Baker Smith Management

Baker Smith Management is an innovative sports and event management company providing distinctive personal management to high profile athletes, media personalities and events. The company was established in 1995 and continues to be run by its founders, Michael Baker and Wes Smith.

Why a Legends Game?

While on holiday many years ago Michael Baker and Wes Smith sat back in their lounge chairs, talking about their dream to re-unite former AFL champions in a charity football match. The players were interested and an audience was certainly there for it, but a charity that fitted with the concept of the game still needed to be found.

When the great Ted 'EJ' Whitten lost his battle with prostate cancer in 1995, the football world was devastated. His rugged, uncompromising style of footy and his passion for the game had left an indelible mark on everyone who met him. As a player, coach and selector, his support for State of Origin and the Big V, had been legendary. His legacy to football had united players and inspired fans.

What better way to honour this legacy, then to stage the Legends match in his name?

Working in collaboration with the EJ Whitten Foundation, Baker Smith Management organised the first EJ Whitten Legends Game in 1996. From the early days when they struggled for numbers and had to fight for sponsorship, Michael and Wes, have watched the game grow into one of Melbourne's biggest events. Each year it gets bigger and a little more hectic but the match is still very much what it started out as - a chance to catch up with old mates, have a few laughs and see some spectacular footy for the sake of good cause.