Football United vs Soccer City

Welcome to episode 78 of the Football United vs Soccer City podcast. Firstly I would like to sincerely thank all of the interviewees, listeners and the football community of the Illawarra, Australia and around the World who download this podcast. Additionally I would like to say thank you to the brilliant people who contribute, comment and reminisce on the social media pages.Rob Giraldi is our interviewee in episode 78. Born in 1961, Rob joined Woonona Junior Soccer Club in 1967. It is here where he started his path as a striker in the game under Jock Young. Growing up in this era Rob was watching Fairy Meadow out at Dalton Park with his Dad and of course he was watching South Coast United and Safeway United at the old Balls Paddock at Woonona.After playing with Woonona Junior Soccer Club and in junior representative teams with Federation clubs Balgownie and Wollongong City, Rob then forged a brilliant career in the Illawarra District Soccer Association, NSW State League and National Soccer League playing with Fairy Meadow, Wollongong Macedonia, Wollongong Wolves, Port Kembla, Corrimal Rangers, Russell Vale, Northern United and Tarrawanna.I appreciated the opportunity to record and listen to Rob's football journey. I have sincere respect and thanks for the time Rob gave up to do this interview and for allowing me into his home. Please enjoy episode 78!

Welcome to episode 77 of the Football United vs Soccer City podcast. Firstly I would like to sincerely thank all of the interviewees, listeners and the football community of the Illawarra, Australia and around the World who download this podcast. Additionally I would like to say thank you to the brilliant people who contribute, comment and reminisce on the social media pages.Walter Chichkan is our interviewee in episode 77. He was born in the Ukraine in 1938 and after surviving World War II, his Family came out to Australia on the 1st of August 1949. He grew up in the football village of Balgownie and it is here that his football career started at Balgownie Public School. After a period of time Walter then played fullback with the historic Balgownie Club in U14s and in U16s. Although he wanted to play in the goalkeeper position like his idol and big brother Victor, Walter was highly successful in representing his district and state at fullback in junior representative teams.Walter joined Woonona-Bulli in the State League as a 17 year old in 1955. He broke into the first team that year playing nine games as a defender. Astoundingly in 1956 Walter then became the first grade goalkeeper for Woonona-Bulli, an amazing transition, which fulfilled his ambition of playing in goals. In 1957 and 1958 he continued to play for Woonona-Bulli, however in 1959 he re-joined his hometown club Balgownie in state league and played here until 1962.After a year off in 1963 Walter then played goalkeeper at Helensburgh, Wollongong Olympic, Coledale and lastly with Fairy Meadow where he retired in 1971. In 1972 he became a referee in the IDSA competitions and did this for a year. In 1977 he joined the Fairy Meadow SC as a committee member. Walter was with Fairy Meadow until 1986 and he was a large part of their success in the late 1970s in the IDSA competition and in the 1980s in the NSW State league competitions. Plus I briefly speak to Walter about coaching his son and other players at Balgownie Junior Soccer Club.I appreciated the opportunity to record and listen to Walter's football journey. I have sincere respect and thanks for the time Walter gave up to do this interview and for allowing me into his home. And I must thank Walter's son John for setting up the interview and for transferring 1950s Illawarra football film into digital files. Please note it is John's voice you can occasionally hear in the background during the interview. Please enjoy episode 77!

Welcome to episode 76 of the Football United vs Soccer City podcast. Firstly I would like to sincerely thank all of the interviewees, listeners and the football community of the Illawarra, Australia and around the World who download this podcast. Additionally I would like to say thank you to the brilliant people who contribute, comment and reminisce on the social media pages.Rade Stevanovski is our interviewee in episode 76. He was born in a village near Bitola, Macedonia, in 1958. With no structured football development in his childhood and teenage years, Rade had to develop and learn the game by watching TV and practising. With repetition, skill and perseverance, Rade then made his way into Bitola's Transkop Football Club, which played against teams from all parts of Yugoslavia. In 1981 he received a phone call from his Aunty in Australia which changed his life trajectory and in that year he came out to Australia for a new opportunity and to play football with Wollongong Macedonia in the 2nd tier of the NSW State League. In the next 20 years Rade then made a name for himself in the National Soccer League, NSW State League and Illawarra Premier League. Most notably he was part of the highly successful Wollongong City Wolves team who won the double in the NSW State League in 1987 and won the 1988 NSL league championship.I appreciated the opportunity to record and listen to Rade's football journey. I have sincere respect and thanks for the time Rade spent in delving into his football career and for allowing me into his home. Please enjoy episode 76!

Welcome to episode 75 of the Football United vs Soccer City podcast. Firstly, I would like to sincerely thank all of the interviewees, listeners and the football community of the Illawarra, Australia and elsewhere around the World who download this podcast. Additionally, I would like to say thank you to the tremendous people who contribute, comment and reminisce on the social media pages.Fabio Fabrianesi is our interviewee in episode 75. Born in Italy in 1952, Fabio and his family emigrated from Italy to Australia. His first initiation with football was with Port Kembla Danube JSC in 1962 as an outfield player. His love of the game further developed throughout the 1960s via playing and watching the game. And with his Father's history as a goalkeeper in Italy and Fabio's love of George Ramage from South Coast United it was no surprise that Fabio became a goalkeeper when the opportunity arose with Port Kembla United in senior football.This podcast delves into his goalkeeping career, which encompasses his time in the Illawarra, Italy, Federation football, the Phillips Soccer League and then back to the Illawarra. Along with Fabio's brilliant thoughts and memories there are three additionally interviews added into this podcast that give further insights into Fabio. So thank you to Dave Curley, Lou Del Turco and Albert Ciocci.I appreciated the opportunity to record and listen to Fabio's football experiences. I have sincere appreciation, respect and thanks for the time, Fabio spent in delving into his football journey. Please enjoy episode 75!

Welcome to episode 74 of the Football United vs Soccer City podcast. Firstly I would like to sincerely thank all of the interviewees, listeners and the football community of the Illawarra, Australia and elsewhere around the World who download this podcast. Additionally I would like to say thank you to the tremendous people who contribute, comment and reminisce on the social media pages.Allan Piggot is our interviewee in episode 74. Born in Dundee Scotland in 1953 Allan developed a deep passion for football early in his life. Allan started playing football in the streets of Dundee and at Ann Street Primary School in the 1950s. In these early years Allan would go and watch Dundee at Dens Park when they played midweek and even went by himself to watch Dundee against Rangers in the 1963-64 Scottish Cup Final at Hampden Park with 120,000 other supporters.In his teenage years Allan played in school, youth club and representative football teams. After he left school he joined Kirriemuir Thistle FC and was training with East Fife FC. And it was at this point in his life he saw a newspaper article about Safeway United's manager and Dundee local Jim Harris that changed his life. In the article Jim Harris said if any footballers were interested in coming to Australia then they should contact Jim. Allan contacted Jim and in the space of 10 days his Australian adventure had begun.I appreciated the opportunity to record and listen to Allan's football experiences. I have sincere appreciation, respect and thanks for the time Allan spent in driving down from Singleton to Corrimal to record this interview. Please enjoy episode 74!

Welcome to episode 73 of the Football United vs Soccer City podcast. Firstly I would like to sincerely thank all of the interviewees, listeners and the football community of the Illawarra, Australia and elsewhere around the World who download this podcast. Additionally I would like to say thank you to the tremendous people who contribute, comment and reminisce on the social media pages.Billy Williams is our interviewee in episode 73. Born in Thirroul and growing up in Woonona in the 1930s, Billy was a footballer who represented his club, region, state and country as a junior and senior footballer.This interview was conducted a while ago via Billy's son Greg who I must sincerely thank for setting this interview up. This interview with Billy is fantastic in many ways and as Billy was humble about his success on the football field, I have added further details about his junior and senior football exploits from newspaper articles and other documents to demonstrate the career Billy Williams had in the Illawarra and for his region, state and country. In my humble opinion Billy would be “one of the” top ten Illawarra football players in the 1950s, so to get a few of his memories and thoughts was fantastic. I sincerely appreciate the opportunity to record and listen to some of Billy's football experiences. I have immense appreciation and thanks for the time Billy gave up in recording this interview and further thanks must go to Andrew Howe, Greg Stock, Mark Boric and Doug Butcher for the statistics I have used in this podcast. At the end of my interview with Billy Williams there is an additional interview with Peter Glass and his thoughts on Billy as a player. For those who have not listened to previous podcasts, Peter Glass was our interviewee on episode 62 and I thank Peter for doing this additional interview. Please enjoy episode 73!

Welcome to episode 72 of the Football United vs Soccer City podcast, proudly brought to you by H. Parsons Funeral Directors, an Australian family owned and operated funeral director, serving the Illawarra since 1893. Firstly I would like to sincerely thank all of the interviewees, listeners and the football community of the Illawarra, Australia and elsewhere around the World who download this podcast. Additionally I would like to say thank you to the tremendous people who contribute, comment and reminisce on the social media pages.Peter Thompson is our interviewee in episode 72. Born in 1961, Peter's first memories of football are at Elizabeth Park Bellambi, where he and his mates came together to kick a ball around and sometimes be ballboys for the senior team. Along with playing for Bellambi Junior Soccer Club, Peter played a few years in Illawarra Representative teams, an experience he enjoyed. And on this note I must apologise as I did not ask Peter about this topic in the interview, so at the 20 minute mark I have added in a further mobile interview with Peter on his junior representative career.After having a period of time away from the game after junior football, Peter joined the senior ranks in 1979 with Fernhill Soccer Club and stayed with this club for his whole career. Peter is a humble man who played for his club and fellow team mates. It is clear he has a genuine passion for the game and his club Fernhill.Widely regarded and respected at his club and around the Illawarra, it was phenomenal to hear Peter thought's on his time in the game, in particular the people at Fernhill. Peter has experienced the joy of being a one club man and is still involved at the club today. I appreciated the opportunity to record and listen to Peter's football experiences. I have sincere appreciation and thanks for the time Peter allowed me to be in his home recording and the archival items he allowed me to scan. Please enjoy episode 72!

