Frank Farina facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Frank Farina
OAM

Personal information
Date of birth	(1964-09-05) 5 September 1964 (age 60)
Place of birth	Darwin, Australia
Height	1.77 m
Playing position	Striker
Youth career
	Stratford United
	Edge Hill United
1982–1985	AIS
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps†	(Gls)†
1981	Mareeba United	4	(0)
1983–1984	Canberra City	41	(15)
1985–1986	Sydney City	43	(21)
1987–1988	Marconi Stallions	47	(33)
1988–1991	Club Brugge	75	(43)
1991–1992	Bari	8	(0)
1992	→ Notts County (loan)	3	(0)
1992–1994	Strasbourg	47	(14)
1994–1995	Lille	27	(6)
1995–1998	Brisbane Strikers	63	(33)
1998–1999	Marconi Stallions	2	(0)
Total		336	(145)
National team
1982–1983	Australia U20	8	(3)
1984	Australia U23	5	(1)
1985	Australia B	2	(0)
1984–1995	Australia	37	(11)
Teams managed
1996–1998	Brisbane Strikers
1998–1999	Marconi Stallions
1998–2005	Australia
2006–2009	Brisbane Roar
2011–2013	Papua New Guinea
2012–2014	Sydney FC
2015	Fiji U20
2015–2016	Fiji
2016	Fiji U23
2021–2022	Wynnum District
Honours Men's football Representing  Australia (as manager) OFC Nations Cup Winner 2000 Runner-up 2002 Winner 2004 FIFA Confederations Cup Bronze 2001
Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. † Appearances (Goals).

Frank Farina OAM (born 5 September 1964) is a famous Australian football (soccer) coach and former player. He played as a forward, which means he was usually trying to score goals.

Frank Farina played football in Australia, Belgium, France, Italy, and England. He was a very important player for the Australian national team, the Socceroos, in the late 1980s and 1990s. Later, he also became the manager (coach) of the national team in the early 2000s. He was the first Indigenous Australian to lead the national team. As of November 2021, he helps guide Football Australia through their National Indigenous Advisory Group.

Frank Farina's Football Journey

Frank Farina was born in Darwin, Australia. He spent some of his childhood in Papua New Guinea. He grew up in Cairns, where he played youth soccer for teams like Stratford United and Edge Hill United FC.

Early Playing Days

When Frank was 16, a teacher suggested he try out for Mareeba United. This was his first time playing paid soccer. He then earned a special scholarship at the Australian Institute of Sport (AIS) in 1982.

Becoming a Star in Australia

Frank started his professional career in Australia's National Soccer League. He played for teams like the Canberra Arrows, Sydney City, and Marconi-Fairfield. He scored many goals and quickly became known as a talented player. In 1984, he won the "Most Entertaining Player" award.

In 1985, he joined Sydney City. His team reached the Grand Final that year. He also helped them win the National Cup in 1986. After Sydney City, Frank moved to Marconi Fairfield. There, he scored even more goals, winning the Golden Boot Award in both 1987 and 1988. He also won the "Players' Player Medal" and was named the "Oceania Player of the Year" in 1988. His great performance caught the eye of teams overseas.

Playing in Europe

In 1988, Frank Farina moved to Belgium to play for Club Brugge. He was a great goal scorer for the team, scoring 43 goals in 75 games. He helped Club Brugge win the Belgian First Division title in 1990 and the Belgian Cup in 1991. He also won the Belgian Golden Boot award in 1990.

After Belgium, Frank moved to Italy in 1991 to play for Bari. He was the first Australian to play in Italy's top league, Serie A. This was a big achievement! He also had short loan periods with Notts County in England. Later, he played for Strasbourg and Lille in France. He played two good seasons in France before returning to Australia.

Coaching Career

After playing in Europe, Frank Farina returned to Australia. He joined the Brisbane Strikers in 1995.

Leading the Brisbane Strikers

In his first season back, Frank scored 20 goals in 20 matches. In 1996, he became the player-coach for the Brisbane Strikers. He led the team to their first-ever NSL title in 1997. They won the Grand Final 2-0 against Sydney United, with Frank scoring the first goal! He was named the "Coach of the Year" in 1997.

After leaving the Strikers, he joined Marconi as a player-coach for one last season. He mostly focused on coaching and retired from playing that year.

Coaching the Australian National Team

In 1999, Frank Farina became the coach of the Australian National Team, the Socceroos. This made him the first Indigenous Australian to manage the team.

