Michael Baird
Encyclopedia
Michael Baird is an Australian footballer
who currently plays for Sabah FA
in the Malaysian Super League
. He currently plays as a striker
. Michael has played in both the NSL and the Hyundai A-League, spending time at clubs in New South Wales and Queensland. The young striker then moved overseas to play with Universitatea Craiova in the Romanian top flight, however due to a contract dispute, he moved back to Australia to compete in the A-League for Perth Glory missing out on the first 3 rounds of the 2010/2011 season due to his lack of provisional clearance by FIFA.
and began playing football at the age of five, with his local club, Newmarket SFC
. In 2000, he began his professional career, with the Brisbane Lions Soccer Club (now known as Queensland Lions FC
) in the Brisbane Premier League
. Baird stayed with them in 2001, and scored 7 goals from 17 games during the season. In 2001–02, Baird was promoted to the National Soccer League
, signing with the Brisbane Strikers
, with whom he scored 4 goals from 15 appearances. The club finished fourth on the league table, but at the end of the season Baird signed with the team who had defeated the Strikers in the elimination final, South Melbourne FC
for 2002–03. Meanwhile Baird made 18 appearances for South Melbourne in the 2002–03 NSL season, scoring 4 goals as they finished 7th, one point shy of the finals.
Upon returning to Australia, Baird completed the 2003–04 season with Sydney Olympic, picking up 2 goals in his 11 appearances. Baird returned briefly to the Queensland Lions
for the 2004 QPL season, helping the team to the premiership before transferring to the Bonnyrigg White Eagles
in the New South Wales Premier League
.
In late 2004, Baird received offers from new A-League
clubs Queensland Roar and the Central Coast Mariners
, but made the decision to sign with his home club, thus becoming one of the first recruits for the Roar. Baird played in Queensland's 3-0 loss to Sydney FC
in the Australian qualifiers for the 2004–05 Oceania Club Championship
, but in late June he was struck with osteitis pubis
, and it was feared he would miss the start of the inaugural A-League season. However, despite not playing in Queensland's Pre-Season Cup matches, Baird was fit in time for their first A-League game, scoring the final goal in their 2-0 win over the New Zealand Knights. Baird made a total of 20 appearances for the Roar in the 2005–06 season, scoring 6 goals and earning a red card in a round 14 match against the Mariners. Late in the season, Baird was released from the second year of his Roar contract to sign a four-year deal with Romania
n club FC Universitatea Craiova
, and finished off his A-League career with a goal in his final game. On 15 April 2010 it was confirmed that Baird along with his FC Universitatea Craiova
team mate Josh Mitchell
had returned home to sign for A-League
side Perth Glory. After Struggling to make an impact with Perth Glory it was announced that on 6 January 2011 that Central Coast Mariners had signed the forward until the end of the 2011-2012 season.
On 17 November 2011, Baird joined the Malaysian club, Sabah FA
as one of the two foreign players allowed in the 2012 Malaysia Super League
. Baird, alongside his fellow countrymen, Brendan Gan
signed a one year contract Sabah.
qualifying matches for the 2003 FIFA World Youth Championship
. He played in Australia's first match, a 2-0 victory over Vanuatu
, then scored 4 goals in an 11-0 thrashing of Fiji
in the first leg of the tournament final.
Baird was selected in the 20-man squad to represent Australia in the 2003 World Youth Championship, also playing in Australia's 2-0 victory over the United Arab Emirates
in the leadup to the tournament. During the competition, however, Baird only managed a 32-minute appearance in Australia's 2-1 win over Canada
, preferred behind Alex Brosque
, Scott McDonald
and Spase Dilevski
. Australia finished on top of their group with 7 points, including a surprise victory over Brazil
, before losing 1-0 to the hosts, the United Arab Emirates in the round of sixteen.
Football (soccer)
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...
who currently plays for Sabah FA
Sabah FA
The Football Association of Sabah is a registered football association affiliated with the Football Association of Malaysia. The association's football team competes in Malaysia's football league representing the state of Sabah in Borneo. Sabah FA is a professional football club and one of the 14...
in the Malaysian Super League
Malaysian Super League
The Malaysia Super League is a Malaysian professional league for association football. At the top flight of the Malaysian football league system and it is managed by the Malaysia Super League Sdn Bhd, under supervision of the Football Association of Malaysia...
. He currently plays as a striker
Striker
Forwards, also known as strikers, are the players on a team in association football who play nearest to the opposing team's goal, and are therefore principally responsible for scoring goals...
. Michael has played in both the NSL and the Hyundai A-League, spending time at clubs in New South Wales and Queensland. The young striker then moved overseas to play with Universitatea Craiova in the Romanian top flight, however due to a contract dispute, he moved back to Australia to compete in the A-League for Perth Glory missing out on the first 3 rounds of the 2010/2011 season due to his lack of provisional clearance by FIFA.
