aboriginal soccer players?

[danny rooboy]

there are so many super talented and exciting aboriginal players in afl... what if they were playing the world game?

has australia had any aboriginal soccer players in the past?

maybe soccer australia should try promoting the sport heavily into aboriginal communities?

what does evryone think?

 

[Jeffers]

isn't Archie Thompson part Aboriginal?

if i recall correctly he holds the world record for most individual goals in a match?

 

[ACV]

From memory Archie Thompson is a Maori, he had the option to play for Australia or NZ.

There are not many Aboriginal soccer players around, the only one that i can think of is Fred Agius (sp?). Saw a story on him on SBS, he played in the U17s WC in 2001 and was playing for Sydney Olympic (i think), he then gave it away and went back to Adelaide to play in the SANFL (i think).

But they went on to say that he is now giving it another go. This european summer he is going for trials in France, Guingump (sp?) or Bastia i think it might have been but i can't remember exactly.

They made it sound as if he was a very good player, so he may be one to watch out for, especially if he goes to france and gets into some of their academies.

 

[Dogwatcher]

Fred Agius hails from the Elizabeth Football Club and is now on the Central District Football Club's list.
Awesome skills - an amazingly freakish player.

 

[coxon]

i believe the late prominent aboriginal lawyer/activist charles perkins was a bit of a soccer player...


In 1952 Charles Perkins was apprenticed as a fitter and turner, and worked unhappily at the trade for five years, until his career as a soccer player took off. He played professional soccer in England for two years before rejecting an offer to play for Manchester United so he could return to Australia as captain-coach of the Adelaide Croatian soccer club.

 

[Bomber Spirit]

So far as I'm aware, Shane Lyons of Wollongong (formerly Northern Spirit & Parramatta) is the only Aboriginal in the NSL. He's also the son of former Manly NRL great Cliff Lyons.
As Coxon pointed out, Charles Perkins played soccer. But not many Aboriginals have - they've tended to go for Aussie rules or the rugby codes.