Welcome to episode 71 of the Football United vs Soccer City podcast, proudly brought to you by H. Parsons Funeral Directors, an Australian family owned and operated funeral director, serving the Illawarra since 1893. Firstly I would like to sincerely thank all of the interviewees, listeners and the football community of the Illawarra, Australia and elsewhere around the World who download this podcast. Additionally I would like to say thank you to the tremendous people who contribute, comment and reminisce on the social media pages.Robert Fryer is our interviewee in episode 71. Born in 1954, Robert's first memories of football are at primary school with Worthington Road. From this point forward Robert progressed into representative teams with the Altrincham Sale Schools team and Cheshire County, which ultimately lead to a series of trials with professional football clubs in the United Kingdom and his signing with Birmingham City Football Club.After finishing with Birmingham City Robert had a meeting with South Coast United's former star Jim Kelly in the UK and after agreeing to terms to play with South Coast United so began Robert's journey into Australian Football in 1972. For the next three decades Robert as a player, coach and administrator was a part of many clubs and many special moments in Illawarra and in Australian football.Robert has experienced the full set of emotions in his football life and at the heart of it all he is grateful and respectful of the game. He is competitive and disciplined but more importantly understands the connection that clubs have to their communities and the friendships that are developed at clubs. I enjoyed immensely recording and listening to Robert's time in the game as he has had a wide array of experiences. I have sincere appreciation and thanks for the time Robert allowed me to be in his home recording and the effort he gave in helping me flesh out his football timeline. Please enjoy episode 71!

Episode 70 Steve Micevski Welcome to episode 70 of the Football United vs Soccer City podcast, proudly brought to you by H. Parsons Funeral Directors, an Australian family owned and operated funeral director, serving the Illawarra since 1893.  Firstly I would like to sincerely thank all of the interviewees, listeners and the football community of the Illawarra, Australia and elsewhere around the World who download this podcast. Additionally I would like to say thank you to the tremendous people who contribute, comment and reminisce on the social media pages. Steve Micevski is our interviewee in episode 70. Steve grew up playing junior soccer with Warilla Wanderers and Shellharbour Workers JSCs in the early 1980s through to the mid 1980s. During this time Steve was immersing himself in local football at different levels and this led to his passion for the game. We discuss Steve's senior career as a player and as a coach across many wonderful Illawarra clubs from the mid 1980s through to today. Steve has experienced the ups and downs of football but has always applied himself in a positive way. This can be heard in regards to his experiences at All-Fab Shellharbour, Kiama, Cringila, Kemblawarra, Albion Park White Eagles, Wollongong United and Warilla Wanderers.  Steve has developed life long relationships in his time with football and this says a lot about the man. In regards to his successes he is humble and acknowledges those around him. I thoroughly enjoyed going through Steve's time in Illawarra football and him recalling his footballing life and for me it was a delight. I sincerely thank and appreciate the time Steve took in recording this episode. Please enjoy episode 70!

Welcome to episode 69 of the Football United vs Soccer City podcast, proudly brought to you by H. Parsons Funeral Directors, an Australian family owned and operated funeral director, serving the Illawarra since 1893.Firstly I would like to sincerely thank all of the interviewees, listeners and the football community of the Illawarra, Australia and elsewhere around the World who download this podcast. Additionally I would like to say thank you to the tremendous people who contribute, comment and reminisce on the social media pages.Rex Leighton is our interviewee in episode 69. For over several decades Rex has been a part of the Illawarra football fabric and continues to be part of our wonderful community. In this episode we examine his Family's connection with the game; his junior and senior football career; his coaching appointments; his refereeing journey and the various footballing administrative roles that he has fulfilled in the region.Extremely humble, Rex has given so much to Illawarra football and listening to his journey was a fantastic experience for me in so many ways. Due to his varied journey we examine different areas of the game in the Illawarra along with hearing about great people, clubs and organisations.It was absolutely terrific listening to Rex recalling his footballing life and for me it was a pleasure recording his memories. I sincerely thank and appreciate the time Rex took in recording this episode. Please enjoy episode 69!

Episode 68 Steve SowryWelcome to episode 68 of the Football United vs Soccer City podcast, proudly brought to you by H. Parsons Funeral Directors, an Australian family owned and operated funeral director, serving the Illawarra since 1893.Firstly I would like to sincerely thank all of the interviewees, listeners and the football community of the Illawarra, Australia, Barcelona, Richardson and elsewhere around the World who download this podcast. Additionally I would like to say thank you to the brilliant people who contribute, comment and reminisce on the social media pages.Steve Sowry is our interviewee in episode 68. Born in Seacroft Leeds in the United Kingdom in 1951, Steve enjoyed listening to football on the radio, watching his Father play the game and playing goalkeeper for his primary and high schools. In 1962 his Family emigrated to Australia and it is here where his football journey in Oz began.We explore his time at Balgownie Hostel Junior Soccer Club, going from goalkeeper to striker and playing for the Hostel's senior team. Additionally we examine his time at the German influenced North Wollongong Soccer Club, Figtree SC, Fairy Meadow United SC and finally the remainder of his football career with Figtree SC as a player and as a coach.It was absolutely brilliant listening to Steve recalling his footballing journey, especially when we delve into his thoughts on former team mates, games played, coaches and opponents. I sincerely thank and appreciate the time Steve took in recording this episode. Please enjoy episode 68!

Episode 67 Eric Thompson (Part 3)Welcome to episode 67 of the Football United vs Soccer City podcast, proudly brought to you by H. Parsons Funeral Directors, an Australian family owned and operated funeral director, serving the Illawarra since 1893.Firstly I would like to sincerely thank all of the interviewees, listeners and the football community of the Illawarra, Australia and the World who download this podcast. Additionally I would like to say thank you to the brilliant people who contribute, comment and reminisce on the social media pages.Episode 67 will be split into multiple parts and will delve into a wonderful servant of Illawarra football, Eric Thompson.From the late 1960s through to his passing in 2015 Eric Thompson has played alongside, coached, mentored, supported and encouraged hundreds of people in the Illawarra football community.The width and depth of Eric's football career is immense. I have tried to place the interviews I have collected in date order but there are times where people interact with Eric multiple times so it is not always possible. However it is clear that we have only touched the surface with people's memories of Eric but I truly believe what is presented gives an honest reflection of the man and his football personality. And please note this podcast is dynamic and can be added to in the future so please contact me if you want to record your memories of Eric.It was a privilege to organise and record people's memories of Eric. I am truly indebted to the many people who have given up their time, memories and emotions by being part of this podcast.Please note as this episode was recorded over mobile phones there are some slight issues at times with audio quality and for that I apologise. Please enjoy part 3 of episode 67!Episode 67 - Part 3 - IntervieweesGeorge PrentoskiJohn KrajnovicIcko AtanasoskiJohnny SimonovskiJason HiggsJeff AllportPablo NeiraJohn FrewGeorge AntoniouJason LimaKrste KojoskiSebastian DallasStefan Dimoski

Episode 67 Eric Thompson (Part 2)Welcome to episode 67 of the Football United vs Soccer City podcast, proudly brought to you by H. Parsons Funeral Directors, an Australian family owned and operated funeral director, serving the Illawarra since 1893.Firstly I would like to sincerely thank all of the interviewees, listeners and the football community of the Illawarra, Australia and the World who download this podcast. Additionally I would like to say thank you to the brilliant people who contribute, comment and reminisce on the social media pages.Episode 67 will be split into multiple parts and will delve into a wonderful servant of Illawarra football, Eric Thompson.From the late 1960s through to his passing in 2015 Eric Thompson has played alongside, coached, mentored, supported and encouraged hundreds of people in the Illawarra football community.The width and depth of Eric's football career is immense. I have tried to place the interviews I have collected in date order but there are times where people interact with Eric multiple times so it is not always possible. However it is clear that we have only touched the surface with people's memories of Eric but I truly believe what is presented gives an honest reflection of the man and his football personality. And please note this podcast is dynamic and can be added to in the future so please contact me if you want to record your memories of Eric.It was a privilege to organise and record people's memories of Eric. I am truly indebted to the many people who have given up their time, memories and emotions by being part of this podcast.Please note as this episode was recorded over mobile phones there are some slight issues at times with audio quality and for that I apologise. Please enjoy part 2 of episode 67!Episode 67 - Part 2 - IntervieweesPaul DallasBrendon FloodGarth MortonDean MerolaRichard PeilAndrew NaylorGlenn KeartonMatt HorsleyGraham Lovett

