GLENN O’LOUGHLIN
The Midfielder who set 'THE' standard
BCFC 4 x F&B
Mitchell Medalist
GFL Honorary Member
GFL Representative
Fyson Medalist
GFL All Stars 1950 - 1953
BCFC All Star Team
1982 Premiership Player
Boulder Tiger. Dual Mitchell Medallist. WAFL Premiership Player. West Coast Eagle.
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Some footballers are remembered for the medals they won. Others for the premierships they helped deliver, the clubs they represented or the influence they had on those around them. Glenn O’Loughlin belongs in every one of those conversations. A gifted midfielder whose football journey began in the Goldfields, O’Loughlin would go on to compete at the highest levels of Western Australian and Australian football.
Yet for those who watched him wearing the Black and Gold of Boulder City, his reputation was established long before he became a WAFL premiership player or represented the West Coast Eagles.
He was a footballer who set a standard.
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The Making of a Champion
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During the early 1980s, Glenn O’Loughlin emerged as one of the outstanding midfielders in Goldfields football. Highly skilled, intelligent and remarkably consistent, he possessed the ability to read the play, win possession and influence a contest through his decision-making. He was not a player who needed to command attention. His football did that for him. Week after week, he delivered performances that earned the respect of teammates, opponents and the wider football community. In 1982, that consistency was rewarded with the Goldfields Football League's highest individual honour — the Mitchell Medal. Twelve months later, he did it again. Back-to-back Mitchell Medals — 1982 and 1983. It was a remarkable achievement and one that established O’Loughlin among the finest footballers of his generation. Most significantly, he became the first Boulder City footballer to win the Mitchell Medal. His name would forever occupy a special place in the Tigers' honour roll.
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Beyond the Goldfields
O’Loughlin's ability was never going to remain unnoticed beyond the Goldfields. Following an initial period with Subiaco, he returned to Boulder, where he continued to demonstrate the qualities that had made him such a formidable midfielder. In the middle of the 1985 season, Subiaco came calling again. This time, the move would mark the end of his playing career with the Tigers. It was the beginning of another significant chapter.
At Subiaco, Glenn became part of the club's successful 1986 WAFL premiership side, proving that the skills and determination developed in Goldfields football could stand alongside the best in the state.
Then came another opportunity. With the establishment of the West Coast Eagles in 1987, O’Loughlin was included in the club's foundation squad and went on to play senior VFL football. From the centre square at Boulder to the national stage, his football journey had reached an extraordinary level. For the Tigers, it was another reminder of the quality of footballers produced by the Goldfields competition.
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A Representative Footballer of Distinction
O’Loughlin's achievements were not confined to club football. He was also an accomplished representative player, earning recognition for his performances at country football level. His honours included two Fyson Medals, awarded in 1982 and 1988, further demonstrating his standing among Western Australia's outstanding country footballers. His contribution to Goldfields football was ultimately recognised with Life Membership of the Goldfields Football League. It was an acknowledgement of a football career that had brought distinction to the competition both at home and beyond.
More Than the Medals
For all the individual honours, those who remember Glenn O’Loughlin often speak first about the footballer and the person rather than the trophies.
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Reliable.
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Respected.
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Team first.
He was the sort of midfielder around whom successful teams could be built — someone prepared to do the difficult work, accept responsibility and contribute wherever the game demanded. Those qualities did not disappear when his senior playing career ended. Football remained an important part of his life through coaching, supporting others and contributing behind the scenes. The role may have changed, but the connection to the game remained. And through family, the O’Loughlin name continues to form part of the wider Goldfields football story.
A Place in Tiger History
The Boulder City Football Club has produced many outstanding footballers across its long history.
Some became premiership heroes. Some represented their state or progressed to the highest levels of the game. Others earned recognition through years of loyalty and service.
Glenn O’Loughlin's story brings together many of those achievements.
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He was a champion midfielder at Boulder.
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A dual Mitchell Medallist.
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A WAFL premiership player.
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A West Coast Eagle.
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And a respected contributor to the game long after his playing days.
But perhaps his most enduring achievement was the standard he established for those who followed.
Some players leave records. Others leave a legacy. Glenn O’Loughlin left both.
Career Honours
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1982 & 1983 — Mitchell Medallist, Goldfields Football League
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4 Time BCFC Fairest & Best
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1982 & 1988 — Fyson Medallist
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1986 — WAFL Premiership Player, Subiaco Football Club
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1987 — West Coast Eagles Foundation Squad Member
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VFL — Senior Player, West Coast Eagles
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Goldfields Football League — Life Member
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Member of Boulder City All Star Team 1950 - 1986 (Vice Captain)
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​​Member of Goldfields All Star Team 1950 - 1993
Glenn O’Loughlin was among a remarkable group of Boulder Tigers who went on to make significant contributions to the Kalgoorlie Football Club. He followed a path shared by several notable Tigers, including John Harding in 1970, Richard Holmes, who later guided Kalgoorlie to premiership success as coach, and, in subsequent years, Colin Rule and Gary Satori.
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Their journeys are a reminder that the influence of the Boulder City Football Club has often extended well beyond its own clubrooms. While their football careers took them in different directions, each carried a connection to the Black and Gold into another chapter of Goldfields football history.
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