List of Indigenous Australian sportspeople facts for kids

Aboriginal Cricket Team with Tom Wills (coach and captain) at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, December 1866

This article is about amazing Indigenous Australian athletes. These are sports stars who are either Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander people. Sports have been a really important area where Indigenous Australians have shown their incredible talents and made a big impact in Australia.

Awesome Indigenous Australian Athletes

American Football Stars

Jesse Williams

• Jesse Williams

Soccer (Association Football) Heroes

Lydia Williams

Many Indigenous Australians have played soccer, also known as association football. Some have even played for Australia's national teams!

• Fred Agius
• Gordon Briscoe
• James Brown
• Jacob Collard
• Travis Dodd
• Shadeene Evans
• Frank Farina
• Jada Mathyssen-Whyman
• Tahj Minniecon
• John Moriarty
• Jade North – He was the first Indigenous soccer player to captain Australia's national team, the Socceroos.
• Tanya Oxtoby
• Charles Perkins
• Tate Russell
• Adam Sarota
• Gema Simon
• Kyah Simon
• Lorenzo Sipi
• Bridgette Starr
• Allira Toby
• Kasey Wehrman
• David Williams
• Gianni Stensness
• Harry Kewell
• Harry Williams
• Lydia Williams

Athletics (Track and Field) Champions

Cathy Freeman

Indigenous Australians have also excelled in track and field events, like running and jumping.

• Lynch Cooper
• Robert Crowther
• Cathy Freeman – A famous runner who won a gold medal at the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney.
• Benn Harradine
• Percy Hobson
• Patrick Johnson
• Bobby Kinnear
• Nova Peris-Kneebone – She was the first Indigenous Australian to win an Olympic gold medal.
• Josh Ross
• Kyle Vander Kuyp

Australian Rules Football Legends

Australian Rules Football is a very popular sport in Australia. Many Indigenous players have become huge stars in the AFL.

Basketball Stars

Nathan Jawai

Indigenous Australians have also made their mark in basketball, with some playing in top leagues around the world.

• Rohanee Cox
• Nathan Jawai – He was the first Indigenous Australian to play in the NBA in the USA.
• Patty Mills
• Danny Morseu

Boxing Champions

Boxing has a strong history among Indigenous Australians, with many winning national and world titles.

• Anthony Mundine – A successful boxer who held several world boxing titles.
• Daniel Geale – Another boxer who won world titles.
• Lionel Rose – He was the first Indigenous Australian to win a world boxing title.
• Robbie Peden
• Dave Sands – A legendary boxer who held many Australian and Commonwealth titles.
• Wally Carr
• Tony Mundine
• Ron Richards
• Jerry Jerome – The first Indigenous Australian to win a major boxing title in Australia.
• Joe Williams
• Neville "Chappy" Williams
• Elley Bennett
• Hector Thompson
• Frank Roberts – Australia's first Indigenous Olympic boxer.
• Lawrence Austin
• Damien Hooper
• Cameron Hammond
• Eugene Eades
• Austin Eades
• Renold Quinlan
• Paul Fleming
• Keith Saunders
• Bradley Hore

Cricket Players

Eddie Gilbert

Cricket has also seen many talented Indigenous players, some of whom have played for Australia.

• Scott Boland – He was only the second male Indigenous Australian to play Test Cricket for Australia.
• Dan Christian
• Ashleigh Gardner – The first Indigenous Australian woman to play in a Cricket World Cup.
• Eddie Gilbert – A famous Queensland cricketer from the 1930s.
• Jason Gillespie – The first male Indigenous Australian to play cricket for Australia.
• Jack Marsh
• John McGuire – He captained an Aboriginal team that toured England in 1988.
• Johnny Mullagh – A cricketer from the 1860s who was part of the first Aboriginal cricket team to tour England in 1868.
• Edna Newfong (Crouch) and Mabel Crouch (Campbell) – These two women were the first Indigenous women to represent Australia in any sport, playing cricket in 1934–35.
• D'Arcy Short
• Faith Thomas – The first female Indigenous Australian to play Test cricket for Australia.

Darts Players

• Kyle Anderson
• Beau Anderson

Field Hockey Players

Indigenous athletes have also shone in field hockey.

• Des Abbott
• Joel Carroll
• Baeden Choppy
• Lorelle Morrissey
• Nova Peris-Kneebone
• Brooke Peris

Horse Racing Jockeys

• Darby McCarthy – A famous jockey.
• Frank Reys – Another well-known jockey.
• Lester Fell

Motorsport Racers

• Jeff Leisk – A motocross rider.
• Craig Anderson – Another motocross rider.
• Chad Reed – A very successful motocross and supercross racer.
• Brendon Cook – A car racing driver.
• Darren McDonald – An Auscar racer.

Rugby League Stars

Rugby league is a hugely popular sport in Australia, and many Indigenous players have become national heroes.

Rugby Union Players

Indigenous Australians have also achieved great success in rugby union.

Rugby Sevens Players

Rugby Sevens is a faster version of rugby union, and Indigenous players have also excelled in this sport.

• Shannon Walker
• Bo de la Cruz
• Maurice Longbottom
• John Porch
• Tanisha Staton
• Mahalia Murphy
• Taleena Simon

Swimming Champions

• Ben Austin
• Samantha Riley

Tennis Stars

Evonne Goolagong

Indigenous Australians have also made a big impact in the world of tennis.

• Evonne Goolagong – A tennis legend who won 7 Grand Slam singles titles.
• Ashleigh Barty – A recent tennis star who also won Grand Slam titles.

See Also

• Indigenous Australian Olympians
• Indigenous Australian Paralympians