Episode 67 Eric Thompson (Part 1)Welcome to episode 67 of the Football United vs Soccer City podcast, proudly brought to you by H. Parsons Funeral Directors, an Australian family owned and operated funeral director, serving the Illawarra since 1893.Firstly I would like to sincerely thank all of the interviewees, listeners and the football community of the Illawarra, Australia and the World who download this podcast. Additionally I would like to say thank you to the brilliant people who contribute, comment and reminisce on the social media pages.Episode 67 will be split into multiple parts and will delve into a wonderful servant of Illawarra football, Eric Thompson.From the late 1960s through to his passing in 2015 Eric Thompson has played alongside, coached, mentored, supported and encouraged hundreds of people in the Illawarra football community.The width and depth of Eric's football career is immense. I have tried to place the interviews I have collected in date order but there are times where people interact with Eric multiple times so it is not always possible. However it is clear that we have only touched the surface with people's memories of Eric but I truly believe what is presented gives an honest reflection of the man and his football personality. And please note this podcast is dynamic and can be added to in the future so please contact me if you want to record your memories of Eric.It was a privilege to organise and record people's memories of Eric. I am truly indebted to the many people who have given up their time, memories and emotions by being part of this podcast.Please note as this episode was recorded over mobile phones there are some slight issues at times with audio quality and for that I apologise. Please enjoy part 1 of episode 67!Episode 67 - Part 1 - IntervieweesGary MastersNeil McKinleyPaul CavallariAndy MullanPhil ScottDavid CurleyGreg WatersMark SweeneyRoss EmertonAndrew Christie

Welcome to episode 66 of the Football United vs Soccer City podcast, proudly brought to you by H. Parsons Funeral Directors, an Australian family owned and operated funeral director, serving the Illawarra since 1893.Firstly I would like to sincerely thank all of the interviewees, listeners and the football community of the Illawarra, Australia and the World who download this podcast. Additionally I would like to say thanks to the brilliant people who contribute, comment and reminisce on the social media pages.Daniel Hastings is our interviewee in episode 66. Daniel started his football journey at Abbotsford JSC in Sydney before a family move to the Illawarra meant that he joined Figtree JSC. From here Daniel experienced Figtree JSC, Illawarra junior representative football teams before entering the senior ranks with the Wollongong Wolves NSL youth team.During his stint with the Wolves youth team, Daniel joined Lysaghts in the IPL and during the next three decades also had stints in the IPL, Conference league and amateur leagues with West Figtree, Northern United, Western Suburbs, Bulli, Berkeley and a few amateur football teams such as Harp Olympic, Mates United and the Coledale Waves.Daniel has experienced quite a bit as a first grade footballer and has interacted with many quality Illawarra football people during his football journey. Add in a brief stint with the Wollongong Wolves as a board member and his family's involvement in the game and you can understand why Daniel is a passionate footballer and footballing person in the region.It was absolutely fantastic listening to Daniel talk about his footballing journey. I sincerely thank and appreciate the time Daniel took in recording this episode. Please note as this episode was recorded over mobile phones there are some slight issues at times with audio quality and for that I apologise. Please enjoy episode 66!

Welcome to episode 65 of the Football United vs Soccer City podcast proudly brought to you by H. Parsons Funeral Directors, an Australian family owned and operated funeral director, serving the Illawarra since 1893.Firstly I would like to sincerely thank all of the interviewees, listeners and the football public of the Illawarra, Australia and the World who download this podcast. Additionally I would like to say thank you to the brilliant people who contribute, comment and reminisce on the social media pages.Norm Boardman is our interviewee in episode 65. A humble and passionate football man, Norm started his journey at East Bankstown Soccer Club and it is here where he learnt about the game and made some great friendships amongst fantastic people.It is apparent when listening to Norm that he has acquired a wide array of experience and diversity in his appointments. He seems to challenge himself all the time as a coach and as a person. For Norm, self reflection is an important asset to use and he utilises this for the benefit of himself and others.He is passionate about the game and coaching, he believes no matter what level a player is at they deserve to get coached properly and reach their maximum potential. He has coached in various positions across the different tiers in Australian football but ultimately he loves being on the ground because when he has his boots on working with kids, players and parents that is where he is the happiest as a coach.It was truly fascinating and an honour to hear about his footballing journey. I sincerely thank and appreciate the time Norm took in recording this episode. He has no plans to retire and nor should he, based on the passion I hear in his voice. Please note as this episode was recorded over mobile phones there are some slight issues at times with audio quality and for that I apologise. Please enjoy episode 65!

Episode 64 David GraovacWelcome everybody to episode 64 of the Football United vs Soccer City podcast. Firstly I would like to sincerely thank all of the interviewees, listeners and the football public of the Illawarra, Australia and the World who download this podcast. Additionally I would like to say thank you to the great people who contribute, comment and reminisce on the social media pages.David Graovac is our interviewee in episode 64. This very talented midfielder who is synonymous with the White Eagles (initially Wollongong White Eagles and then the Albion Park White Eagles) discusses his football journey, which spans over three decades in the Illawarra.David details his time watching Wollongong White Eagles as a boy at Herb Clunas Oval with his Grandfather, his junior football journey with Wollongong Olympic, Figtree and the Illawarra Lions junior representative teams. He delves into his senior career with the White Eagles, a club where he spent 17 seasons.It was fantastic to hear David's recollections about parts of his footballing journey. My appreciation and respect go out to him and his Family for giving up their time, so I could record this interview in their home. Note that at the end of David's interview there is an additional few minutes of a chat I recorded with Harvey Rodriguez a former teammate and friend. Thanks to Harvey for giving us further insight into David the player. Please enjoy episode 64!

Episode 63 June 1981Welcome everybody to episode 63 of the Football United vs Soccer City podcast. There are some exciting interviews to come, which will cover people from different decades and clubs. I apologise for the lack of content in recent times, however synchronising my timetable with potential interviewees' timetables has been hard but please be patient. And remember I sincerely appreciate the people who support this podcast.While researching the upcoming interviews I am reading about different and interesting periods in the Illawarra game. It occurred to me it may potentially be beneficial to record some podcasts regarding this material, which is derived mainly from newspapers.So in each of these review episodes, I will pick a month from yesteryear and read through the information from newspapers, programmes and other items that I have been obtained.Now the majority of this material is viewed through the prism of the journalist or person writing the article and or the people they are interviewing. So there will be counter views regarding the games, people and clubs that are presented in this podcast. Plus there will be some errors with the spelling of names and mispronunciations by me, for that I apologise in advance.Please be aware this podcast will not examine everything that occurred in the month being reviewed and will have information missing and of course there may be errors. The idea of the podcast is to relive a small parcel of what was happening at the time. So from this perspective I hope you enjoy what is presented.In this episode we examine June 1981.

Welcome everybody to episode 62 of the Football United vs Soccer City podcast. There are some exciting interviews to come, which will cover people from different decades and clubs. I apologise for the lack of content in recent times, however synchronising my timetable with potential interviewees' timetables in the past few months has been hard but please be patient. And remember I sincerely appreciate the people who support this podcast.Peter Glass is our interviewee in episode 62. Born in 1941, Peter grew up in the northern suburbs of the Illawarra and started playing soccer with Woonona Primary School. After Woonona Primary he then played for Bulli Junior Soccer Club, Illawarra junior representative teams, Corrimal High School, Bulli Senior Soccer Club as a 15 year old in the IDSA league, Woonona-Bulli in the Association state league, Woonona in the IDSA league, South Coast United in the Federation and Corrimal Rangers.Peter played and watched football in the Illawarra during the 1950s and 1960s, an important time for the game in this region. He talks about great players from the era such as Charlie Stewart, Billy Williams, Keith Learmonth along with discussing games he went to watch such as the 1951 English touring team and the 1955 Rapid Vienna tour.Peter talks about the NSW football association/federation split of the late 1950s, the early years of South Coast United, Jimmy Kelly and other football snippets.It was fantastic to hear Peter's recollections about parts of his footballing journey. My appreciation and respect go out to him for giving up a couple of hours to record this podcast. Please note there are some audio issues due to recording on my mobile phone and I sincerely apologise for these issues. Please enjoy episode 62!

Episode 61 Matt CallahanWelcome everybody to episode 61 of the Football United vs Soccer City podcast. Sincere thanks to all the interviewees, listeners and the football public of the Illawarra, Australia and around the World who download this podcast. Additionally I would like to say thank you to the great people who contribute, comment and reminisce on the social media pages.Matt Callahan is our interviewee in episode 61. A boy from Helensburgh, a town steeped in football history, Matt is a player and coach who has definitely made an imprint into our football history with his stints with Helensburgh, Illawarra junior reps, Bulli, Wollongong Wolves and Port Kembla. A midfielder with a nice left peg, Matt takes the listener through his footballing journey over the last four decades.It was fantastic to hear his recollections about parts of his career with some of the biggest clubs in the region. My appreciation and respect go out to him for giving up a couple of hours to record this podcast. Please enjoy episode 61!

Episode 60 John FlemingWelcome everybody to episode 60 of the Football United vs Soccer City podcast. I would like to sincerely thank all the interviewees, listeners and the soccer public of the Illawarra, Australia and around the World who download this podcast. Additionally I would like to say thank you to the great people who contribute, comment and reminisce on the social media pages.For the second time on this podcast John Fleming is our interviewee in episode 60. The response to John’s interview in episode 5 was fantastic, so I asked John to return to the podcast to further discuss players he played with and coached at the Wollongong Wolves. Once again I send out my sincere thanks to John for giving up his time and reminiscing. Please note in the last 35 minutes of the interview John’s microphone died, so his audio in this last part of the interview is derived from my microphone and the sound quality is not the greatest. I apologise for this microphone malfunction. Regardless please enjoy episode 60.

