Doug Booth

A recruit from East Brighton, Booth was part of a memorable win on his senior debut.{{cite news|url=http://www.saints.com.au/news/2013-07-10/vampires-feast-on-saints-knowledge|title=Vampires feast on Saints' knowledge|last=Holmesby|first=Luke|date=10 July 2013|publisher=saints.com.au|access-date=17 August 2015}}{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=MDQ-9Oe3GGUC&dat=19760621&printsec=frontpage&hl=en|title=Paul down – Saints alive!|last=McFarline|first=Peter|date=21 June 1976|work=The Age|page=28|access-date=17 August 2015}} Selected as one of St Kilda's reserves for their round 12 fixture against ladder leaders Hawthorn at Princes Park, Booth got his first taste of league football when he was called onto the field as a replacement Wayne Judson.{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=MDQ-9Oe3GGUC&dat=19760621&printsec=frontpage&hl=en|title=VFL ladder...scores|work=The Age|page=28|access-date=17 August 2015}} Early in the third quarter St Kilda trailed by 44 points, but were spurred by the sight of rover Paul Callery being knocked unconscious, and came back to upset Hawthorn with a 25-point win. He had to wait until round 16 to make his next appearance, a win over Collingwood at Victoria Park, in which he contributed two goals.{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=lL5f5cZgq8MC&dat=19760718&printsec=frontpage&hl=en|title=North Bid to Top VFL|date=18 July 1976|work=Sydney Morning Herald|page=37|access-date=17 August 2015}} By the end of his first year of VFL football he had played five games and he added just one more in the 1977 season, which was in the opening round.{{cite web|url=http://afltables.com/afl/stats/players/D/Doug_Booth_gm.html|title=AFL Tables – Doug Booth – Games Played|publisher=AFL Tables|access-date=17 August 2015}}

Booth, who wore the number 38, came back in the 1978 season as a regular member of the St Kilda side for the first time in his career. The club had a strong start to the season, moving to second on the ladder after a win over Essendon in what was described as a spiteful round seven encounter.{{cite web|url=http://australianfootball.com/articles/view/Templeton%2527s%2Bday%2Bout/400|title=Australian Football – Templeton's day out|publisher=Australian Football|access-date=17 August 2015}} During the game, Booth was one of three St Kilda players reported, but was cleared by the tribunal.{{cite news|url=http://www.adelaidenow.com.au/sport/afl/bombers-top-hit-parade/story-e6freck3-1111116977923|title=Baby Bombers hit a brick wall named St Kilda|date=21 July 2008|work=The Advertiser|access-date=17 August 2015}}{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1300&dat=19780516&id=jedaAAAAIBAJ&sjid=T5IDAAAAIBAJ&pg=4502,285454&hl=en|title=Third Saint is cleared|last=Grant|first=Trevor|date=16 May 1978|work=The Age|page=32|access-date=17 August 2015}} His second visit to the tribunal, following St Kilda's round 11 loss to Carlton, resulted in a two-match suspension, for striking Greg Towns.{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article131859526 |title=Victorian Football League: N. Melbourne setting the pace again. |newspaper=The Canberra Times |date=18 June 1978 |access-date=17 August 2015 |page=33 |via=National Library of Australia}}{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article131859897 |title=Booth Out. |newspaper=The Canberra Times |date=20 June 1978 |access-date=17 August 2015 |page=1 |via=National Library of Australia}} This ended his run of 11 consecutive games. He did not play any VFL football from 1979 to 1981, but returned in the 1982 VFL season to make four appearances. In round two against Melbourne at the MCG, Booth suffered concussion and was required to spend the night in hospital.{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article126914497 |title=Australian Football: Reportings, upsets in fiery round. |newspaper=The Canberra Times |date=4 April 1982 |access-date=17 August 2015 |page=28 |via=National Library of Australia}} His final appearance came in round 13, a record breaking loss to the Swans, when the club formerly known as South Melbourne amassed their highest ever score, 199 points.{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=MDQ-9Oe3GGUC&dat=19820621&printsec=frontpage&hl=en|title=Swans hand out record thrashing|last=Clarke|first=Simon|date=21 June 1982|work=The Age|page=30|access-date=17 August 2015}}

