FIRST NATIONS PLAYER FOR THE SOCCEROO AND BRISBANE STRIKERS

North was born in Taree NSW in 1982 and is a proud Biripi man. North moved to New Zealand with his family when he was young. He returned to Australia when he was 11 years old, living in the Brisbane suburb of Sunnybank where he spent his High School years. During this time he played for clubs such as the Rochedale Rovers.

North went on to earn a scholarship to the Australian Institute of Sport in Canberra for a year before returning to Brisbane to play for the Brisbane Strikers. In 1999, North represented Australia as part of the Under 17 World Cup team and in 2001, he moved to Sydney to play for the Olympic Sharks where he gained a selection for the Socceroos squad.

North became the first ever First Nations Socceroo captain in 2008 and by 2011 he had played more than 30 times for the Socceroos.

The above information is drawn from John Maynard’s groundbreaking book, ‘The Aboriginal Soccer Tribe: a history of Aboriginal involvement with the world game.’ See pages 94-106 for further information on North’s career.