Episode 59 Phil BrownWelcome everybody to episode 59 of the Football United vs Soccer City podcast. I would like to sincerely thank all the interviewees, listeners and the soccer public of the Illawarra, Australia and around the World who download this podcast. Additionally I would like to say thank you to the great people who contribute, comment and reminisce on the social media pages. Please note if you the listener have any suggestions on people I should interview in the future, then please get in touch with me on the social media pages.Phil Brown is our interviewee in episode 59. Born in 1961, Phil started his football journey with Figtree Junior Soccer Club in 1967 and finished his career with Wests Figtree Soccer Club in 1997, 31 years worth of games, relationships and seasons at Harry Graham Park, a monumental achievement. But the achievements don’t stop there, Phil was one of the Illawarra Premier League’s best players for over a decade with Figtree and the Illawarra Representative team. And his Club in between 1980 and 1992, won 4 IPL league championships, appeared in 8 IPL grand finals and won 6 of them, won 2 Bampton Cups, won 2 Corrimal Leagues Club Knockouts, won a first division league championship and won a first division grand final and won 2 charity shields.A very modest man, Phil is a highly regarded player amongst the Illawarra Football community and it was fantastic to hear his recollections about parts of his amazing career and the people he played with and against. It was a huge honour to spend time with Phil, my appreciation and respect go out to him for allowing me into his home to record this podcast. And additionally I must thank Phil’s wife Sharon for setting up this interview, I appreciate the continued support people give this podcast. Finally I would like to thank Phil Carr who allowed me to record him, as he gave his thoughts on Phil Brown the player. Please enjoy episode 59!

Episode 58 Ian MorrisWelcome everybody to episode 58 of the Football United vs Soccer City podcast. I would like to sincerely thank all the interviewees, listeners and the soccer public of the Illawarra, Australia, Barcelona, Paris, Richardson and elsewhere around the World who download this podcast. Additionally I would like to say thank you to the great people who contribute, comment and reminisce on the social media pages.Ian Morris is our interviewee in episode 58. Born in 1972 and growing up in Windang, Ian was initially keen on playing rugby league like his school mates but his parents decided against this and he started playing soccer for Warilla Wanderers Junior Soccer Club in 1979. Ian played at Warilla, where his Mother and Father were involved on the Committee, until the end of the highly successful 1987 season. In addition to playing for Warilla during this period, Ian additionally played school soccer and a couple of years of representative soccer with Illawarra.From 1988 through to 2013 Ian played senior soccer with distinction in the Illawarra with the University of Wollongong, Wollongong Olympic, Wollongong Wolves, Illawarra Lions, Albion Park, Dapto, Albion Park White Eagles, Kiama (where he was player-coach for a season in 2006) and Gerringong. And through this time Ian has had an amazing array of coaches and developed lifelong friendships, which developed him as a player and as a person.Ian’s journey was extremely fascinating and an absolute pleasure to record, he is a man who made decisions on where to play based on family, education, vocation and what was right for himself. It was such an honour to spend time recording with Ian, my appreciation and respect go out to him for driving all the way up from his home on the South Coast to record this podcast in Balgownie. And a quick thank you to Ian’s mate Fotho for initially setting up this interview for me, I appreciate the continued support people give this podcast. Please enjoy episode 58!

Episode 57 Pedj BojicWelcome everybody to episode 57 of the Football United vs Soccer City podcast. I would like to sincerely thank all the interviewees, listeners and the soccer public of the Illawarra, Australia, the UAE, France and elsewhere around the World who download this podcast. Additionally I would like to say thank you to the great people who contribute, comment and reminisce on the social media pages.Pedj Bojic is our interviewee in episode 57. Born in 1984, Pedj started his junior career with Warilla Wanderers Junior Soccer Club before moving onto the junior football representative scene with Illawarra, Wollongong Wolves and then the NSW Institute of Sport. When Pedj was a 15 year old he spent a month with Ipswich Town in the United Kingdom under the Big Brother Scholarship program. His time here was successful and he was awarded a contract but due to personal circumstances that would change his life, Pedj did not take up this contract. Overcoming many personal challenges over the next few years, Pedj created a successful professional football career here in Australia and in the United Kingdom in addition to representing his country at a FIFA U-17 World Cup in Trinidad and Tobago.Although my time with Pedj only covered a fraction of his career and the hurdles he faced, I came away admiring his spirit, positivity, honesty and determination when faced with issues of identity and insecurity. His journey has made him into a man who has a deep passion for the game and has the positive energy and willpower via his business to mentor and coach young footballers into well rounded individuals equipped to face the challenges from football and life.It was an honour to spend an hour with Pedj, my sincere appreciation and respect go out to him for allowing me the time to interview him for this podcast. And my thanks go out to Michael DeGori for setting up this interview for me, I appreciate his support of the podcast. Please enjoy episode 57!

Welcome everybody to episode 56 of the Football United vs Soccer City podcast. I would like to sincerely thank all the interviewees, listeners and the soccer public of the Illawarra, Australia, France, the United Kingdom and elsewhere around the World who download this podcast. Additionally I would like to say thank you to the great people who contribute, comment and reminisce on the social media pages.Micky White is our interviewee in episode 56. Born in the United Kingdom in 1959, Micky grew up with a love of the game, playing it from a young age and watching Nottingham Forest as a supporter at the City Ground. This watching and playing football in the United Kingdom stopped towards the end of 1973 as Micky and his Family came out to Australia. At the start of 1974 Illawarra football pre-season, Micky then began has association with Fairy Meadow when he joined the club as a 14 year old.Apart from a stint with Bellambi in 1979 after he had been overseas, Micky successfully stayed and played for Fairy Meadow until the end of 1986 and throughout the Illawarra people would vividly remember his career at this club in the local league and in the state league. Micky then went on to play for Bulli, Fernhill, Cawley Vale, Bellambi and Wollongong White Eagles in a very successful career. Additionally Micky has coached at Cawley Vale, Bellambi and Fernhill (seniors and juniors where he coached his kids) plus being involved on the committee side of things at Fairy Meadow and Bellambi. His football career has spanned over four decades and in this time Micky has energetically intertwined himself into the fabric of Illawarra football.After interviewing Micky, he sees himself as a Fairy Meadow player through and through as he gave 110% in every game and training session for the club. His knowledge of the game is second to none and it was fantastic spending time with someone who has clear recollections of the many people he interacted with during his time in the game.My sincere appreciation and respect go out to Micky and Linda for allowing me into their home to complete this interview. I learnt a lot and gained further insight into our local football history via Micky’s journey. So thank you Micky, it was an absolute pleasure to have interviewed you. Please enjoy episode 56!

Episode 55 Jeff AllportWelcome everybody to episode 55 of the Football United vs Soccer City podcast. I would like to sincerely thank all the interviewees, listeners and the soccer public of the Illawarra, Australia, Canada, the USA and elsewhere around the World who download this podcast. Additionally I would like to say thank you to the people who contribute, comment and reminisce on the social media pages.Jeff Allport is our interviewee in episode 55. Born in 1970 Jeff began his football journey in the southern suburbs of Wollongong, firstly with Oak Flats and then with Albion Park.It was here that his passion for the game started and Jeff loved the game along with cricket in the summer. In his junior career Jeff additionally made the Illawarra Representative team and as time passed he was selected in other representative teams. It was here the Jeff developed his game, lifelong friendships and great memories.After a successful junior career in club, school and representative teams Jeff then had a wide and varied senior career which finished in the early 2000s. After this point he then took up coaching in the Illawarra.The clubs, places and people that have been a part of Jeff’s football journey are extremely intriguing and I was fully immersed for the entire episode. The reason that Jeff kept me intrigued was due to his love of the game, which comes through every time he talks about football and it was easy to see in his face. Jeff respects the game, the clubs and the people who are a part of it. Plus he has a drive and curiosity for the game that has never diminished since the 1970s and this is the reason why he is still involved five decades later.My sincere appreciation go out to Jeff for moving his family schedule around for this interview and allowing me into his house. I learnt a lot and gained further insight into our local football history via Jeff’s journey. So thank you Jeff, it was a delight and pleasure to have interviewed you. Please enjoy episode 55!

Episode 54 Shane McGirrWelcome everybody to episode 54 of the Football United vs Soccer City podcast. I would like to sincerely thank all the interviewees, listeners and the soccer public of the Illawarra, Australia, Paris, the United Kingdom and elsewhere around the World who download this podcast. Additionally I would like to say thank you to the people who contribute, comment and reminisce on the social media pages.Shane McGirr is our interviewee in episode 54. In 1987 he started his football journey with Figtree JSC, where he played in defence up until 1995. Shane then transitioned into the senior ranks in 1996 where he joined his local club West Figtree. After a couple of seasons with West Figtree, Shane then continued to play with the merged Western Suburbs entity for 4 seasons.Next in 2002 Shane was identified by former Socceroo Adrian Alston, who was coaching IPL powerhouse Port Kembla SC. He signed with the Zebras and over the next few seasons Shane took his game to the next level as a lethal attacker amongst a quality team and club that achieved enormous success.Shane additionally played with the Illawarra Representative team, Wollongong Wolves, APIA Leichhardt, a brief stint with Johor FC in Malaysia, Bulli FC and Wests Illawarra before moving with his Family over to Western Australia. He played for many years for a local club in WA before picking up the coaching clipboard to coach his boys.Shane has an immense amount of humility and is always thanking the coaches and players who he played with over the years. He sees the individual awards he won (e.g. IPL golden boot awards) as a byproduct of his coaches and teammates efforts. The insights he gives into his own career and the people he played with and against are fantastic. He came across to me as a player who had the determination and discipline to improve his game and always be successful in his role for the team.My sincere thanks go out to Shane for moving around his family timetable for this interview. It was an absolute pleasure and honour to listen to his memories. Please enjoy episode 54!

