South Australia’s most capped Westfield Matilda Di Alagich was honoured at the 2011 Football Federation Australia Hall of Fame in Sydney.on Tuesday, November 29, along with Qantas Socceroo Craig Moore and journalists Mike Cockerill and Ted Simmons.

The Football Federation Australia Hall of Fame is the game's top honour and provides an opportunity to recognise football's past by paying tribute to the greats, both men and women.

There are two categories - the Hall of Champions which celebrates the legends of the sport on the field and the Hall of Honour which recognises sustained, outstanding contribution off the field.

This year has seen the induction of two greats of the game, both men’s and women’s, with Craig Moore and Dianne Alagich being honoured at the America Club today.

Football Federation Australia (FFA) also honoured football trailblazer and former Qantas Socceroo Ned Zelic who was on hand to accept his 2010 induction into the Hall of Champions.

“FFA is proud to continue the tradition of the Hall of Fame by honouring some of the greats from our recent history,” said FFA CEO Ben Buckley.

“The three players inducted into the Hall of Champions include Westfield Matilda Di Alagich together with Qantas Socceroos Craig Moore and Ned Zelic, who collected his 2010 induction.

“Di Alagich is widely regarded as an unfaltering competitor who played a long and celebrated career for the Westfield Matildas. Ned Zelic and Craig Moore both enjoyed stellar careers as players and it is wonderful to see their active participation in the game continue as commentators, to further promote football in Australia,” he said.

“Craig Moore’s representation of Australia at every underage level before going on to feature strongly in two FIFA World Cups marks him as one of the true greats of the modern game.”

Those inducted into the Hall of Honour include Mike Cockerill and Ted Simmons.

“Mike Cockerill and Ted Simmons have both had a lasting effect on the game in Australia,” continued Buckley.

“Their contributions to the game using the written word has created a vivid, tangible and lasting impact on football in Australia.

“Both Mike and Ted will be permanently ingrained into Australian football’s psyche as not only influential pundits but friends and admirers of the game.”

In addition to the Football Federation Australia Hall of Fame inductions, FFA assisted the Sport Australia Hall of Fame acknowledgment of the 1974 Qantas Socceroos including head coach Rale Rasic and players Ray Baartz, Ernie Campbell, Ron Corry, Col Curran, John Doyle, Jim Fraser, George Harris, Jack Reilly, Ray Richards, Max Tolson, Doug Utjesenovic, Dennis Yaager as well as team medico, Dr Brian Corrigan, who were in attendance at the event.

 

DIANNE ALAGICH

Main position: Defender

National team career to date: 85 A international appearances, 29-Jul-1995 to 17-Jun-2008

 

Contributions, Achievements and Representative Honours

•          Alagich played a pivotal role in the Matilda's inaugural World Cup wins. The team made history in September when they became the first senior Australian soccer squad to reach a World Cup quarter-final berth. The Matildas defeated Ghana (4-1) and drew with Norway (1-1) and Canada (2-2) in the World Cup to finish at the top of their group. Alagich fought off some of the world's most challenging strikers including Canada's Christine Sinclair.
•          Made her international debut in the opening match of the 1995 US Women's Cup against newly-crowned World Cup champions Norway, aged just 16.
•          Made her comeback after knee reconstruction surgery to the Matildas in mid-1999 in a Pre-World Cup tour, before taking part in the 1999 World Cup in USA.
•         Started in every single one of Australia's World Cup and Olympic Games matches from 1999 to 2007 - comprising the 1999 World Cup (USA - three matches), 2000 Olympic Games (Sydney - three matches), 2003 World Cup (USA - three matches), 2004 Olympic Games (Athens - four matches) and 2007 World Cup (China - four matches).
•          Captain of the Australian Under-16 Team on the 1995 undefeated Tour of New Zealand.
•          Member of the Australian Under-19 Team which won the 1995 Dallas Cup in the USA.
•          Awarded AIS Scholarship (football) from 1999.
•          Suffered a knee injury just 12 minutes into her first starting appearance in an A international (v South Korea, March 1996), which required reconstruction surgery and ruled her out of football for two years. Again requiring surgery in 2001.
•          Clubs played at include Port Adelaide (SA), West Adelaide (SA), Adelaide Sensation/SASI (Australia) and San Jose CyberRays (USA).
•          Champion kayaker - South Australian Sports Institute scholarship-holder and selected for Australian national junior teams.
•          Finalist in The Advertiser Newspapers 2007 Sports Star of the Year.

 

Impact on Football

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.