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FFA Hall of Fame
TEAMS OF THE DECADES
DECADE
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COACH
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TEAM
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1979-89
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Fred Robbins
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Theresa Deas; Rose Van Bruinessen, Andrea Martin, Joanne Millman, Michelle Sawyers; Sue Monteath, Julie Dolan (c), Cindy Heydon; Sandra Brentnall, Renaye Iserief, Leanne Priestley
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1990-99
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Greg Brown
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Tracey Wheeler; Traci Bartlett, Alison Forman (c), Sonia Gegenhuber, Anissa Tann; Moya Dodd, Carol Vinson, Lisa Casagrande; Sharon Black, Linda "Sunni" Hughes, Julie Murray
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2000-13
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Tom Sermanni
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Melissa Barbieri; Collette McCallum, Claire Polkinghorne, Cheryl Salisbury (c), Dianne Alagich; Sally Shipard, Heather Garriock, Joanne Peters; Sarah Walsh, Kate Gill, Lisa De Vanna
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JULIE DOLAN (1999)
A commanding central midfielder, Julie Dolan played 34 matches for Australia in a 10-year career. Dolan started playing soccer at the age of 14 and contested the Asian Cup two years later in 1975.
Between 1978 and 1988 Dolan played in 18 full internationals. She was Australian captain on six occasions and played in the World Invitational Tournament twice, the first Oceania Cup in 1983 and the pilot World Cup in China in 1988.
That same year the Australian Women’s Soccer Association created the “Julie Dolan Medal” for the best player of the year.
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PAT O'CONNOR (2001)
English-born Pat O’Connor migrated to Sydney with her family in 1963. In 1965 she became a foundation member and captain of Bass Hill women’s team. She was also a member of Prague women from 1968-70. In 1971, with husband Joe, O’Connor formed the St George women’s team. The team remained unbeaten for seven years.
She was captain of the first Australian X1 to compete in Hong Kong at the first Asian Women’s Cup in 1975, and was selected in the Asian All Star team. From 1968-77, she was the top goal scorer every year she played at club level.
During her long career, O’Connor played against New Zealand, was foundation secretary of the Australian Women’s Association and is a Life Member of the NSW Women’s Association.
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CINDY HEYDON (2002)
Attacking midfielder and striker Cindy Heydon from New South Wales was a prolific scorer throughout her career. She possessed the match-winning ability to change a game, and displayed a combination and level of skill and knowledge rarely equalled.
She made her A international debut against New Zealand in 1979, and calmly scored Australia’s penalty to force a draw with New Zealand in 1980.
She captained Australia for the 1981 tour of New Zealand. She played in the first Oceania Cup in 1983 in New Caledonia, scoring a hat-trick in Australia’s 13-0 defeat of Fiji and a goal in Australia’s 5-0 defeat of New Caledonia. She played in Australia’s 1984 tour of China, completing 23 internationals with five goals.
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JOANNE MILLMAN (2002)
Born in Brisbane in 1961, Joanne Millman became involved in football as a young girl. She spent her entire career with Brisbane Eastern Suburbs, playing as a sweeper and midfielder. Millman first represented Queensland in 1979 as a youth player.
She developed quickly, going on to play 600 senior games in eight international tours (40 games), 15 national championships (110 games), 15 State championships (90 games) and 16 domestic seasons (360 games). In 1983 Millman made her first international tour to Hawaii.
She was named Player of the Year in 1985 and 1988, and has been a committee member of the QWSA executive and treasurer for five years.
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THERESA DEAS (2003)
Goalkeeper Theresa Deas from Victoria debuted for Australia during the 1980 Test series against New Zealand, holding her place in the Australian goal for almost ten years.
Solid and reliable in goal, she was an outstanding communicator on the field. In all she played ten A internationals, including the 1983 and 1986 Oceania Cups, the 1987 World Invitational Tournament in Taiwan, and the 1988 pilot World Cup in China where she played an integral part in Australia’s 1-0 victory over Brazil.
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SUE MONTEATH (2004)
Linking the midfield with the forward line, attacking Queenslander Sue Monteath debuted at A international level against New Zealand in 1979. A busy, productive and attacking player who could also always be relied upon in a defensive situation, she represented Australia for over 10 years, captaining the side from 1984 to 1987.
