for South Hobart.

Steve took a practical as well as administrative interest in the local game and attended coaching courses in recent years and played for some time in the social leagues.

He played a key role in the appointments of Martin Shaw and, more recently, Michael McIntyre, to the position of CEO of FFT.

He aimed to make the administration of FFT more efficient and to place the organisation on a sound financial footing based on modern business principles.

Steve is survived by his wife Helen, daughter Madeleine, and sons Jesse and Billy.

The funeral is on Tuesday.