Ted Holdsworth

Who is Ted Holdsworth?

Henry Edwin Arthur "Ted" Holdsworth was an Australian rules footballer who was highly successful in the West Australian National Football League playing for the Swan Districts Football Club.

A fine full forward who was a strong overhead mark and a very accurate kick Holdsworth topped the top goal kicker list at Swan Districts during his career. In 1937 and 1938 he kicked 109 and 116 goals respectively yet never topped the WANFL goal kickers list.

Undoubtedly Holdsworth would have kicked even more goals if he were part of a more successful team and had not be called to play in defence to prevent other sides from kicking higher totals against the struggling Swans.

Holdsworth played twice for Western Australia, once at full forward and in the 1946 side that played South Australia Holdsworth played at fullback as he was also regarded as a fine backman.

Retiring as a player in 1947, Holdsworth had played 143 games for the club and booted 532 goals the second-most of any Swans player after Eric Gorman. He went on to coach Swan Districts in 1952 and later became vice president of the club. He is named in the Swan Districts Team of the Century at full forward. His grandson, Ryan Turnbull, later played senior football for Claremont, East Perth, and the West Coast Eagles.