In all, she represented Australia 46 times, including 23 at A international level. She played in the first Oceania Cup in 1983, scoring a hat-trick in Australia’s 13-0 defeat of Fiji. She captained Australia on the tour of China in 1984, again in the second Oceania Cup in New Zealand in 1986 and in 1987 in the World Invitational Tournament, scoring in Australia’s 6-0 defeat of Hong Kong bringing her career goal tally to four.
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ANISSA TANN (2007)
Valuable both as an attacking midfield/striker and later in defence, Anissa Tann from New South Wales began her international career when she toured China in 1988.
A dogged player, with great positioning she also captained Australia on several occasions including the 1991 tour to New Zealand. Tann was a stalwart of the Australian side in the lead up to the 1995 and 1999 World Cups.
She took part in both 1995 and 1999 World Cups, and in all three games at the Sydney Olympics of 2000. In all she made a massive 123 appearances for Australia (including 102 A internationals) between 1988 and 2002, scoring eight goals.
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TRACEY WHEELER (2008)
Sydney-born Tracey Wheeler represented Western Australia as a midfielder at state level before switching to goalkeeping. Tall and strong she made her international goalkeeping debut against New Zealand in the third Oceania Cup in 1989.
Strong in the air, she also had great timing and footwork. She played the 1991 World Cup qualifiers and played all three matches in the 1995 World Cup, and one in the 1999 World Cup. She played in all three games at the 2000 Olympics. In all she played 55 internationals for Australia.
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JULIE MURRAY (2008)
 Striker Julie Murray, representing the ACT, had first been selected for Australia during the 1980s playing as a 15-year-old in the 1986 second Oceania Cup and gaining valuable experience in this decade in tournaments in Taiwan, China, and Japan. Not tall, she possessed the ability and timing to jump making her a dangerous player in the air. She was mobile, determined, had outstanding technical skills with both feet and a great finish. She was calm in front of goal and a move from the midfield to striker saw her create and score a career total of 19 goals for Australia, many in crucial situations including the 1994 World Cup qualifier against New Zealand which Australia won 1-0.
She scored in two of the three 1999 World Cup games. She captained the Matildas on numerous occasions. In all she played in 87 matches, including the 1995 and 1999 World Cups and one game in the 2000 Olympic Games.
Julie was also the first Australian woman to play in the USA and competed in the 1995 and 1999 FIFA Women’s World Cup tournaments as well as the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games. In total, Julie played 67 matches, scoring 19 goals for Australia in a 13 year career.
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CHERYL SALISBURY (2009)
 Cheryl Salisbury is the most capped football player for her country in any code. She made 151 A international appearances for Australia in a career which began in 1994 against Russia. She scored the first of her 38 goals on debut.
Cheryl represented Australia in the 1995, 1999, 2003 and 2007 FIFA Women's World Cup tournaments, the Sydney and Athens Olympic Games and the 2006 and 2008 Asian Football Confederation Women's Cup. She was captain of the Westfield Matildas from 2003 until her retirement in 2009.
Another leader on and off the field, Cheryl was an inspiration to many thousands of young players - boys and girls - and always demonstrated the true values of fair play, team work and sportsmanship. FIFA has twice honoured Cheryl by naming her in the FIFA Women's World XI squad in 2004 and 2007.
A proud Novocastrian and graduate of the Australian Institute of Sport, Cheryl's club teams have included Adamstown and Lambton as a junior as well as Newcastle Jets in the inaugural Westfield Women's League season. She has also played with Victoria and Northern NSW in the old women's national soccer league, and she played for two years in the US Women's League and three years in the Japan Women's League.
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JOANNE PETERS (2010)
 A veteran of 109 'A' internationals, Joanne Peters kicked off her career at 17 years of age in 1996 during a match against New Zealand and scored her first of 28 goals during her debut match.
She represented her country in the 1999, 2003 and 2007 FIFA Women's World Cup and 2004 Olympic Games (Athens). After having played for Northern NSW Pride, NSW Sapphires, Sydney United and Sydney Olympic, Joanne joined Newcastle Jets for the inaugural season of the Westfield W-League competition. Her club career has also taken her overseas playing for Santos in Brazil, New York Power and Charlotte Lady Eagles in the USA. Joanne was the first Australian female player to play in South America.
For over a decade she led the way for young female footballers paving a tangible professional pathway for female footballers in Australia. A pioneer of Australian Women’s international football, Peters was one of the first to play professionally overseas and helped lay the ground work for future Australian women to ply their trade internationally at club level.