Episode 53 Bob YoungWelcome everybody to episode 53 of the Football United vs Soccer City podcast. I would like to sincerely thank all the interviewees, listeners and the soccer public of the Illawarra, Australia, Barcelona and around the World who download this podcast. Please note that this interview was conducted with mobile phones, so there are times when the audio drops in and out. I apologise for this audio issue.Bob Young is our interviewee in episode 53. Born in Scotland, Bob came out to Australia with his Family in 1961 and his Australian football journey began when he joined the Berkeley Hostel U14 and the Berkeley High School U15 football teams. From here he kept playing the game firstly with Oak Flats in the senior mens competition and then with a team named the CRM Rangers who were a football team within an intra-works competition for the company Lysaght.It was here at Lysaght, which was a steel processing company, where Bob began his four decades long relationship with the Lysaght Club, which was formed by the company and then joined the Illawarra District Soccer Association second division in the mid 1960s. Bob was a founding committee member and he was then part of a club for the next forty odd years.Mixed amongst his own wonderful journey, this interview is a brief history of Lysaght and it was an honour and pleasure to listen to someone who intimately spent the next four decades riding the highs and lows of a local football club. Lysaght’s core philosophy is family, along with football and Bob’s interview demonstrates why this was the case.Some of the anecdotes given by Bob are heartfelt and for me it was emotional at times, especially re-listening to the interview while editing. It must be pointed out that this two hour interview was all off the cuff by Bob and although there was more I could have asked him about and more he could have shared, the information and memories he opens up about are fantastic and for that I am truly indebted to him.My sincere thanks go out to Bob for giving up his time for this interview, it was an absolute pleasure and honour to listen to his memories. Please enjoy episode 53!

Welcome to part 2 of episode 52 of the Football United vs Soccer City podcast. In part 2, I continue to converse with Ian Cirson about his football life. Sincere thanks to Ian for allowing me to speak with him for over 2 hours down at Judy Masters Oval, I sincerely respect his time. Please enjoy the second part to episode 52.

Welcome everybody to episode 52 of the Football United vs Soccer City podcast. I am sincerely grateful and thankful for every interviewee that has participated and graciously shared their journey. In addition to the podcast, there are the Football United vs Soccer City social media pages, which have been a great source of reminiscing and community interaction. So thank you to the people who continue to send items through and interact on these pages.Ian Cirson is our interviewee in episode 52. Born in the early 1960s Ian has had an expansive football career as a supporter, player and coach over the past six decades. In our extensive interview it was brilliant to converse with Ian about growing up in the Illawarra as a football supporter and his successful junior and senior football careers. Add in his wide ranging coaching career and this episode contains various experiences across several clubs.Due to the length of the interview with Ian, I have split this episode into two parts. My sincere thanks go out to Ian for giving up his time for this interview, it was an absolute pleasure and honour to listen to Ian. Please enjoy part 1 of episode 52!

Welcome everybody to episode 51 of the Football United vs Soccer City podcast. I am sincerely grateful and thankful for every interviewee that has participated and graciously shared their journey. In addition to the podcast, there are the Football United vs Soccer City social media pages, which have been a great source of reminiscing and community interaction. So thank you to the people who continue to send items through and interact on these pages.Keith Learmonth is our interviewee in episode 51. Keith was born in 1933 and grew up in Fairy Meadow. He and his 4 brothers played soccer from an early age and Keith was successful as a goal scorer and generally as a player. The teams that Keith played with invariably had success and he regularly contributed to this success through his goal scoring exploits. In his junior career he was successful with the Gwynneville Soccer Club and Fairy Meadow Public School, which over a few years led to a succession of representative selections in Illawarra, New South Wales and Australian teams.After a glittering junior career that encompassed tours to Victoria and Queensland, Keith aged 16 joined his brothers at the strong North Wollongong Soccer Football Club in 1950 and it was here that he impressed by helping North Wollongong win every trophy that year and being selected in the Illawarra representative team. In 1951 he was then snapped up by the state league Corrimal Rangers after overtures from them and fellow state league teams Balgownie and Woonona-Bulli. And over the next 10 seasons with Corrimal Rangers and Corrimal United he won countless trophies with in my opinion the most successful Illawarra Club team in our history, played for his state and was the first person in Australian football to represent his country at junior and senior level after he played against South Africa and numerous touring club teams in the green and gold.This interview was never going to do justice to Keith and his achievements. I am sincerely grateful to have recorded little parts of his memories from over 60 plus years ago and I thank Keith for the opportunity to record his thoughts and allowing me to copy some pictures from his archive. Please note at the end of the interview with Keith I have added two brief interviews with Barry Salisbury and Peter Glass who give their insights and thoughts on Keith as a player. Please enjoy this interview!

Episode 50 Charlie YankosWelcome everybody to episode 50 of the Football United vs Soccer City podcast. Over the past 21 months I have been extremely fortunate to record fifty episodes with fifty amazing people, who in some shape or form have had a positive impact and or a relationship with the Illawarra football community. There are a whole host of people who have contributed and supported me thus far in regards to the podcast. I would like to thank all of these people, as their help has allowed me to achieve this milestone. And thank you to Luke Nolan for the music at the start and at the end of these podcasts. As stated previously in the other 49 introductions to this podcast, I am sincerely grateful and thankful for every interviewee that has participated and graciously shared their journey. In addition to the podcast, there are the Football United vs Soccer City social media pages, which have been a great source of reminiscing and community interaction. So thank you to the people who interact on these pages.Charlie Yankos is our interviewee in episode 50. Charlie is a household name in our game and in Australian sport. It was a delight to interview the former Socceroo captain. An enormous thank you to Charlie for giving up a Wednesday evening to converse with me, it was an absolute honour to go through part of his immense career. Additionally I would to send a big thank you to Scott Cunningham and David Jedrzejczak for organising this interview, I am indebted to them for this opportunity. Please enjoy this interview!

Episode 49 Gerry WalkerWelcome everybody to episode 49 of the Football United vs Soccer City podcast. It is heart warming to watch the football community submitting items and then interacting on the social media pages. It is a credit to our community that people continue to contribute, comment and reminisce. And for this I am thankful and grateful.Gerry Walker is our interviewee in episode 49. Gerry was born in Glasgow in 1947 and began his football journey in the 1950s. His football journey is amazing. Gerry has a sense of adventure and has accomplished so much in his time in football. In this two part episode Gerry discusses his footballing journey of playing and coaching across 3 continents.My sincere thanks go out to Gerry for giving up his time for this interview, it was an absolute pleasure and honour to listen to Gerry. Please enjoy part 2 of episode 49!

Welcome everybody to episode 49 of the Football United vs Soccer City podcast. It is heart warming to watch the football community submitting items and then interacting on the social media pages. It is a credit to our community that people continue to contribute, comment and reminisce. And for this I am thankful and grateful.Gerry Walker is our interviewee in episode 49. Gerry was born in Glasgow in 1947 and began his football journey in the 1950s. His football journey is amazing. Gerry has a sense of adventure and has accomplished so much in his time in football. In this two part episode Gerry discusses his footballing journey of playing and coaching across 3 continents.My sincere thanks go out to Gerry for giving up his time for this interview, it was an absolute pleasure and honour to listen to Gerry. Please enjoy part 1 of episode 49!

Welcome everybody to episode 48 of the Football United vs Soccer City podcast. It is heart warming to watch the football community submitting items and then interacting on the social media pages. It is a credit to our community that people continue to contribute, comment and reminisce. And for this I am thankful and grateful.On the podcast front, I am always overwhelmed and appreciative that people are still putting up their hand to be interviewed. I have a passion and desire to record the Illawarra’s footballing history. Each person that comes forward allows me to continue this podcast. So thank you for downloading this podcast and thanks to all the interviewees who give up their time.Ron Van de Voorde is our interviewee in episode 48. Ron grew up in Woonona in the late 1950s and started playing junior football with Woonona Junior Soccer Club at Nicholson Park in 1964. After 11 years of junior football, Ron started his senior football journey with Bulli Soccer Club in the under 18s. After Bulli he played with many clubs, was coached by the best in the Illawarra and played alongside many great players. His senior career spanned 18 years and in this time Ron amassed over 360 plus appearances and just over 100 goals predominantly in first grade.Ron’s journey is fascinating and he is open about his thoughts on his time at each club. In particular it was great when Ron discusses his grand final winner against Shellharbour in 1981 and about his double winning year at Bulli S.C. in 1986. My sincere thanks go out to Ron for giving up his time for this interview, it was an absolute pleasure and honour to listen to Ron.Finally I would like to say thank you to Ron’s daughter Marissa who sent through some fabulous pictures, which we have used in the podcast graphic. And I would like to thank Emma and Josh Faulks as they greatly helped in setting up this interview. And in particular Josh my brother he has been a great support of the the Football United vs Soccer City project in the social media space and in the podcast so thanks a lot to him. In this interview there are a few expletives probably five or six so if you do have younger listeners in or around you while you listening to this podcast, please be aware of that. Please enjoy this episode!

Welcome everybody to episode 47 of the Football United vs Soccer City podcast. I would like to sincerely thank all the interviewees, listeners and the soccer public of the Illawarra, Australia, Barcelona and elsewhere around the World who download this podcast. Additionally I would like to say thank you to the people who contribute, comment and reminisce on the social media pages.Mike Hollifield is our interviewee in episode 47. Mike grew up in the North East of England in Stockton on Tees in the 1960s. In this interview we discuss Mike’s early football life with schooling teams and his youth centre team Kiora Hall and how he became an apprentice professional footballer with Wolverhampton Wanderers Football Club in the late 1970s.His professional football journey in England is covered and Mike talks openly about his times at different clubs in the United Kingdom. We then chat about a phone call that saw him fly half way around the world with his Family to play football in Australia with Wollongong City and other clubs in the Illawarra.For me, I grew up in my teenage years watching Mike play firstly with the Wollongong Wolves and then with Lysaghts. His left foot was always beautiful to watch, as he could pass the ball with great accuracy and distribute across the park. Mike has left a great impression on the Illawarra football community and it was wonderful to discuss some of his football memories.My sincere thanks go out to Mike for giving up his time for this interview, it was an absolute pleasure and honour to listen to Mike. Please enjoy this episode!