Club career
Michael Baird was born in Newmarket, BrisbaneBrisbane
Brisbane is the capital and most populous city in the Australian state of Queensland and the third most populous city in Australia. Brisbane's metropolitan area has a population of over 2 million, and the South East Queensland urban conurbation, centred around Brisbane, encompasses a population of...
and began playing football at the age of five, with his local club, Newmarket SFC
Newmarket SFC
Newmarket Soccer Football Club is an Australian football club based at Newmarket, in the inner-west of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia...
. In 2000, he began his professional career, with the Brisbane Lions Soccer Club (now known as Queensland Lions FC
Queensland Lions Soccer Club
Queensland Lions Football Club is an football club based in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.-History:The club was founded in 1957 as Hollandia-Inala Soccer Club by Dutch immigrants. From the start they were based at grounds in the Brisbane suburb of Richlands, where they still play...
) in the Brisbane Premier League
Brisbane Premier League
Brisbane Premier League is the first tier of senior football league in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia, run by Football Brisbane . After a 26 match regular season, the top 6 teams on the league table qualify for the finals series...
. Baird stayed with them in 2001, and scored 7 goals from 17 games during the season. In 2001–02, Baird was promoted to the National Soccer League
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...
, signing with the Brisbane Strikers
Brisbane Strikers
The Brisbane Strikers are an Australian football club from Brisbane, Queensland, Australia who play in the Queensland State League.-National Soccer League:...
, with whom he scored 4 goals from 15 appearances. The club finished fourth on the league table, but at the end of the season Baird signed with the team who had defeated the Strikers in the elimination final, South Melbourne FC
South Melbourne FC
South Melbourne FC is a football club based in South Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.Considered the most successful association football club in Australia, they have won four national championships, a string of Victorian State League titles, and represented Oceania in the 2000 FIFA Club World...
for 2002–03. Meanwhile Baird made 18 appearances for South Melbourne in the 2002–03 NSL season, scoring 4 goals as they finished 7th, one point shy of the finals.
Upon returning to Australia, Baird completed the 2003–04 season with Sydney Olympic, picking up 2 goals in his 11 appearances. Baird returned briefly to the Queensland Lions
Queensland Lions Soccer Club
Queensland Lions Football Club is an football club based in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.-History:The club was founded in 1957 as Hollandia-Inala Soccer Club by Dutch immigrants. From the start they were based at grounds in the Brisbane suburb of Richlands, where they still play...
for the 2004 QPL season, helping the team to the premiership before transferring to the Bonnyrigg White Eagles
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 New South Wales Premier League
New South Wales Premier League
The New South Wales Premier League is the highest state-level men's soccer competition in New South Wales, Australia. Nationally, it is considered one grade lower than the A-League...
.
In late 2004, Baird received offers from new A-League
A-League
The A-League is the top Australasian professional football league. Run by Australian governing body Football Federation Australia , it was founded in 2004 following the folding of the National Soccer League and staged its inaugural season in 2005–06. It is sponsored by Hyundai Motor Company...
clubs Queensland Roar and the Central Coast Mariners
Central Coast Mariners FC
Central Coast Mariners Football Club is a professional football club based on the Central Coast of New South Wales, Australia. They participate in the A-League and are one of three teams from the state of New South Wales playing in the competition...
, but made the decision to sign with his home club, thus becoming one of the first recruits for the Roar. Baird played in Queensland's 3-0 loss to Sydney FC
Sydney FC
Sydney FC is a professional football club based in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia and competes in the country's premier football competition, the A-League...
in the Australian qualifiers for the 2004–05 Oceania Club Championship
Oceania Club Championship 2004-05
The 2004–05 Oceania Club Championship was held in from April to June, 2005. The tournament was designed to decide the Oceania Football Confederation's entrant into the 2005 FIFA Club World Championship.-Participants:-Preliminary round:...
, but in late June he was struck with osteitis pubis
Osteitis pubis
Since 1924, osteitis pubis has been known as a noninfectious inflammation of the pubis symphysis causing varying degrees of lower abdominal and pelvic pain. Osteitis pubis was first described in patients who had undergone suprapubic surgery and remains a well-known complication of invasive...
, and it was feared he would miss the start of the inaugural A-League season. However, despite not playing in Queensland's Pre-Season Cup matches, Baird was fit in time for their first A-League game, scoring the final goal in their 2-0 win over the New Zealand Knights. Baird made a total of 20 appearances for the Roar in the 2005–06 season, scoring 6 goals and earning a red card in a round 14 match against the Mariners. Late in the season, Baird was released from the second year of his Roar contract to sign a four-year deal with Romania
Romania
Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeastern Europe, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian arch, bordering on the Black Sea...
n club FC Universitatea Craiova
FC Universitatea Craiova
Fotbal Club Universitatea Craiova is a Romanian professional football club from Craiova. They became the first Romanian football team to reach the semi-finals of a European tournament, during the UEFA Cup in 1982–83...