Joanne retired from international football in 2009 after a long and stellar career and in that year was fittingly awarded the “Australian 2009 Women’s Footballer of the Year”.
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DIANNE ALAGICH (2011)
 Well-regarded and admired Australian defender Di Alagich is a diamond in the world of women's soccer.
The sister of renowned Adelaide United player Richie, Di has carried the Alagich name with pride and further cemented their reputation as a leading South Australian soccer family.
She has an outstanding record as a consistent national player, participating in every match for Australia at the 1999 and 2003 World Cup and 2000 and 2004 Olympic Games.
She started her career with Port Adelaide, Modbury and West Adelaide soccer clubs, plus spent some time with the Australian Institute of Sport.
A defender, she made 85 A international appearances for her country in a career which spanned fourteen years - 1995 - 2008, and also played for the San Jose CyberRays in the US-based WPS league.
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ALISON FORMAN (2012)
 Born in Maitland in 1969, Alison Forman played for local clubs Raymond Terrace and Adamstown through the 1980s. In 1989 she made her national team debut against Japan in the Prima Cup in Kanagawa, which was the first of 95 appearances for the national team. Alison's national team record over a 13 year period was very impressive, including two FIFA Women’s World Cups and an Olympic Games.
She started in all of Australia's matches in Australia’s FIFA Women's World Cup appearance in Sweden in 1995, the 1999 World Cup in the USA, and the 2000 Olympic Games in Australia.
Forman’s 95 appearances for the Matildas currently ranks her fifth in Australia’s Women's national team appearances list.
Alison was one of the first Australians to carve out an extensive playing career abroad, spending ten years at highly-ranked Danish club Fortuna Hjorring.
At Fortuna she won a hat-trick of national league titles in 1994, 1995 and 1996, and two more championships in 1999 and 2002. She was Fortuna's player of the year in 1996 and was the first foreign player to play 100 matches for the club.
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LINDA "SUNNI" HUGHES (2013)
 Born in Newcastle in 1968, Linda "Sunni" Hughes first represented Australia in the third Oceania Cup in 1989. A speedy, agile forward she scored over 20 goals in this decade for Australia in a 10-year career as a forward. She played in the 1991 World Cup qualifiers scoring six goals in two matches against Papua New Guinea. She represented Australia in the 1992 FIFA Women’s World Cup qualifiers scoring a further two goals against Papua New Guinea, and during the first game of Australia’s first participation in the World Cup in 1995 scored Australia’s second goal in the 4-2 loss to China.
Teaming successfully with co-striker Julie Murray, she played 78 internationals including all three matches in the 1995 FIFA Women’s World Cup and in the 2000 Olympic Games when she scored in Australia’s 1-2 loss to Brazil.
Club football-wise, Danish team Fortuna Hjorring and Japanese outfit Matsushita Bambina grace her footballing CV, while she also played for Northern New South Wales in the Australian National League.
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SANDRA BRENTNALL (2014)
Sandra Brentnall holds the distinction of scoring Australia’s first international goal during her debut in the first Test match against New Zealand in Sydney in 1979.
A compact striker, she was born in Nottingham, England, and arrived in Perth in 1974 at the age of 12. She represented Western Australia from 1977-84, and again in 1987 as captain. Brentnall was a versatile, highly mobile and hungry forward who had the ability to elude the defence.
She was selected in the national up-and-coming squad in 1976 and held her place in the national squad for eight years. She scored four goals in the return Test series in New Zealand in 1980, including a hat-trick in the third match in Christchurch which Australia won 3-2. This was the first hat-trick by an Australian in women’s international football.
She played in the first Oceania Cup in 1983 scoring in the final. She represented Australia in 11 A-Internationals, scoring 8 goals. Clubs: Kiev, Girrawheen, Olympic Kingsway, Ashfield, Gosnells City, Beeliar and Leeming Strikers. She is a Legend in the WA Football Hall of Fame.
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LISA CASAGRANDE (2015)
Versatile attacking midfielder Lisa Casagrande from Northern New South Wales was first selected for Australia in a game against Japan at the age of 14 in 1994. In 1995 she scored in Australia’s 3-2 win against Brazil. She represented Australia in the 1995 World Cup, scoring in Australia’s 1-4 loss to USA.
Lisa was the first female AIS scholarship holder invited to train with the male AIS team in 1994, alongside future Socceroo captain Lucas Neill, Josip Simumic and Danny Milosevic. A skilful player, she scored regularly in the mid-1990s for Australia against sides like South Korea, Canada, and Netherlands. She bagged four goals during the 1998 World Cup qualifying matches, and one goal in pre-World Cup matches against Canada.
