Retired club greats Peter Bell, Shaun McManus and Jeff Farmer have been nominated for 2008 AFL Players Association Madden Medal Awards, which will be presented on Friday 5 December.

The AFLPA Madden Medal Awards celebrate the contributions of all retired players across a number of on and off-field categories.

The awards culminate in the presentation of the 2008 Madden Medal, to the player who over his career demonstrated on-field excellence, off-field football achievements, personal growth, and community spirit.

Four awards in total are presented on the day including:

The GNC Live Well Football Achievement Award – Criteria: Games played, premierships, awards / medals, style of play, professionalism, leadership, development of game, advocacy on behalf of players, legacy to the game.

The Open Universities Australia Personal Development Award – Criteria: Personal development, business achievements, education and training, family support, hardship / recovery from long term injury.

The Steel Blue Community Spirit Award – Criteria: Involvement / work for charitable organisations, participation in community development initiatives, demonstrated empathy & support for disadvantaged people, leadership in tackling social issues.

These three awards culminate in the Madden Medal. The recipient of the Madden Medal will be the 2008 season retiring player who, in the selection committee’s view, has achieved excellence across the above categories.

The Madden Medal selection committee consists of the AFLPA Executive; Joel Bowden (President), Brett Burton (Vice-President), Luke Ball, Adam Goodes, Tom Harley, Nick Maxwell, Robert Murphy, Luke Power, Ashley Hansen AFLPA CEO Brendon Gale, and past player representative Simon Madden.

Peter has been nominated for the 2008 Madden Medal along with Hawthorn’s Shane Crawford, St Kilda’s Robert Harvey, Brisbane’s Nigel Lappin, Essendon’s Mal Michael, Melbourne’s David Neitz and Western Bulldog Scott West.

Joining Peter as award nominees are Shaun and Jeff who have also been nominated for the GNC Live Well Football Achievement Award.

The inaugural 2007 Madden Medal was taken out by Glenn Archer.

The award is named in honour of former AFLPA Presidents and champion Essendon and Carlton players, Simon and Justin Madden.