Senior Sergeant Reynolds served with Tasmania Police for 38 years, including time as an inspector in Launceston.

He was most recently in charge of prosecution services on the North-West.

Commissioner Darren Hine said welfare support was being provided to his family and the wider police community.

“The loss of any police member impacts significantly on the police community and Senior Sergeant Reynolds will be sadly missed,” he said.

Senior Sergeant Reynolds was elected president of the Northern Tasmania Football Association last year after serving as coach for the Longford Tigers and working with the St Patrick’s College senior team.

He was chairman of the Tasmanian Football Council.

The NTFA board put out a statement on Friday and said it was devastated by his death. “Paul was a wonderful friend and a dedicated leader for Northern football,” it said.

“Paul's impact on our competition and our game will be long-lasting and we will miss him dearly. At this time, our concerns are with Paul's family. The thoughts of the entire football community are with you.”

AFL Tasmania chief executive Trisha Squires said the TSL this weekend would observe a moment of silence and players in all three grand finals would wear black armbands in his memory.

“The game has lost a dedicated and passionate leader that worked hard to progress and support football in the north of the state,” she said.

“I worked very closely with Paul, I admired his leadership and saw how much he cared and how hard he worked for football.”