In 1998-99, Lisa was top scorer in the national women’s league for Canberra Eclipse. During the 1999 Algarve Cup in Portugal she became the youngest player (at 20) to be awarded 50 Australian caps and played in all of Australia’s matches at the 1999 FIFA Women’s World Cup.
Clive Charles, the men’s USA Olympic coach, invited Lisa to join the University of Portland football team. Lisa competed in the National College Athletic Association (NCAA) competition made up of 274 teams, helping Portland make the final four in 2000 and 2001.
She was selected for the 2000 Sydney Olympics. By the time of her early retirement two years later at age 22 she had played 64 games for the Matildas, scoring 13 goals.
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SACHA WAINWRIGHT (2016)
Sacha Wainwright was born in Canberra in 1972 and represented Australia 81 times (including 65 A international caps) during her twelve years with the Matildas between 1992-2004. She played for the Matildas in two FIFA World Cups (Sweden 1995 and USA 2003) and two Olympic Games (2000 Sydney and 2004 Athens).
First identified for the national U-15 team in 1986, she transitioned from a speedy reliable goalscorer to an overlapping left fullback. Sacha progressed through the Young Matildas to selection into the Matildas in the early 90s, and earned her first international cap against Russia in 1994 at age 22. Her international career saw her represent Australia in over seventeen countries.
She was the vice-captain of the Matildas between 2002-2004 and captained Canberra in the Women's National Soccer League, including when Canberra became National Champions in 2002. She displayed resilience and determination, overcoming three separate knee reconstructions during her career, each time returning to international level.
During her eighteen years of football at elite level she managed to combine her sporting career with university law studies and working as a commercial lawyer, while competing for Australia. She was awarded the AIS Vocational Award and the ACT Academy of Sport Balanced Athlete Award for balancing her international football career with her legal career.
She represented the ACT for over eighteen years at schools, youth and senior representative level. She was an ACT Academy of Sport scholarship holder for ten years and an AIS scholarship holder for seven years, including a full-time resident prior to the Sydney 2000 Olympics.
In 2000, she receive the Australia Sports Medal for contribution to Australian sport and has been involved in the administration of football as a volunteer on various committees.
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SONIA GEGENHUBER (2018)
Defender Sonia Gegenhuber is Matilda cap number 63 having played seventy-five (75) international matches for Australia in a career spanning 1989-99, including captaincy of the Matildas in 1998-99.
Born on 28 September 1970, in South Australia, Sonia started football at the age of ten though she also played tennis, netball and took part in athletics.
Sonia was determined to represent Australia at sport and at eighteen (18) played football against Japan in 1989 and gained national selection in the 1991 FIFA Women's World Cup qualifying matches against New Zealand and Papua New Guinea where she scored a goal from the backline.
From South Australia, she moved to Queensland where she played for Coalstars, Eastern Suburbs and QAS Sting. An athletic defender and good communicator, she was strong in the air and had the ability to overlap with the midfield making incisive runs forward. She played two matches in the 1995 FIFA Women's World Cup in Sweden.
In 2013, Football Federation Australia named Gegenhuber as part their women's team of the decade for the years 1990 to 1999. After her retirement from international football she concentrated on coaching, teaching and as a remedial massage therapist. She was a member of the Matildas staff on a tour of China in 2007, and coached and managed the Queensland schoolgirls football team from 2009-14.
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HEATHER GARRIOCK (2021)
Heather Garriock is one of the highest appearance holders for the Matildas, amassing 130 caps for Australia between 1999-2011. The former midfielder won an AFC Women’s Asian Cup in 2010, as well as the 2003 OFC Women’s Championship. She also featured in three FIFA Women’s World Cups (2003,2007 and 2011), scoring in both 2003 and 2007, and represented Australia at the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games.
Sydney born and raised, Garriock played top-tier club football in Australia, Europe, and America. She won six domestic trophies in Australia, Denmark, and Sweden, and received the highest individual honour for a women’s footballer in Australia by taking out the Julie Dolan Medal in 2003. Two of the Championships won were W-League (A-League Women’s) titles with Sydney FC, as well as a National Women’s Soccer League title with the NSW Sapphires.
Off the field, Garriock has been a major advocate for women’s football, including fighting for players to have maternity support.
