Football United vs Soccer City

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 Yankos
Welcome 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 Walker
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 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 Cropper
Welcome 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.