Tony Armstrong facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Tony Armstrong |
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Armstrong in 2022
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| Personal information | |||
| Full name | Tony Patrick Armstrong | ||
| Date of birth | 29 September 1989 | ||
| Place of birth | Burrumbuttock, New South Wales | ||
| Original team | Brocklesby-Burrumbuttock (Hume Football League) Calder Cannons (TAC Cup), Assumption College Kilmore |
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| Draft | No. 58, 2007 AFL draft, Adelaide | ||
| Position(s) | Defender | ||
Tony Patrick Armstrong (born 29 September 1989) is an Australian television presenter and a former professional Australian rules football player. He played for three different teams in the Australian Football League (AFL): the Adelaide Football Club, Sydney Swans, and Collingwood Football Club.
After his football career, Tony became a popular presenter with the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC). He presented sports news for News Breakfast on both ABC TV and the ABC News channel from 2021 until October 2024. Tony has also hosted other ABC TV shows like A Dog's World, Great Australian Stuff, and Tony Armstrong's Extra-Ordinary Things.
For his work in television, Tony has won important awards. He received the Graham Kennedy Award for Most Popular New Talent at the 2022 Logie Awards. The next year, he won the Bert Newton Award for Most Popular Presenter at the 2023 Logies.
Contents
Early Life and School Days
Tony Patrick Armstrong was born on 29 September 1989 in Burrumbuttock, a town near Albury, Australia. His father's family are Barranbinya–Gamilaroi people. Tony was raised by his single mum, Margaret Anne Armstrong.
He went to Murray High School, Lavington, from 2002 to 2004. After that, he attended Assumption College, Kilmore.
When he was younger, Tony was first interested in rugby league. But he later switched to Australian rules football. He grew up supporting the Sydney Swans team.
Tony Armstrong's Football Career
During his time as a professional athlete, Tony Armstrong played for three different teams in the Australian Football League (AFL). These teams were the Adelaide Football Club, the Sydney Swans, and the Collingwood Football Club.
Before joining the AFL, he also played for junior teams like TAC Cup sides NSW/ACT Rams and Calder Cannons. The Adelaide Crows picked him in the 2007 AFL Draft as pick number 58.
After being drafted, Tony played for the SANFL club North Adelaide. He played well there and was often chosen as an emergency player for the Adelaide Crows' main team. Tony made his official AFL debut in Round 1, 2010. This game was against Fremantle.
In September 2011, Tony decided he wanted to leave the Adelaide Crows. He asked to be traded to the Sydney Swans, the team he loved as a child. On 16 October 2011, his wish came true. He was traded to the Swans in exchange for another player, Lewis Johnston.
Tony played his first game for the Swans in April 2012. He filled in for the team captain, Adam Goodes, who was suspended. Goodes was one of Tony's heroes when he was growing up.
At the end of the 2013 AFL season, the Sydney Swans decided not to keep Tony on their team. However, he then joined Collingwood. He played his first game for Collingwood in Round 19 of the 2014 AFL season.
Collingwood also decided not to keep him after the 2014 season. But they picked him again in the rookie draft. After playing only one senior game in 2015, Tony was again delisted by Collingwood. This marked the end of his professional football career.
Tony Armstrong's Media Career
After his football career, Tony Armstrong started working in media. In 2019, he became the first Indigenous Australian person to commentate on live Aussie Rules football for a commercial radio station.
In March 2020, Tony began hosting a show called Yokayi Footy. This show was a team-up between NITV and the AFL. He also appeared on The Marngrook Footy Show and became a regular guest on The Colour of Your Jumper.
In June 2020, Tony joined the ABC. He worked as a producer and presenter for sports news on ABC Radio. He also co-hosted the ABC Melbourne breakfast radio show with Sammy J. Tony also appeared on Television. He presented sport on ABC News, commented for Grandstand AFL on ABC Sport, and hosted the summer series of Offsiders.
In March 2021, Tony started filling in as the sport presenter for News Breakfast on ABC Television. He took over the role full-time in July 2021.
In November 2021, the ABC announced that Tony would host A Dog's World. This was a three-part series on ABC TV that explored how humans and dogs connect.
He hosted Great Australian Stuff in March 2023. This four-part show looked at the interesting and sometimes surprising stories behind famous Australian items. These included Chiko Rolls, Speedos, Stubbies, Vegemite, the Hills Hoist, the boomerang, the Victa lawn mower, one-day cricket, and Sherrin footballs.
In April 2024, the ABC announced Tony would host Tony Armstrong's Extra-Ordinary Things. This was a five-part TV series. It featured special objects chosen by Tony, which were later shown at the National Museum of Australia in June 2024.
In September 2024, Tony announced he would be leaving News Breakfast. His last day on the show was 4 October 2024.
In January 2025, Tony began hosting Eat the Invaders. This is a six-part series on ABC TV that looks at eating Australia's invasive species.
Tony has also often appeared as a guest on Network 10's The Project and on Fox Footy. He has also done funny segments on The Weekly with Charlie Pickering. He is also working on writing for television and hopes to write a dark comedy.
Tony Armstrong, along with Courtney Act, commentated on the Eurovision Song Contest 2025 for SBS.
Awards and Recognition
In June 2022, Tony Armstrong won the Graham Kennedy Award for Most Popular New Talent. He received this award at the 2022 Logie Awards for his work on the ABC News Breakfast show.
The next year, Tony won another big award. He received the Bert Newton Award for Most Popular Presenter at the 2023 Logies.
In 2024, a photo of Tony was featured on the cover of the ABC's yearly report. He was surrounded by objects from his television programs.
Personal Life
Since around July 2023, Tony Armstrong has been in a relationship with Rona Glynn-McDonald. Rona is the daughter of filmmaker Warwick Thornton. She is the founding CEO of Common Ground, an organisation that works towards reconciliation. She also co-founded First Nations Futures and is a filmmaker herself.