Garriock has also served as a coach in the National Premier Leagues, winning multiple titles with Sydney University. She has also coached Canberra United in the W-League (A-League Women’s), and was an assistant coach for the Matildas. She has pushed for great recognition of coaching through her role as Vice President of Football Coaches Australia.
Her media work includes broadcasting with Optus for the Men's European Championships, Men’s UEFA Champions League and FIFA World Cups. She has commentated on the ABC and Fox Sports for the W-League and Matildas.
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KATE GILL (2021)
New Zealand-born and Newcastle-raised striker Kate Gill first represented Australia as a member of Australia’s U-20 Women’s National Team (Young Matildas) squad for the 2002 FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup. Two years later Gill earned her first senior cap for the Matildas in 2004 debuting against New Zealand.
A technical striker, Gill added an extra dimension to Australia’s attack with her adept aerial presence. Settling into the squad, she represented Australia at the FIFA Women’s World Cup™ in 2007 and the 2008 AFC Women’s Asian Cup. In that timeframe she became a reliable goalscorer including a remarkable run of goals in the Beijing 2008 Olympics Qualifying games, where she scored five goals against both Taiwan and Hong Kong.
In 2010, Gill created history as the first Australian to be awarded the AFC Women’s Player of the Year off the back of her assisting the Matildas in claiming the AFC Women’s Asian Cup for the first time. She would also go on to represent Australia at the 2014 AFC Women’s Asian Cup helping the nation to silver and in that same tournament she surpassed Cheryl Salisbury to be the highest goalscorer at that time. Gill would go on to record 41 goals for the Matildas and currently sits third on the all-time goalscorers list for the women’s national team.
In club football, Gill is also a two-time W-League (A-League Women’s) Golden Boot with Perth Glory, and also represented the likes of Newcastle Jets and three different clubs in Sweden – Sunnana SK, LbD Malmo, and Linkopings – between 2009 and 2011.
Selected in the national team for 12 years, including as captain, Gill is as much of a leader off the pitch, serving as a long-serving member of the Professional Footballers Association (PFA) Matildas Committee. Always a committed advocate for women’s sport, Gill became the first woman to be appointed to the PFA Executive Committee and the first female CEO (jointly held). In her roles she has championed the push to collectively organise for better remuneration and conditions for female footballers as well as being a strong role model and mentor for those transitioning to life after football.
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MOYA DODD (2022)
Moya Dodd's playing career spanned almost two decades with the South Australian state team, and with the Matildas from the mid-1980s to mid-90s, including as vice-captain.
Since retiring as a player, Dodd has been a fearless advocate for gender equality in football and campaigning for women to have their voices heard at decision making levels in the game.
Globally, she has successfully campaigned to give hundreds of millions of girls access to the game with the overturning of the hijab ban and campaigned to have women received at the FIFA Executive Committee for the first time.
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COLETTE McCALLUM (2022)
Widely considered one of Australia's greatest female footballers, Collette Gardiner (née McCallum) played for almost a decade with the Matildas.
As a youth player her experience was prolific before moving to the senior team where she was the key piece in the Matildas midfield for many years, including the 2007 FIFA Women's World Cup™ and in Australia's victorious 2010 AFC Women’s Asian Cup™ campaign.
Born in Scotland and raised in Perth, Gardiner recovered from two ACL injuries as a teenager to become a regular senior Matildas’ player by age 20. She was also one of the first Australian women to win club titles overseas.
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LEIGH WARDELL (2019)
Leigh Wardell played in twelve national championships for New South Wales and from this she became a feature in the national team. She made her unofficial debut as part of an Australia team that played in Taiwan in 1978.
Australia finished eighth out of 13 teams, recording wins against teams from Austria and Thailand. Her official debut came in 1979 in Australia’s first ‘A’ international match against New Zealand at Seymour Shaw Park.
She was a part of the Australian squad which took part in the first Oceania Cup in 1983. She also played a part in the first FIFA Women’s Invitational Tournament - the precursor to the current FIFA Women’s World Cup.
A centre forward who moved further down the pitch as her career progressed, she played in 14 ‘A’ international games and scored four goals across a decade.
Like many players, she transitioned from taking charge on the pitch to the sidelines in coaching positions.
She’s been an assistant coach with the Westfield Matildas but most of her post playing career work has been in and around NSW. She has held roles at FNSW, the New South Wales Institute of Sport, Marconi, and has been at North Western Sydney Koalas since the early 2000s.
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