Craig Foster (footballer)
Encyclopedia
Craig Foster is an Australia
n former association football player. He is currently a sports commentator
for the Special Broadcasting Service
(SBS) in Australia. He is renowned for his outspoken stance on the need for football in Australia to mature.
, and periodically returns to speak and motivate students.
, Foster debuted with Sydney Croatia
in 1988, playing in a losing grand final in his first season. He moved to Victorian
club Sunshine George Cross in 1989 before returning to Sydney to play for Avala
in the NSW Super League. In 1992, Foster moved to Ernest Borel
in Hong Kong
before returning to Australia to play for Adelaide City
and Marconi
in the NSL
.
As a 28-year-old he moved to England
, linking up with Terry Venables
firstly at Portsmouth
, before moving to Crystal Palace
as a free agent. At the time Portsmouth were in administration and needed to offload their biggest earners and with Foster being one of them, Alan Ball approached him about selling him, which ended in a fierce argument between the two. He played at Palace until the end of the 1999/00 season.
He returned to Australia to play with Northern Spirit
until his retirement from the game in 2003.
He currently plays amateur football in the Eastern Suburbs Premier League in Sydney, with Waverley Old Boys.
in China PR.
, and is remembered for his passionate commentary during the World Cup
Qualifier in November 2005 against Uruguay
. He is also renowned for his advocacy of a more Spanish
/South American style of play, as opposed to the constant use of the long ball in football.
Foster has been a strong advocate for player’s rights, having served for five years on the Australian Professional Footballers' Association
Executive, as a Director of the APFA’s commercial wing, PFAM (PFA Management), and formerly as Chief Executive of the Player’s Association. Foster is a life member of the APFA and a member of the APFA Technical Committee.
He writes for The Sun Herald
and the Sydney Morning Herald.
He was a coach for Nerds FC
in their second season.
In 2007, Foster was invited to be the Australian representative to judge the Ballon d'Or, the highest award given to an individual European footballer.
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n former association football player. He is currently a sports commentator
Color commentator
A color commentator is a sports commentator who assists the play-by-play announcer, often by filling in any time when play is not in progress. The color analyst and main commentator will often exchange comments freely throughout the broadcast, when the play-by-play announcer is not describing the...
for the Special Broadcasting Service
Special Broadcasting Service
The Special Broadcasting Service is a hybrid-funded Australian public broadcasting radio and television network. The stated purpose of SBS is "to provide multilingual and multicultural radio and television services that inform, educate and entertain all Australians and, in doing so, reflect...
(SBS) in Australia. He is renowned for his outspoken stance on the need for football in Australia to mature.
High school
Foster attended Kadina High SchoolKadina High School
Kadina High School is a public high school in the Lismore suburb of Goonellabah, in Australia. It was established in 1976, but began its teaching in 1977...
, and periodically returns to speak and motivate students.
Club career
Playing as a midfielderMidfielder
A midfielder is an association football position. Some midfielders play a more defensive role, while others blur the boundaries between midfielders and forwards. The number of midfielders a team uses during a match may vary, depending on the team's formation and each individual player's role...
, Foster debuted with Sydney Croatia
Sydney United
Sydney United Football Club are an Australian football club from Sydney, Australia, established in 1957 by Croatian Australians in the area...
in 1988, playing in a losing grand final in his first season. He moved to Victorian
Victorian Premier League
The Victorian Premier League is the highest State level association football competition in Victoria, Australia, and second highest nationally after the A-League...
club Sunshine George Cross in 1989 before returning to Sydney to play for Avala
Bonnyrigg White Eagles
Bonnyrigg White Eagles F.C. is a football club in Sydney currently playing in the New South Wales Premier League.- History :Established by Serbian migrants from the Cabramatta area of south-west Sydney, their primary supporter base has been the local Serbian community...
in the NSW Super League. In 1992, Foster moved to Ernest Borel
Ernest Borel (football)
Sea Bee , laterly changed the name to Ernest Borel , is a dissolved Hong Kong football team which played in Hong Kong First Division League...
in Hong Kong
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
before returning to Australia to play for Adelaide City
Adelaide City
Adelaide City is a football club in Adelaide, South Australia. They are also known as The Zebras. They played in the National Soccer League for 27 Seasons but withdrew just prior to the 2003/2004 season. They now play in the South Australian Super League. City won the inaugural Super League...
and Marconi
Marconi Stallions
The Marconi Stallions Football Club is an Australian football club located in Sydney, Australia. The club won the National Soccer League title a record four times, along with South Melbourne FC and Sydney City SC...
in the NSL
National Soccer League
The National Soccer League is the former national association football competition in Australasia, overseen by Soccer Australia and later the Australian Soccer Association. The NSL spanned 28 seasons from its inception in 1977, until its demise in 2004...
.
As a 28-year-old he moved to England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, linking up with Terry Venables
Terry Venables
Terence Frederick "Terry" Venables , often referred to as "El Tel", is a former football player and manager, as well as being a media pundit. During the 1960s and 70s, he played for various clubs including Chelsea, Tottenham Hotspur and Queens Park Rangers, and gained two caps for England...
firstly at Portsmouth
Portsmouth F.C.