Welcome everybody to episode 46 of the Football United vs Soccer City podcast. I would like to sincerely thank all the interviewees, listeners and the soccer public of the Illawarra, Australia and the World who download this podcast. Additionally I would like to say thank you to the people who contribute, comment and reminisce on the social media pages. It is one of these social media posts that allowed me to complete this interview, so please keep interacting online.Stuart McLaren is our interviewee in episode 46. In this expansive interview Stuart talks about a wide range of subjects, which relate to his footballing journey across the world. Stuart has been involved in the game for over four decades and has tasted all aspects to the game as a player and as a coach at grassroots, representative and professional levels.The interview is compelling as Stuart is honest and thinks about the game deeply. Australian and Scottish football are fortunate to have benefited from his immense contributions. Although not a complete story as he has so much more to give, I learnt a great deal from listening to the man and it is an absolute pleasure to have recorded this interview.My sincere thanks go out to Stuart and his Family for giving up his time for this interview. And thank you to Daniel Hastings who originally linked Stuart to a Facebook post. This post allowed me to reach out to Stuart and for that I am grateful. Please note as this was recorded via a phone call the sound quality is not where I would like it to be, so for this infraction I apologise. Please enjoy this episode!

Welcome everybody to episode 45 of the Football United vs Soccer City podcast. I would like to sincerely thank all the interviewees, listeners and the soccer public of the Illawarra, Australia and the World who download this podcast. Additionally I would like to say thank you to the people who contribute, comment and reminisce on the social media pages. If you have any photos, programmes or newspaper articles then please message me directly on Facebook or Instagram or Twitter so we can display them to the public.Matthew Bailey started playing junior soccer with Russell Vale Junior Soccer Club in the mid to late 1980s from U7s through to U10s. Matt’s proficiency on the field saw him selected in the under 11s Illawarra representative team. After a couple of seasons here, Matt moved onto the junior Wollongong Wolves representative teams from U13s through to U16s, where the support of his family was immense, his footballing talent evolved and lifelong friendships were formed.He then joined the NSL youth team with the Wollongong Wolves for 3 years in the latter part of his teenage years. The team was always strong and Matt thoroughly enjoyed his time with the Wolves, in particular the football opportunities it afforded him. After the Wolves, Matt then entered the Illawarra Premier League with the Phil Carr coached Northern United in 1999, it was a great year as they won the league and Matt was playing at a club where his Dad was involved and where he played amongst mates.In the next few seasons Matt played with Kemblawarra, Western Suburbs, Port Kembla and Cringila Lions. At these clubs Matt played under great coaches in Fleming, Gaffney, Alston and Glover and he significantly contributed on the field with quality team mates. Additionally Matt was awarded Illawarra Premier League player of the year in 2002, won the League and Grand Final double with Port Kembla and played regular finals football.In 2005 he joined Bulli Football Club under Alan Mangles. It was here where he spent 3 very good years and in the latter 2 seasons he was coached again by Adrian Alston. In 2007 Matt’s stellar season was rewarded with a second player of the year award (now named the George Naylor medal). In 2008 Matt pushed himself personally by joining the Wollongong Wolves in the NPL under John Turner. This year was important for many reasons and it was fascinating to hear Matt describe this season.After off-field decisions in 2009 re-shaped the Wolves, Matt re-joined Bulli FC for a season. He performed well that year and enjoyed the club, but the desire to perform at the NPL level meant that Matt joined Robbie Stanton’s Sutherland in 2010. At Sutherland Matt immensely enjoyed his football, Robbie, the playing group and the Club/facilities. Team accolades followed but this stint for Matt meant more than just the trophies, it was pushing himself, the delight of thorough preparation during the week and enjoying time with the family on game days.Next Matt went back to Bulli FC and enjoyed a great couple of years at the Club under Ben Smith in 2012 and 2013. The next year Matt again re-joined the Wolves to give back to the club that had given him so much. A huge highlight in this year was the FFA Cup tie versus Central Coast, to hear the personal pride Matt exudes in captaining the club and sharing this moment with so many in the Illawarra was a high point for me.After retiring from playing, Matt had 5 fantastic years at Bulli FC, firstly as a youth grade coach and then as a first grade coach. What he has achieved is amazing and speaks volumes of his abilities as a coach and aligning himself around great people. The conversation around breaking Bulli’s first grade grand final hoodoo was beautiful to hear.From my perspective the interview spoke to me about Matt’s perpetual determination to push his playing and coaching talents as far as he could, the friendships he has developed over time and the amazing support of his wife, parents and his children. Publicly I would like to thank Matt for interrupting his Sunday afternoon so I could interview him about his journey. I hope you take pleasure in this interview as much as I enjoyed recording it.

Welcome everybody to episode 44 of the Football United vs Soccer City podcast. I would like to sincerely thank all the interviewees, listeners and the soccer public of the Illawarra, Australia and the World who download this podcast. Additionally I would like to say thank you to the people who contribute, comment and reminisce on the social media pages. Please note if you have a person you think I should interview please message me directly on Facebook or Instagram or Twitter.Paul Giraldi started playing junior soccer in 1969 as a left full-back with Woonona Junior Soccer Club down at Ocean Park. Although humble about his own abilities, Paul was proficient enough to play representative junior soccer for a couple of years along with his club soccer with Woonona (and school soccer with Woonona High School).His senior career started with Fairy Meadow under 18s in the Illawarra Premier League in 1977 while he was still dual registered with his junior club Woonona. The first couple of years at Fairy Meadow allowed him to play with his brother and good friend Dean Gardiner. Added to this his U18 team had success winning the Kass Cup a couple of times.Paul was approximately 16 and a half years old when he joined the Bellambi Rosellas after being asked to come across by his former high school teacher John Frew. Here he played first grade under John Frew and other experienced senior players such as Rob Banks, Tony Gill and Geoff Farrar. He learnt a lot at Bellambi and after this he joined Wollongong United with his brother, Dean and the Sattin brothers in 1981.Here in State League 2nd division he was coached by Mike Johnson, a coach that had an enormous influence on his football career as well as his life. Mike was an intense man and it was fascinating to hear Paul discuss his time with Mike. For several years he played with Wollongong United/Wollongong Macedonia along with many team mates. His time at this club was highlighted by the state league derbies between Fairy Meadow, another intense coach in John Bingham and Paul’s ability to play alongside very good friends.In 1989 Paul went across to Fairy Meadow Italia under Glenn Fontana in the state league for a year. Unfortunately Fairy Meadow folded at the end of that year and this was a sad event for Paul and the Illawarra. Next he went to Bellambi Rosellas for a second stint as a player under Steve Quirk. After a couple of seasons he then moved on to Coniston Makedonija with former team mate, friend and now coach Harry Sattin in 1992. They had a successful year as Coniston won the league championship and were grand finalists.In 1993 he joined Fernhill SC as their coach Larry Gaffney rang him and at the time it suited Paul’s personal life. Paul played at Fernhill for a few seasons and amongst playing with a great club, he discusses former team mate Scott Chipperfield and very good friend and team mate Claudio Cellini. It was very insightful to hear Paul’s thoughts on both men who have contributed a lot for our game in the Illawarra.Paul thought he had retired from first grade football in 1998 after finishing with Fernhill and he started to play with an amateur team. But he was mistaken as Woonona Sharks coach Ian Cirson saw him play for the amateur team in the pre-season Corrimal Leagues Knock out in 1999. Ian liked what he saw and called Paul up and at the age of 37 Paul played 1 year in premier league at the club where he started his football career thirty years prior.For me the interview with Paul was fantastic as I learnt a lot about him, especially the Macedonia days where he played at a high level with his brother and 5 to 6 very good friends. Paul has longevity and a passion for the game in the Illawarra. He played at a high level across two decades, with strong and successful teams (and coaches). Publicly I would like to pay my respects to him as he allowed me the time to speak with him for over two hours. I hope you enjoy the interview as much as I enjoyed recording it.

Episode 43 John CropperWelcome everybody to episode 43 of the Football United vs Soccer City podcast. I would like to sincerely thank all the interviewees, listeners and the soccer public of the Illawarra, Australia and the World who download this podcast. Additionally I would like to say thank you to the people who contribute, comment and reminisce on the social media pages. Please note if you have a person you think I should interview please message me directly on Facebook or Instagram or Twitter.This episode’s interviewee John Cropper was born in 1954 and grew up in Tarrawanna. Prior to exploring John’s own football journey we conversed about his Family’s involvement with Tarrawanna Soccer Club. John’s Dad and Uncle were life members of Tarrawanna Soccer Club and his Dad was instrumental with other volunteers in excavating and constructing the current day Tarrawanna Oval, a beautiful suburban soccer ground.After exploring the Cropper connection to football in the Illawarra, John then details his junior career with Tarrawanna, the Illawarra representative team and his high school team. His description of the annual junior gala day is memorable to say the least. Additionally in this section of the interview we discuss John’s vivid recollections of watching Balgownie and South Coast United play at their respective grounds when he was growing up.His senior football career in the 1970s with Tarrawanna, South Coast United, Balgownie and Tarrawanna again was a fantastic listen, in particular his 1974 season with the Balgownie club under George Ramage. After the 1976 season with Tarrawanna John had several years away from the game to focus on another passion of his, elite level long distance running. In the early 1980s when John was living in the Blue Mountains due to his vocation as a teacher he played with Springwood in the Nepean League and with Penrith in the state league. This was not John’s last game as a player, he played in his early forties when he was coaching Woonona Soccer Club in the early 1990s.The rest of the interview delves into John’s coaching career, which has so many parts to it. I apologise to you the listener that I couldn’t discuss all of John’s coaching appointments. However we do discuss his first coaching appointment as an 18 year old when he coached an U16 Tarrawanna team, parts of his school coaching career (in Sydney and down here in the Illawarra) and his coaching appointments at Woonona JSC, Thirroul JSC, Woonona SC, Wollongong Olympic SC, Bulli FC and Thirroul Thunder. Please note this is not an exhaustive list of all of John’s coaching appointments.It is clear after listening to John, that he has a deep passion for passing on his love of the game through his coaching. He has coached over a long period and he continues to enjoy helping people learn, improve and enjoy their football. I am in awe of a person like John who has contributed so much to our game in the Illawarra and to record his football journey was an absolute pleasure. My respect goes out to him for allowing me the time to speak with him for over two hours. I hope you enjoy the interview as much as I enjoyed recording it.