Oceania and Confederations Cup Success

Under Farina, Australia won the Oceania Nations Cup in 2000 and 2004. These wins helped them qualify for the 2001 FIFA Confederations Cup. At this tournament, Australia did very well. They beat world champions France 1-0 and then won against Brazil 1-0 to finish in third place!

World Cup Dreams

In 2001, Australia tried to qualify for the FIFA World Cup. Frank led the team to huge wins, including a record-breaking 31-0 victory against American Samoa. They won their group and then beat New Zealand to reach a World Cup playoff against Uruguay. However, Australia lost to Uruguay, and so they did not qualify for the World Cup finals that year.

End of His Time as National Coach

Frank Farina's time as national coach ended in June 2005. This happened after the team did not win any games in the 2005 FIFA Confederations Cup. He left by "mutual consent," meaning both he and Football Australia agreed it was time for a change. He was replaced by Guus Hiddink, who later led Australia to qualify for the 2006 FIFA World Cup.

Coaching Other Teams

After coaching the national team, Frank Farina continued his coaching career.

• From 2006 to 2009, he was the head coach of Brisbane Roar. He was known for supporting young Australian players.
• In 2011, he signed a contract to coach the Papua New Guinea team.
• From 2012 to 2014, he coached Sydney FC.
• In 2015, he became the technical adviser and then the head coach for the Fiji U-20s for the 2015 FIFA U-20 World Cup.
• He also coached the Fiji senior team and the Fiji U-23 team until 2016.

Beyond the Field

In November 2021, Frank Farina joined the first National Indigenous Advisory Group for Football Australia. This group works to help more Indigenous people get involved in football.

Frank Farina has Italian and Torres Strait Islander heritage. He is married and has two children. His nephew, Zenon Caravella, is also a footballer. In 2000, Frank was given the Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) for his great contributions to soccer as a player and coach. There is even a football trophy named after him, the Frank Farina Cup, which is played between two teams in North Queensland.

Achievements and Awards

Frank Farina has won many awards and championships throughout his career as both a player and a manager.

Player

Club Brugge

• Belgian League Championship: 1989–1990
• Belgian Cup: 1990–1991
• Belgian Supercup: 1990, 1991

Brisbane Strikers

• NSL Championship: 1996–1997

Marconi Fairfield

• NSL Championship: 1988

Sydney City

• NSL Cup: 1986

Personal honours

• FFA Hall of Champions Inductee – 2001
• Oceania Footballer of the Year: 1988
• Belgian League Top Scorer: 1989–1990
• NSL Player of the Year: 1987 with Marconi Fairfield
• NSL Player of the Year: 1988 with Marconi Fairfield
• NSL Top Scorer: 1987 with Marconi Fairfield – 16 goals
• NSL Top Scorer: 1988 with Marconi Fairfield – 16 goals

Manager

Australia

• OFC Nations Cup: 2000, 2004

With Brisbane Strikers:

• NSL Championship: 1996–1997

International Goals

Goals scored in 'A' internationals

No	Date	Venue	Opponent	Score	Result	Competition
1	9 June 1987	Gangneung Stadium	Morocco	0-1	0-1	1987 Presidents Cup
2	15 November 1987		Taiwan		0-3	1988 Olympic Games Qualifier
3	26 February 1988	Bruce Stadium, Canberra	Taiwan		3-0	1988 Olympic Games Qualifier
4	9 March 1988	Olympic Park, Melbourne	Israel	2-0	2-0	1988 Olympic Games Qualifier
5	13 March 1988	Sydney Football Stadium	New Zealand		3-1	1988 Olympic Games Qualifier
6	23 March 1988	Athletic Park, Wellington	New Zealand		1-1	1988 Olympic Games Qualifier
7	27 March 1988	Eden Park, Auckland	Taiwan		0-3	1988 Olympic Games Qualifier
8	9 July 1988	Parramatta Stadium	Saudi Arabia	2-0	3-0	Friendly
9				3-0
10	18 September 1988	Gwangju Mudeung Stadium	Yugoslavia	1-0	1-0	1988 Olympic Games
11	15 August 1993	Sydney Football Stadium	Canada	1-0	2-1	1994 FIFA World Cup qualifier

Goals scored for Australia in 'B' internationals

No	Date	Venue	Opponent	Score	Result	Competition
1	13 June 1987	Daegu Civil Stadium	Shamrock Rovers	0-1	0-1	1987 Presidents Cup
2	15 June 1987	Suwon Civil Stadium	South Korea B	0-2	0-5	1987 Presidents Cup
3				0-3

Coaching Stats

Images for kids

• 

  Frank Farina talking to the media in 2014.

Error: no page names specified (help). In Spanish: Frank Farina para niños