Portsmouth Football Club is an English football club based in the city of Portsmouth. The club is nicknamed Pompey. Portsmouth's home matches have been played at Fratton Park since the club's formation in 1898. The team currently play in the Football League Championship after being relegated from...
, before moving to Crystal Palace
Crystal Palace F.C.
Crystal Palace Football Club are an English Football league club based in South Norwood, London. The team plays its home matches at Selhurst Park, where they have been based since 1924. The club currently competes in the second tier of English Football, The Championship.Crystal Palace was formed in...
as a free agent. At the time Portsmouth were in administration and needed to offload their biggest earners and with Foster being one of them, Alan Ball approached him about selling him, which ended in a fierce argument between the two. He played at Palace until the end of the 1999/00 season.
He returned to Australia to play with Northern Spirit
Northern Spirit FC
Northern Spirit Football Club was a football club based in North Sydney, Australia. Northern Spirit entered the National Soccer League in the 1998-99 season...
until his retirement from the game in 2003.
He currently plays amateur football in the Eastern Suburbs Premier League in Sydney, with Waverley Old Boys.
International career
Foster earned 29 caps with the Australian national football team, scoring nine goals and represented Australia at under 16 level reaching the quarter finals at the 1985 FIFA U-16 World Championship1985 FIFA U-16 World Championship
The 1985 FIFA U-16 World Championship was held in the cities of Beijing, Shanghai, Tianjin, and Dalian in People's Republic of China from July 31, 1985 to August 11, 1985...
in China PR.
Post retirement
Following his retirement from professional football, Foster became the chief football analyst for the SBS football show The World GameThe World Game
The World Game is a Monday night television show on SBS in Australia dedicated to association football. It is currently hosted by David Basheer, former Socceroo Craig Foster, and Les Murray, the show analytically reviews and previews soccer and soccer issues from around the globe, albeit with an...
, and is remembered for his passionate commentary during the World Cup
FIFA World Cup
The FIFA World Cup, often simply the World Cup, is an international association football competition contested by the senior men's national teams of the members of Fédération Internationale de Football Association , the sport's global governing body...
Qualifier in November 2005 against Uruguay
Uruguay national football team
The Uruguayan national football team represents Uruguay in international association football and is controlled by the Uruguayan Football Association, the governing body for football in Uruguay. The current head coach is Óscar Tabárez...
. He is also renowned for his advocacy of a more Spanish
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
/South American style of play, as opposed to the constant use of the long ball in football.
Foster has been a strong advocate for player’s rights, having served for five years on the Australian Professional Footballers' Association
Australian Professional Footballers' Association
The Professional Footballers Australia is an Australian trade union affiliated with the Australian Council of Trade Unions that represents professional male, female and elite junior football players.-History:...
Executive, as a Director of the APFA’s commercial wing, PFAM (PFA Management), and formerly as Chief Executive of the Player’s Association. Foster is a life member of the APFA and a member of the APFA Technical Committee.
He writes for The Sun Herald
The Sun Herald
The Sun Herald is a U.S. newspaper based in Biloxi, Mississippi, that serves readers along the Mississippi Gulf Coast. It is owned by The McClatchy Company, one of the largest newspaper publishers in the United States....
and the Sydney Morning Herald.
He was a coach for Nerds FC
Nerds FC
Nerds FC is an Australian television documentary featuring soccer. The first series of the show was aired as a lead-in for the 2006 FIFA World Cup on the Special Broadcasting Service network that featured coverage of the Australian national soccer team....
in their second season.
In 2007, Foster was invited to be the Australian representative to judge the Ballon d'Or, the highest award given to an individual European footballer.
International
- AustraliaAustralia national football (soccer) teamThe Australia national association football team represents Australia in international association football competitions. Its official nickname is the "Socceroos"...
:- FIFA Confederations CupFIFA Confederations CupThe FIFA Confederations Cup is an association football tournament for national teams, currently held every four years by FIFA. It is contested by the winners of each of the six FIFA confederation championships , along with the FIFA World Cup winner and the host nation, to bring the number of teams...
- Runner-up: 19971997 FIFA Confederations Cup-Group B:---------------------Knockout stage:-Semi-finals:-----Third place play-off:-Final:-Awards:-Top scorers:7 goals Romário5 goals Vladimír Šmicer4 goals Ronaldo-References:...
- Runner-up: 1997
- OFC Nations CupOFC Nations CupThe OFC Nations Cup is an international association football tournament held among the Oceania Football Confederation member nations. It was held every two years from 1996 to 2004; before 1996 there were two other tournaments held at irregular intervals, under the name Oceania Nations Cup...
- Winner: 19961996 OFC Nations CupThe 1996 OFC Nations Cup was not held as a cohesive tournament, but consisted of semi-finals and a final played on a two-legged basis, stretched out between November 1995 and November 1996....
, 20002000 OFC Nations CupSolomon Islands and Vanuatu* qualified for Oceania Nations Cup 2000* Fiji were replaced by Vanuatu .-Polynesia Cup 2000:--------------------------------------------...
- Winner: 1996
- FIFA Confederations Cup