Welcome everybody to episode 42 of the Football United vs Soccer City podcast. I would like to sincerely thank all the interviewees, listeners and the soccer public of the Illawarra/Australia who download this podcast. I must note that we do have some international listeners, so thank you for the people who download around the world. Additionally I would like to say thank you to the people who contribute, comment and reminisce on the social media pages. Please note if you have any Illawarra soccer team pictures, newspaper articles, programmes or artefacts that you would like to share please get in contact with me.This episode’s interviewee was born in 1955 in Oyster Bay in the Sutherland Shire, where he played for the Georges River Tigers in 1963. In 1966 Phil Luskan then moved to the North Sutherland Rockets. In 1967 Phil moved to the Illawarra as his Dad had a job down here in the area. Due to this move he joined the Dapto Olympic Football Club in the junior ranks. In 1970 as a 15 year old Phil was picked to play first grade at Dapto Olympic. Playing out of Lakelands Oval, Phil learnt the goalkeeping trade amongst men.During this period Phil was additionally playing soccer at school and made the Southern Illawarra High Schools representative team. The Dapto High student then was selected along with other Illawarra players Mile Terziovski and Brian Dodd in the 1973 NSW Combined High Schools team. This team travelled to Adelaide to play in the Australian Championship, playing three games. The NSW team drew their 3 games and held onto the Australian Championship as they held it from the previous carnival. The highlight of this carnival was playing alongside future Socceroos in Mark Jankovics and John Kosmina.Late in 1973 Phil started training with St George Budapest along players such as Jim Fraser, Manfred Schafer and Johnny Warren. Although a great experience, Phil decided to trial locally with Balgownie who were in the 2nd division of the state league. In 1974 after being selected by Balgownie he played under coach George Ramage at Balgownie Sportsground. In this stint he played with some great players that year and it culminated in Phil being award Balgownie Soccer Club’s player of the year and additionally in April 1974 Phil played with Balgownie against an Australian Second XI in a warm up game for the Australian team as part of their preparations for the World Cup in Germany that year. After the first few weeks of 1975 he stopped playing with Balgownie due to work and life commitments. He then returned to Dapto for a couple of seasons.In 1977 he joined Figtree and it is here where he spent the rest of his soccer career. At Figtree, Phil spent time in both first grade and reserve grade and additionally was on the committee up until his retirement at the end of 1985 season. Here Phil spent just under ten years and amassed some fantastic friendships which endure through to today. And Phil is clear about the joy and ongoing friendships he has from his West Figtree playing days, which says a lot about him and the people at the club.It was fantastic and a pleasure to interview Phil. My respect goes out to him and his wife Kate for allowing me into their home and giving up their time. Phil’s journey was a pleasure to record and I hope you enjoy the interview as much as I enjoyed recording it.

Welcome everybody to episode 41 of the Football United vs Soccer City podcast. As always I would like to sincerely thank all the interviewees, listeners and the soccer public of the Illawarra/Australia who download this podcast. Additionally I would like to say thank you to the people who contribute, comment and reminisce on the social media pages.This episode’s interviewee started playing with Figtree Junior Soccer Club in 1990 when she was 10 years old. After three years of junior soccer Cath Lear had to stop playing due to girls not being allowed to play the sport past the age of 12.Prior to talking to Cath about her move into senior soccer we talked about Cath’s other involvement in our sport with her Grandfather Peter Bannister. “Banno” as he was known, is a legend in Illawarra Soccer with Coniston as a player and for his lengthy time at University of Wollongong SC (where he wore many hats). In her teenage years Cath had a lot of involvement with her Grandfather helping him out at the University of Wollongong SC.In the mid 1990s Cath joined the senior ranks when she signed with South Coast United where she developed her football, friendships and a rivalry with Oak Flats.After 4 seasons with South Coast United Cath moved to the Wollongong Wolves in 1999 to play state league football and challenge herself as a footballer.Concurrently around this time Cath was at the University of Wollongong where she was studying for a teaching degree. Cath successfully represented the UOW at the University games playing football. During her time at UOW she represented the Eastern University Games team which toured New Zealand and she made a “Green and Gold” select team which toured China.In 2003 she joined Woonona SC and played eight successful seasons. After her eight seasons at Woonona Cath then spent a few seasons at Balgownie Rangers FC where she played and in addition to this went into the player-coach ranks. Near the end of her time at Balgownie, Cath then moved onto the Football South Coast Womens Board, where she continues today striving hard for womens football in the region along with the other board members. Cath additionally had a year in 2017 as a referee in the womens competition, which shows you the passion and discipline she has for the womens game.It was an absolute pleasure to interview Cath. My respect goes out to her for allowing me into her home and giving up her time. Her journey was amazing to record and I hope you enjoy the interview as much as I enjoyed recording it.

Welcome everybody to episode 40 of the Football United vs Soccer City podcast. As always I would like to sincerely thank all the interviewees, listeners and the soccer public of the Illawarra/Australia who download this podcast. Additionally I would like to say thank you to the people who contribute, comment and reminisce on the social media pages.This episode’s interviewee John Bingham was born in 1949 in Ilkeston in the United Kingdom and started playing football with friends in his street at the age of 4. The spark that drove him to play football professionally was supporting and watching Nottingham Forrest as a boy and seeing the best players in the World at the City Ground.John Bingham played football at primary school and high school. In high school he was chosen in the local representative team and during one of these representative games a scout from Charlton Athletic saw John play and asked him to go down to London for a trial. Charlton Athletic then offered him an apprentice professional contract at the age of 15 and this is where his professional career started.In this first few years of his professional football career in England, John’s talent gave him the opportunity to trial for the England Youth team and after several trials, John at 18 years of age was selected for his country and played friendlies against Birmingham City, Sunderland and 2 internationals against France. Additionally at this point in time he moved to Manchester City, one of the biggest clubs in England at the time. And he was signed by one of Manchester City’s greatest managers Joe Mercer. After a surreal experience training amongst internationals and playing in the reserves team for two years John moved on.John then played for Oldham Athletic, Mansfield Town, Chester and Stockport County. In 1973 Jim Kelly, who had played and coached in Australia with South Coast United, asked John if he wanted to sign a 15 month contract with Safeway United in Australia. John then came out to Australia in June 1973.John then played for Safeway United, Balgownie, Wollongong City and Fairy Meadow. He then went on to be a successful player-coach at Berkeley, Shellharbour Workers and Wollongong Macedonia.At the end of 1986 John’s personal life had changed, which meant that John now had different life goals and coaching had dropped off his radar and in 1987 John stayed in the game by playing with Warilla Wanderers. He then went onto play with Fairy Meadow Italia, had a second coaching stint with Wollongong Macedonia and played with Corrimal Rangers.John saw out his footballing days playing church league down in Kiama as a striker. John was tremendous to interview and I respect him for giving up his time and going through his footballing journey. I thoroughly enjoyed interviewing John and I hope you enjoy listening to this episode!

Welcome everybody to episode 39 of the Football United vs Soccer City podcast. I would like to sincerely thank all the interviewees, listeners and the soccer public of the Illawarra and around Australia and the globe who download this podcast. Additionally I would like to say thank you to the people who contribute, comment and reminisce on the social media pages. It is appreciated.This episode’s interviewee Jan Cupa was born in 1957 in Barnsley, Yorkshire to an English Mother and Polish Father. In Yorkshire he played soccer informally amongst his friends in the village where he lived. Jan was 10 years old when he migrated to Australia in 1968. His Family first lived at Fairy Meadow Hostel and it was here where he first played organised soccer with the Fairy Meadow Hostel Soccer Club.After leaving the Fairy Meadow Hostel Soccer Club, he then played junior soccer with Fernhill JSC at Reidtown and then went on to join Fairy Meadow in 1974 to play senior soccer as a 17 year old. After four good seasons Jan’s next move was to the Figtree Soccer Club where he spent most of his soccer life as a player. After 20 odd years of playing as an attacking player and helping West-Figtree on the committee, Jan left to play a bit of amateur and pub soccer.In 2007 Jan re-joined the Illawarra soccer fraternity by being a team manager at Fernhill Football Club. It was here where he stayed for over 10 years helping out the youth and reserve grades as a team manager and additionally helping the club out where he could.Jan was great to interview and I loved hearing about the clubs, coaches and players he spent time with, in particular the West-Figtree Soccer Club where Jan spent over two decades. And as can be heard by two former West-Figtree team mates he was well liked and respected. Thanks to Jan for allowing me into his home, I respect his hospitality and time. Please enjoy this podcast.

