Sandford was one of the pioneers of the sport in Ballarat playing 397 games for the club back in the days they were known as the 'Red Devils'.

He is being remembered as a tough, uncompromising defender and committed clubman and friends who would do anything to help out.

"Wayne was part of the fabric of the club, he amassed over 35 years of service to the club and the sport," Ballarat City Football Club said in a statement.

"He was a fierce competitor, a true fighter, never taking a backward step whilst marshaling the back line in an amazing 397 games for the club.

"His commitment didn't end with his playing days, he was part of the committee for 12 years, being part of the clubs move from Trekardo Park to Morshead to compete in the NPL.

"He was a true club man and leader, giving so much. His contribution will have a everlasting impact on the players that played alongside him and the club that he gave so much to.

"Our deepest sympathy's go out to his family Kym, Jayden and Tiarna and the extended Sandford family at this extremely hard time."

Friend Tony Spurgo has remembered Sandford as "a fantastic bloke who would help anyone out".

"We started playing juniors at under 14s when I first met him. He was a year older than me, so every second year we'd play with each other," Spurgo said.

"When we were 16 we started playing reserves together, then Wayne went on and played seniors pretty early."

He was a very solid defender, we played football and in our 20s we both joined the committee and we had 12 years together on that and we changed the way the club was run.

"We went from the provisional leagues in division two, then division one, state leagues and about five or six years later we made the push to the NPL."

Off the field, Spurgo said the pair had always been close, describing him as a brother.

"Really we were chalk and cheese to be honest. We were completely different people," he said.

"Wayne settled down early and got married young, I travelled, but somehow we just clicked.

"Wayne was close to my family as well. When I was travelling or in my early days I worked in a restaurant so I did long days and was never home, he'd pop in to see mum and dad. When he got married to Kym, and with his first child, they'd always pop in for a coffee.

"I just know when we played together, we were both defenders and we'd have a lot of arguments on the field about who was marking who, but after the game we didn't care, we were just friends. We spoke on the phone, if not daily, every second or third day, he was one of those blokes who was a big part of my life."

Sandford was diagnosed with cancer in December and had seemingly responded well to treatment.

"We thought the chemo had done the job, the cancer looked like it was gone, Sandford was diagnosed with cancer in December and had seemingly responded well to treatment, but died unexpectedly at the weekend," Spurgo said.

"It was a very short battle and he had the will power to beat it, he kept saying to me 'I'll get over this' and he was at my house a few weeks ago to say it was practically gone and then things happened.

"I'll remember him as my best mate. I could ring him at a drop of the hat and he'd be at my house two minutes later. He was compassionate, thoughtful and would go out of his way to help you. I'll miss him a lot, just our daily chats. He was one of those blokes I could talk to about anything at anytime."

Parents Val and Lloyd said their son's love of soccer started at a young age.

"Wayne's love of soccer started at Ballarat Soccer Club when he was seven years old to the delight of his mum and dad and grandparents," they said.

"Soccer and the club was a big part of Wayne's life, continuing for many years playing, coaching and as a committee member with Ballarat Soccer Club.

"Wayne's love of soccer never faded. Wayne has left us with treasured memories."

Friend Jamie Winton said he was one of the toughest players he had seen on the field and one of the nicest off it.

"He was a tough bugger on the field and he came across as a tough bugger off the field but he was probably one of the more gentle souls I've ever come across," he said.

"He played a pretty hard brand of football, he was hard at it, played for a lot of years and was a very good player, there's no doubt about that.

"He was a defender, a natural leader and other players looked up to him. When things got tough he was always the first to step forward, he never backed down from a challenge on the field and was a great club man.

"He was a very funny guy, a great character, really loved his friends. He came across grumpy and harsh, but it was all show. You peel back one layer and there was a pretty soft bloke under there, he would do anything for anyone, just a good mate to a lot of people, but he didn't like to portray that.

"I'll remember him as the way he played his soccer was the way he lived his life. He followed things through, he was a natural leader and people were drawn to him, quite charismatic and a great character really. He always led from the front for his teammates and his friends."

Former coach Harry Artz described him as a player who was always 100 per cent.

"He was a real clubman who would die for the cause. Very tough, very committed, you couldn't ask for more," he said.

"He was captain of my side for one of the years, whatever he said he was going to do, he would do. He never gave up, he was that type of player.

"I coached him in the 90s for three years and I had him when he was a bit younger. I've known Wayne since he was about 14. He was on the committee too. When he stopped playing, he was the type of guy to get involved particularly in the tougher years. He drove the bus for us, he was always involved in the club and very well thought of.

"We had a lot of functions over the years and he was always part of it. I knew he had cancer and it was just last week that I'd heard he was picking up. It is a shock - and so young."

Artz said he would have made a tough Australian Rules players as well.

"He was a very uncompromising defender, you can't play like that anymore," he said.

"Wayne would go through them, he would have been a tough little rover if he played footy. Whatever you asked of him he would try to do. Whether it be A, B or C, he'd do it. In every part in whatever he did.

"I always got on well with him. Everybody in Ballarat knew him and thought highly of him. Everything he did was to the best of his ability, you can't ask for more than that."

The funeral for Wayne Sandford is on Friday at 10.30am at York St Church, with the wake to follow at City Oval Bowls Club from 12.30pm.

First season: 1987

Total games: 397 (6th all time most games)

Goals: 14

Senior Captain: 2000 to 2004

Senior B&F: 1996, 1997

Committee member: 12 years

Member of the top 50 players of the club's first 1000 games, 1968-2012

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