Welcome to the Sporting Hasbeens
A Brief History
The “Sporting Hasbeens” is an organisation founded by former Queensland University rugby players which hosts an annual charity lunch & auction to raise desperately needed funds for “Backstop” respite centre’s.
It took a jar of luminous green Mango Chutney to conceive life to what we know today as the Sporting Hasbeens. Like the fruit that heralds the arrival of the hot and sweaty festive summer season, the Sporting Hasbeens is the fruit that has flourished from many years of mateship that was spawned on and off the Brisbane clubs' rugby fields and in the business community today.
In 1980, after a very convivial lunch among a small group of evergreen Queensland University rugby players, a plan was conceived that would provide an annual and somewhat colorful opportunity for all of us and other team mates to celebrate the festive season, fuel old friendships and launch some new ones. The Sporting Hasbeens brand name came about almost by accident and really was no reflection on the sporting ability that many of us believe we still possess today in playing semi-retirement. It was however a tribute to the circumstances that brought most of us together as friends.
In the words of one of Australia's great sporting raconteurs, Alan Bond: "It's nice to give something back!"
Whilst reveling in the festive occasion in 1980, we received a poignant reminder that while many of us received a few facial stitches and strained hamstrings, some of our team mates were not so lucky and suffered permanent disability.
'Backstop' – is a Brisbane-based charity dedicated to providing respite care to those sporting heroes whose courage and tenacity is an inspiration to us all & now provides assistance to those disabled with high care needs in the broader Brisbane community. It was therefore fitting and right that 'Backstop' become an integral element of our charter and we dedicate our fund raising activities to this most worthy of causes.
Well, there you have it very briefly, a short history of the Sporting Hasbeens. Like all great traditions, our beginnings are both humble and comical. Our challenge now is to keep the wonderful traditions alive and fertile for future years in support of the “Backstop” charity.
The Sporting Hasbeens Product……
From very humble beginnings 28 years ago, the Sporting Hasbeens Annual Charity Christmas Lunch & Auction, MC’d by ex-Wallaby Greg ‘Marto’Martin, has become a must attend event among Brisbane’s sporting and business communities for its great humor, the Hall of Fame bar-stool interview & induction ceremony and our non traditional approach to sporting memorabilia & Auction Prizes.
Widely considered to be the most entertaining, unique and enjoyable lunch on the Brisbane calendar by the corporate & sporting sectors, the event is at capacity annually with a substantial waiting list. The lunch once again sold out for 2019 within days of sending invitations, and as per prior years, many had to sit on the 'reserves bench'. On Friday 15th of November, 2019, 320 top business identities & sporting celebrities from QLD and interstate descended on the new Fortitude Musica Hall for another unforgettable event.
Unlike many other sporting lunches for 1000 or so of the masses, the Sporting Hasbeens committee strives to preserve the intimate atmosphere of the ‘invitation only’ luncheons. To cater to this enormous demand, we will be considering adding further targeted Sporting Hasbeens events, rather than compromising this unparalleled event, which adds to the unique nature & exclusivity of the Sporting Hasbeens brand within the marketplace.