Welcome everybody to episode 38 of the Football United vs Soccer City podcast. As always I would like to sincerely thank all the interviewees, listeners and the soccer public of the Illawarra/Australia who download this podcast. Additionally I would like to say thank you to the people who contribute, comment and reminisce on the social media pages.This episode’s interviewee was born in 1928 and has had an enormous positive impact on the Illawarra soccer landscape for over 80 years. Neville Arrowsmith has played the game for Tarrawanna, Wollongong Technical College, the Illawarra District, Bellambi and Fernhill. In the 1950s he was involved with Fernhill’s Committee before spending over two decades on the Illawarra District Soccer Association as President, Vice-President, Secretary, Publicity Officer and Committee member with numerous delegate positions. And Neville was awarded Life Membership to the IDSA in 1963.Neville was one of the foundation board members of the Wollongong City Wolves that saw the region back in the National Soccer League in 1980. And with the hard work he contributed along with the other foundation board members, he managed the Wollongong City youth team for 9 years and is a Life Member of the Club.Over his soccer journey he has coached and managed Illawarra junior representative teams with great success and joy. Another aspect of Neville’s contribution to the game is his recording, publication and archiving of Illawarra soccer’s history, notably his book “An incomplete history of the 100 years of association football in the Illawarra District” and the Corrimal Rangers SC centenary book.It is impossible in this introduction and the interview to cover the entire list of positions or impacts Neville has had on our game in the Illawarra. In the brief time I spent with Neville and his son Martin it was great to talk about some of his immense soccer journey. I feel honoured and humbled to have spent time with a man who has done so much and that has been an inspiration to my Illawarra soccer history work. My sincere thanks and respect go out to Neville and Martin for allowing me into Neville’s home and giving me the time to record this interview. I hope you enjoy the interview as much as I did recording it.

Welcome to part 2 of episode 37 of the Football United vs Soccer City podcast. In part 2, I continue to converse with John “Kraj” Krajnovic about his football journey. Sincere thanks to John for allowing me to speak with him for over 2 hours in his home, I sincerely respect his time. Please enjoy the second part to episode 37.

Welcome everybody to episode 37 of the Football United vs Soccer City podcast. As always I would like to sincerely thank all the interviewees, listeners and the soccer public of the Illawarra/Australia who download this podcast. Additionally I would like to say thank you to the people who contribute, comment and reminisce on the social media pages.This episode's interviewee grew up in Balgownie and started his football journey at Balgownie Junior SC. From here John Krajnovic developed a deep love for the game and for the goalkeeper position. After a junior career with Balgownie and representing Illawarra junior teams, John moved to Fairy Meadow United in the State League. At Fairy Meadow John proved himself amongst men, forged relationships and developed his craft.After playing at Corrimal Rangers in 1987 and Wollongong Macedonia in 1988, John received a call from Sydney Croatia and it was here that John deservedly found himself playing in the NSL amongst Socceroos and quality NSL players. He took his opportunity and played 18 league games and multiple pre-season games in the late 1980s and early 1990s.In the 1990s he cemented himself as one of the premier goalkeepers in the Illawarra Premier League in particular with the Cringila Lions and in the latter part of his playing career he additionally started goalkeeper coaching.Since retiring at the end of the 2000 season, John has developed as one of the best goalkeeping coaches in the region being a part of multiple clubs and entities such as Fernhill, the ISA, the Wollongong Wolves and of course coaching his children, something that was a delight for John.The clear point for me in this interview is that John deeply cares and invests in the people/players who he trains and mixes with in the region. And it is this part of his personality which distinguishes him and is one of the reasons why he is successful and deeply respected in our community. As our interview spanned over 2 hours, I have split this podcast into two parts and although it might not be optimal for you the listener, I apologise but I couldn’t stop chatting to John about his amazing journey as a player and as a coach. Please enjoy part 1 of this interview.

Welcome everybody to episode 36 of the Football United vs Soccer City podcast. As I am putting together this introduction we are in the New Year and I wish all the listeners a Happy New Year and a safe 2020. As always I would like to sincerely thank all the interviewees, listeners and the soccer public of the Illawarra/Australia.This episode's interviewee although not originally from the Illawarra has entrenched himself as part of the Illawarra footballing community over the past 30 years. Richard Lloyd developed his passion for football early on in his life playing junior football with Padstow Heights and Catherine Fields, supported by his parents.In this junior period he began being selected in representative teams, which augmented his development. Noting in this time Richard had interaction with the Johnny Warren soccer academy and the Pele soccer camps, which added to his enthusiasm.At the age of 17 Richard had a vocational decision to make and this brought him to the Illawarra with State League club Fairy Meadow Italia. From this point in time he has stayed in the Illawarra and in the late 1980s he was signed up by the Wollongong City Wolves in the NSL. He played at the Wolves for several NSL seasons amassing 164 appearances, forming a lot of positive relationships, gaining the respect of his coaches, team mates, opponents and the supporters.After the Wolves Richard played successfully in the NSW state league and the Illawarra premier league. Once his playing career ended Richard started his coaching career initially with his family at Balgownie JSC and then onto other projects and Clubs. What is clear with Richard’s coaching career is that he is positive and has a player-centric focus. And amongst his words about players, coaching and the Wollongong Wolves it is clear Richard has an unyielding passion for the game and wants the best for the football people of the Illawarra.I absolutely enjoyed interviewing Richard and he is a measured and valuable football asset for the region. My sincere respect and appreciation go out to Richard and his Family for allowing me into their home and giving me the time to speak with him. I hope you enjoy this podcast as much as I enjoyed interviewing Richard.

Welcome everybody to episode 35 of the Football United vs Soccer City podcast. As I am recording this introduction we are coming to the end of the year and I would like to sincerely thank all the interviewees, listeners, football public of the Illawarra/Australia and of course my family.Approximately 14 months into this podcast journey and it has been an absolute delight to meet and interview people who have shaped our game in the Illawarra. Although my interviewing and producing techniques are slow to improve, I sincerely appreciate the listeners in the Illawarra, Australia and around the world.This episode's interviewee has a name which is synonymous with soccer in the Illawarra. His Family has been a part of Illawarra soccer for over 50 years in various areas of the code. David Naylor came out from the United Kingdom in the 1960s with his Family and since then has impacted positively as a player, committee member, administrator, coach and referee.David has many attributes that make him a great clubman, team member, referee and administrator. However for me David’s greatest asset is that he has a selfless mindset and he serves our great game with not wanting anything in return. David has put in copious hours into various parts of our game and has put his heart and soul into the roles he has undertaken. I thoroughly enjoyed speaking with David it was a pleasure to record his journey.My sincere respect and appreciation go out to David and his wife for allowing me into their home. I hope you enjoy this podcast!

Welcome everybody to episode 34 of the Football United vs Soccer City podcast. Slowly but surely the catalogue of interviews is piling up and it is a credit to the soccer people of the Illawarra who have put their hand up to be recorded. The memories, journeys, stories and facts recorded will be a useful resource later down the track for their families, our soccer community and for others.For the regular listeners and one-off listeners I truly appreciate your support, it is an additional motivating factor to record these interviews knowing that 60 to 150 people are listening to different episodes.This episode's interviewee had an ability to score a goal, coach successful teams and make a grand final or two. Kevin Lewis came out from Wales with his Family in the early 1970s and has made an impact as a player, a committee member and as a coach.Due to Kevin’s humility it may not come across in the interview, but Kevin was an excellent striker in the Illawarra Premier League in the 1980s with Bulli Soccer Club. He collected the Illawarra Premier League first grade top goal scorer award twice in 1985 and 1988. Additionally he was part of the very successful Bulli Soccer Club first grade team during the 1980s that won league championships and won a grand final.The passion Kevin has for the game can be heard in his voice during the interview and by listening to his soccer resume, which is immense. Well respected in the Illawarra soccer fraternity, Kevin is a man who keeps volunteering and achieving in many ways for the clubs he has been involved with and it was an absolute pleasure listening to his journey.My sincere respect and appreciation go out to Kevin and his wife for allowing me into their home. I hope you enjoy this podcast!Episode 34 of the Football united vs Soccer City podcast is done and dusted. Kevin is a wonderful man in many ways and still has a presence in the game to this day, which I think is a positive for Illawarra football. I sincerely appreciate and respect the time given by Kevin and his wife. As always thank you for listening and downloading this podcast. I am your host Travis, good bye for now.

Welcome everybody to episode 33 of the Football United vs Soccer City podcast. It is a pleasure to have you uploading this episode, whether you are a one-off listener or a frequent listener. I sincerely appreciate your support.This episode's interviewee had a varied football career here in Australia and in Italy. Dez Giraldi grew up in the Illawarra’s northern suburbs and played the majority of his junior football with Corrimal JSC and the Illawarra representative teams.He then transitioned from the Illawarra representative teams to the Wollongong Wolves junior teams. After a couple of seasons Dez then joined the Wolves youth team.From this point Dez then had experiences with the AIS, FIFA U17 World Cup with Australia, Empoli in Italy and then back to Australia in the A-League and here in Wollongong.His time in the game had many parts, some of this time being complex and challenging. Articulate and thoughtful, Dez has remained genuine, pragmatic and positive about his time in the game. His transition to post football life has been successful and he is a credit to himself and his family.I was thoroughly engrossed by Dez’s thoughts and journey and I hope you enjoy the interview as much as I did conducting it. My sincere respect and appreciation go out to Dez and his family for allowing me into their home.