He is often remembered for his actions during the second half of the Queen's Birthday clash against Collingwood in 1978 when he attempted to kick a stray dog that had wandered onto the field.{{cite book|last1=Holmesby|first1=Russell|last2=Main|first2=Jim|title=The Encyclopedia Of AFL Footballers| publisher=BAS Publishing|year=2007|isbn=9781920910785}}{{cite news|url=http://www.heraldsun.com.au/ipad/footy-list-great-animal-invasions/story-fn6bn7f4-1226139053340|title=Footy List: Great animal invasions|last=Fine|first=Mark|date=19 September 2011|work=Herald Sun|access-date=17 August 2015}}

Booth was the winner of the Avis Grand Final Mile in 1978, in a time of 4:41, to win the $1000 prize.{{Cite AV media |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-H_Y4QI9qJE&feature=youtu.be |title=1978 VFL Grand Final Mile race - run at half time. |date=2025-01-03 |last=Rhettrospective |access-date=2025-01-03 |via=YouTube}}{{cite web|url=http://www.hardballget.net/grand-final-sprint.html|title=AFL Grand Final Sprint|publisher=Hard Ball Get|access-date=17 August 2015|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141129081629/http://www.hardballget.net/grand-final-sprint.html|archive-date=29 November 2014|df=dmy-all}} This long-distance event was the precursor to today's Grand Final Sprint, which began the following year.{{cite book|title=Fact Sheet|edition=AFL 2014 Round 10|date=25 May 2014|publisher=Melbourne Cricket Club Library}}

Booth, an alumnus of the University of Melbourne, was a postgraduate student and researcher in South Africa during the 1980s.{{cite web|url=http://physed.otago.ac.nz/staff/dbooth.html|title=Douglas Booth, School of Physical Education, University of Otago, New Zealand|publisher=University of Otago|access-date=17 August 2015}} He undertook his research, into politics of economic underdevelopment under apartheid, at the Development Studies Unit in the University of Natal. Under the supervision of Colin Tatz, Booth completed his PhD at Macquarie University's Politics Department. His thesis, which was published in 1992, traced the history of the sports boycott in South Africa, titled The South African way of life a study in race, politics, and sport.{{Citation | author1=Booth, Douglas | title=The South African way of life a study in race, politics, and sport | publication-date=1992 | url=http://trove.nla.gov.au/work/10780505 | access-date=17 August 2015 }} In 1994 he began lecturing at the University of Otago in New Zealand, on the history of sport. He was at the University of Waikato from 2004 until 2007, when he returned to the University of Otago as the dean of the School of Physical Education. Notable students of Booth include Katie Fitzpatrick.{{Cite thesis |title=Stop playing up! A critical ethnography of health, physical education and (sub)urban schooling |last=Fitzpatrick |first=Katie |type=PhD thesis |publisher=Waikato Research Commons, University of Waikato |url=https://hdl.handle.net/10289/4429 |date=2010|hdl=10289/4429 }}

• The Race Game: Politics and Sport in South Africa (London, Frank Cass, 1998).
• One-Eyed: A View of Australian Sport (co-author Colin Tatz) (Sydney, Allen & Unwin, 2000).
• Australian Beach Cultures: The History of Sun, Sand and Surf (London, Frank Cass, 2002).{{cite news|url=http://www.smh.com.au/nsw/another-sydney-coverup--bathers-are-getting-their-gear-on-20100226-p956.html|title=Another Sydney cover-up – bathers are getting their gear on|last=Tovey|first=Josephine|date=27 February 2010|work=The Sydney Morning Herald|access-date=17 August 2015}}
• The Field: Truth and Fiction in Sport History (London, Routledge, 2005).

{{reflist|30em}}

• {{AFL Tables|ref=D/Doug_Booth.html}}
• {{AustralianFootball|ref=doug%2Bbooth/11020}}

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Category:1957 births

Category:Living people

Category:Australian rules footballers from Victoria (state)

Category:St Kilda Football Club players

Category:Place of birth missing (living people)

Category:Australian academics

Category:Australian expatriate sportspeople in New Zealand

Category:University of Melbourne alumni

Category:University of Natal alumni

Category:Macquarie University alumni

Category:Academic staff of the University of Otago

Category:Academic staff of the University of Waikato

Category:20th-century Australian sportsmen