Adam Goodes

By Ben Richardson
When people think of Adam Goodes they normally think of an amazing footballer
who kicked lots of goals. Adam Goodes was a great footballer but that wasn’t all.
He was also an advocate for racism and stood up to booing. He truly is an
inspirational person

Family/Early life
Adam Roy Goodes was born on the 8th of January 1980 in Wallaroo, South
Australia to Graham and Lisa May Goodes. His mother was part of the Stolen
Generation and his father had English, Irish and Scottish ancestry. His parents split
when he was 4 years old and he went off with his mother and brothers, Jake and
Brett, moving between Wallaroo and Adelaide (in South Australia) and Merbein
(in Victoria) while his father was in Queensland. He preferred soccer as a boy but
got into AFL while he was schooling at Merbein West Primary School, as there
was no soccer club for him to join. At 16 years old, he played in under 18’s
football with the North Ballarat Rebels, where he was found by the Sydney Swans
and drafted into AFL.

Accomplishments
Adam Goodes has accomplished many great things in
his life. In his 372 game AFL career alone, he kicked
464 goals, won 2 Brownlow Medals, 3 Bob Skilton
Medals, a Rising Star in 1999 and many other
achievements. Off the football field, he has got an
Australian of The Year award and helped create the
GO Foundation. He also pointed out racism and stood
up to booing. He must have a big trophy room.

Influences
Adam Goodes has greatly influenced many young aboriginal people. He has shown
others that they too can take a stand to racism as well as helping young indigenous
people through the GO Foundation which provides scholarships for indigenous
people from kindergarten to university to students who live with family, in
community and on country. Adam Goodes himself said,’’ If people only remember
me for my football, I’ve failed in life.’’ He is a truly influential person. Even
though he faced lots of challenges through his career, Adam Goodes should always
be recognised for his efforts to stand up for Indigenous rights.