, and finished off his A-League career with a goal in his final game. On 15 April 2010 it was confirmed that Baird along with his FC Universitatea Craiova
FC Universitatea Craiova
Fotbal Club Universitatea Craiova is a Romanian professional football club from Craiova. They became the first Romanian football team to reach the semi-finals of a European tournament, during the UEFA Cup in 1982–83...
team mate Josh Mitchell
Josh Mitchell
Josh Mitchell is an Australian football player who currently plays for Perth Glory.-Club career:Josh Mitchell was born in Belmont, Newcastle and began playing football at the age of 4 at Swansea Swans Soccer Club and was selected for the Australian School Boys Football team in 2002...
had returned home to sign for A-League
A-League
The A-League is the top Australasian professional football league. Run by Australian governing body Football Federation Australia , it was founded in 2004 following the folding of the National Soccer League and staged its inaugural season in 2005–06. It is sponsored by Hyundai Motor Company...
side Perth Glory. After Struggling to make an impact with Perth Glory it was announced that on 6 January 2011 that Central Coast Mariners had signed the forward until the end of the 2011-2012 season.
On 17 November 2011, Baird joined the Malaysian club, Sabah FA
Sabah FA
The Football Association of Sabah is a registered football association affiliated with the Football Association of Malaysia. The association's football team competes in Malaysia's football league representing the state of Sabah in Borneo. Sabah FA is a professional football club and one of the 14...
as one of the two foreign players allowed in the 2012 Malaysia Super League
2012 Malaysia Super League
The 2012 Astro Malaysia Super League is the 9th season of the highest Malaysian football league since its inception in 2004. Fourteen teams participated in the league, eleven state teams and three club teams, with Kelantan FA as the defending champions...
. Baird, alongside his fellow countrymen, Brendan Gan
Brendan Gan
Brendan Gan is an Australian footballer who currently plays for Sabah FA in the Malaysian Super League.-Club career:Gan began playing football for his local club, the Marton Hammers before he signed for the Sutherland Sharks in 2000 when he was twelve years old and came up through their youth...
signed a one year contract Sabah.
International career
At the age of 19, Baird was selected in the Australian national team to play in the Oceania Football ConfederationOceania Football Confederation
The Oceania Football Confederation is one of the six continental confederations of international association football, consisting of Papua New Guinea, New Zealand and island nations such as Tonga, Fiji and other Pacific Island countries...
qualifying matches for the 2003 FIFA World Youth Championship
2003 FIFA World Youth Championship
The 2003 FIFA World Youth Championship took place in United Arab Emirates between November 27 and December 19, 2003. The 2003 championship was the 14th contested...
. He played in Australia's first match, a 2-0 victory over Vanuatu
Vanuatu national football team
The Vanuatu national football team is the national team of Vanuatu and is controlled by the Vanuatu Football Federation.-History:It was known as the New Hebrides national football team until the New Hebrides became Republic of Vanuatu in 1980. It finished fourth in the OFC Nations Cup in 1973,...
, then scored 4 goals in an 11-0 thrashing of Fiji
Fiji national football team
The Fiji national football team is the national team of Fiji and is controlled by the Fiji Football Association. Their best finish in the OFC Nations Cup was third in 1998 and 2008.-World Cup record:*1930 to 1978 - Did not enter...
in the first leg of the tournament final.
Baird was selected in the 20-man squad to represent Australia in the 2003 World Youth Championship, also playing in Australia's 2-0 victory over the United Arab Emirates
United Arab Emirates national football team
The United Arab Emirates national football team represents United Arab Emirates in association football and is controlled by the United Arab Emirates Football Association, the governing body for football in United Arab Emirates...
in the leadup to the tournament. During the competition, however, Baird only managed a 32-minute appearance in Australia's 2-1 win over Canada
Canada men's national soccer team
The Canada men's national soccer team represents Canada in international soccer competitions at the senior men's level. They are overseen by the Canadian Soccer Association and compete in the Confederation of North, Central American and Caribbean Association Football .Their most significant...
, preferred behind Alex Brosque
Alex Brosque
Alex Brosque is an Australian professional football player who currently plays for J. League side Shimizu S-Pulse...
, Scott McDonald
Scott McDonald
Scott Douglas McDonald is an Australian football player who currently plays as a striker for English Championship side Middlesbrough and the Australian national team. Scott McDonald is of Scottish heritage.-Early career:...
and Spase Dilevski
Spase Dilevski
Spase Dilevski is an Australian football player of ethnic Macedonian origin whose adaptability means he can play as a defender , right wing-back or a right winger...
. Australia finished on top of their group with 7 points, including a surprise victory over Brazil
Brazil national football team
The Brazil national football team represents Brazil in international men's football and is controlled by the Brazilian Football Confederation , the governing body for football in Brazil. They are a member of the International Federation of Association Football since 1923 and also a member of the...
, before losing 1-0 to the hosts, the United Arab Emirates in the round of sixteen.