Phoenix Spicer facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Phoenix Spicer |
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| Personal information | |||
| Full name | Phoenix Spicer | ||
| Date of birth | 30 January 2002 | ||
| Date of death | 2 January 2026 (aged 23) | ||
| Original team | South Adelaide (SANFL) | ||
| Draft | No. 42, 2020 AFL draft, North Melbourne | ||
| Debut | 22 August 2021, North Melbourne v. Adelaide, at Adelaide Oval |
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| Position(s) | Midfielder / Forward | ||
Phoenix Spicer was a talented Australian rules footballer. He played for the North Melbourne Football Club in the Australian Football League (AFL). Phoenix was chosen in the 2020 AFL draft from the SANFL club South Adelaide. He was known for his speed and skill on the field.
Phoenix Spicer's Early Life and Junior Football
Phoenix Spicer was born in Gove, in the Northern Territory. He moved a lot when he was very young. He lived in Adelaide, Numbulwar, and Darwin. When he was ten, he moved permanently to Adelaide. He lived there with his grandfather. Later, he lived with a host family.
Phoenix went to Hamilton Secondary College. Then he moved to Henley High School. This helped him to improve his football skills.
As a young player, Phoenix played for two junior clubs. These were the Edwardstown Football Club and the Morphettville Park Football Club.
Phoenix was invited to try out for West Adelaide's under-16s team. But the travel from his home was too far. So, his host family helped him join South Adelaide's team instead. He played for their under-16s and later their under-18s teams. In 2019, he showed amazing speed in an agility test. Many AFL clubs noticed his talent. His 2020 playing season was interrupted by a broken arm. Despite this, North Melbourne chose him in the 2020 AFL draft. He was the 42nd player picked in the draft.
Phoenix Spicer's AFL Journey
Phoenix played his first AFL game in 2021. He played for North Melbourne, also known as the Kangaroos. They played against the Adelaide team. Phoenix had seven disposals in that game.
He faced some challenges with hamstring injuries. These injuries meant he played only one game in his first season. He played five games near the end of the 2022 season.
Phoenix helped design a special jersey for North Melbourne in 2023. This jersey celebrated the Sir Douglas Nicholls round. It was called "Connecting Through Identity." The design included symbols for the team's First Nations players. Phoenix's symbol was a barramundi fish.
North Melbourne decided not to keep Phoenix in October 2023. He had played a total of 12 matches for the club.
Life After AFL
After leaving North Melbourne, Phoenix continued to play football. He played for the Darwin team. This was in the NTFL's summer season.
Then, he joined Footscray for the 2024 season. Footscray is the reserves team for the Western Bulldogs in the Victorian Football League (VFL).
Phoenix was chosen for the VFL state squad. He played in matches against the SANFL in both 2024 and 2025. He tried to get picked in the 2025 AFL mid-season draft. However, he was not chosen by an AFL club. He was an emergency player for Footscray in the 2025 VFL Grand Final. Footscray won that important game against Southport.
Phoenix Spicer passed away on January 2, 2026. He was 23 years old.
