Football Australia has announced that Socceroos legends Mark Schwarzer and Joseph Huxley Honeysett along with Matildas greats Kate Gill and Heather Garriock have been inducted into the Football Australia Hall of Fame.
Determined via a public process followed by consideration from a panel of Australian football historians, each of the inductees have made a tangible imprint on football in Australia.
The inductions of Gill, Garriock, Schwarzer, and Huxley Honeysett mark the first additions to the Football Australia Hall of Fame since Harry Kewell, Leigh Wardell, Branko Culina, and Sir Frank Lowy were inducted in 2019.
Football Australia Chief Executive Officer James Johnson explained the prestige of being handed this honour and was proud to welcome the four greats into the Hall of Fame.
“The Football Australia Hall of Fame features many icons of our sport – people that have represented Australia with aplomb domestically and internationally, have fought for the advancement of our sport, and have laid the foundations for future generations to grow the world game on Australian soil,” Johnson said.
“We warmly congratulate Joe, Mark, Heather, and Kate on their respective inductions – all are worthy of their position amongst the game’s greats, and I hope Mark, Heather, and Kate take great pride in their acknowledgement. Equally, I trust that Joe, who is being acknowledged posthumously, would have been thrilled to be inducted. The Huxley Honeysett name is now forever inscribed in Australian football’s history.”
The current generation of Australians will likely remember Mark Schwarzer for his heroics on 12 November 2005 when the Socceroos qualified for their first World Cup since 1974, while others point to his status as Australia’s most capped player as evidence of his contribution to football. Schwarzer also made over 500 appearances in the English Premier League and won titles with Chelsea and Leicester City.
Although a less familiar name, Joe Huxley Honeysett earns his induction through his service to football in Tasmania where he played a crucial role in establishing the state’s football federation as well as the federation that governs the Australian Capital Territory. After returning from military service in WW1, Honeysett continued to promote development of football in Australia’s southernmost state.
On the women’s front, Kate Gill was selected in the national team for 12 years and has maintained her status as a committed advocate for women’s sport via serving as a member of the PFA Matildas Committee. A two-time W-League Golden Boot winner, Gill also became the first woman to be appointed to the PFA Executive committee and has led the push for better renumeration and conditions for female footballers.
Joining her as an inductee is Heather Garriock who holds one of the highest appearance numbers of all time for the Matildas with 130 in a career that spanned more than 12 years. Having featured in three Women’s World Cups, Garriock is also a Julie Dolan Medallist and has sought to achieve better maternity support for female footballers.
Despite their induction occurring in 2022, the quartet enter the Hall of Fame as 2021 inductees. Another process will be held throughout 2022, as Football Australia seeks to recognise more people that have made an immense contribution to the Australian game.