Rob Noakes

Welcome to episode 80 of the Football United vs Soccer City podcast. 

Firstly I would like to sincerely thank all of the interviewees, listeners and the football community of the Illawarra, Australia and around the World who download this podcast. Additionally I would like to say thank you to the brilliant people who contribute, comment and reminisce on the social media pages.

Rob Noakes is our interviewee in episode 80. Born in 1956, Rob joined Unanderra Hearts JSC in 1964 and spent 5 seasons at the club. In three of these seasons he played in Illawarra representative teams tasting success at Country and State championships.

From 1969 through to 1972 Rob took a break from the round ball game and played rugby league. In 1973 he returned to junior football by joining Figtree JSC in the under 17s.

In 1974 Rob joined the senior ranks with the highly successful U18s team at Figtree. This started a remarkable and wonderful journey for Rob at Figtree and Wests Figtree, which lasted until the 1989 season.

During this period Rob played over 300 games, won several grand finals, league championships and cups as a player and as a coach. These halcyon days at Figtree created a great bond amongst the committee, players, coaches and supporters. Rob was a part of these successes and it was fantastic to go through his football journey. I would like to sincerely thank Rob for the time he gave in recording this interview, the materials he let me scan and for allowing me into his home.

Please enjoy episode 80!