First call-up
A ‘B’ international against Bologna of Italy, under national coach Jimmy Shoulder.
The football career of Peter Stone
Career
Kotara South · Adamstown Rosebud · Western Suburbs · NSW · APIA Leichhardt · Tottenham Hotspur · St George · Australia
- #258Socceroo number
- 15Matches for Australia
- 1978 · 79Player of the Year
- 1980Tottenham Hotspur
- 2012Hall of Fame
Clubs and teams
The road to the green and gold
Juniors
Kotara South
Joined the Under 10s after his friend Shane introduced him to the game. Stayed until he was 15.
From age 15
Adamstown Rosebud
The whole Kotara South team moved across with coach Ted Baldwin. First-grade debut at 15 for the club founded in 1889.
1973 – 1978
Western Suburbs
Joined in the 1973 pre-season alongside future Socceroo Col Curran. NSW State League, then the first NSL season in 1977.
Mid-1970s
New South Wales
State representative player — and later captain — of the NSW team.
1979 – 1980
APIA Leichhardt
National Soccer League midfielder for the Leichhardt club.
1980
Tottenham Hotspur
Made the cut in London and played for Spurs during the Australian off-season.
1980 – 1983
St George
National Soccer League — club captain.
1976 – 1983
Australia
Socceroo #258 — 15 matches in the green and gold.
Timeline
A career, year by year
- 1954
Born in Brisbane
Peter Stone is born on 30 September 1954. In the early 1960s the family moves to Newcastle, New South Wales.
- 1960sKotara South
A love for the game
“My friend Shane introduced me to the game and I immediately joined the Under 10s Kotara South team.” Football was big in Newcastle, where it was played by many English coal miners.
- c. 1970Adamstown Rosebud
First grade at 15
Kotara South coach Ted Baldwin is approached by Adamstown Rosebud to bring the whole team across. Peter makes his first-grade debut for Rosebud at 15.
- 1973Western Suburbs
The move to Sydney
At 18, Peter leaves home for Sydney and joins Western Suburbs in the pre-season, alongside future Socceroo Col Curran. Johnny Warren soon tips him as “Soccer’s Star in the Making”.
- Mid-70sNSW
State representative and captain
Peter plays in, and later captains, the NSW State representative team.
- 1976Australia
First taste of international football
Under national coach Jimmy Shoulder, Peter first represents Australia in a ‘B’ international against Bologna of Italy.
- 1977AustraliaWestern Suburbs
Full international and World Cup qualifiers
Peter makes his full international debut against Hong Kong and features in the Socceroos’ qualifying campaign for the 1978 FIFA World Cup against Kuwait, South Korea, Hong Kong and Iran. At club level, Wests take part in the inaugural National Soccer League season.
- 1978HonourWestern Suburbs
Australian Player of the Year
Peter is named 1978 Australian Player of the Year, with the award presented by Socceroos coach Rudi Gutendorf. It is his last season with Wests.
- 1979APIA Leichhardt
Player of the Year again
Peter joins APIA Leichhardt and is honoured again at the Australian Soccer Press Association (NSW Division) Player of the Year Dinner, Journalists’ Club, Sydney, on 29 October 1979.
- 1980Tottenham HotspurSt George
London calling
On the advice of his English-born Western Suburbs coach Mike Lang, Peter tries out for Tottenham Hotspur, makes the cut and plays for Spurs during the Australian off-season. Back home he joins St George in the NSL.
- 1981St George
Rothmans Medal runner-up
Peter is runner-up for the Rothmans Medal.
- 1982St George
Captain of the Saints
Peter leads St George as captain — billed as “Captain Peter Stone” for the August 1982 clash with Sydney City at St George Stadium — and appears on television’s Captain Socceroo.
- 1983Australia
Final whistle
After 15 matches for Australia, Peter retires from top-level football at 29.
- 2012Honour
Hall of Fame
Inducted into the Hunter Region Sporting Hall of Fame on 20 May 2012.
- 2022
Vale Peter Stone
Peter passes away on 21 August 2022. Football Australia, Football NSW and the Newcastle football community pay tribute.
- 2024Adamstown Rosebud
Peter Stone Field
On 30 September 2024 — what would have been his 70th birthday — Adamstown Rosebud unveils Peter Stone Field and a mural of Peter in his Socceroos kit.
The National Soccer League
Philips Soccer League midfielder
Australia’s national league kicked off in 1977, and Peter was there from the start. Over seven seasons with Western Suburbs, APIA Leichhardt and St George he was known for his ball control, his vision and his ability to release the forwards at exactly the right moment.
“I was a midfielder and I was good on the ball,” Peter recalled. “I enjoyed running with the ball, and getting it away to a forward at the opportune moment was my favourite element.”
The Rising Star
The move to play for Tottenham Hotspur
Peter’s coach at Western Suburbs, Mike Lang, was English, and he encouraged Peter to try out for Tottenham. In 1980 Peter made the cut and went over to play for Spurs during the Australian off-season — a rare achievement for an Australian footballer of that era, and a proud chapter in a remarkable career.
The Socceroo
Around the world in green and gold
Peter’s 15 appearances for Australia ran from 1976 to 1983. In 1976, 1977 and 1978 alone he played international football in nine countries.
- Taiwan
- Fiji
- Kuwait
- South Korea
- Hong Kong
- Singapore
- Iran
- Italy
- Greece
World Cup qualifying
Full international debut against Hong Kong, then the home-and-away final qualifying round for the 1978 FIFA World Cup against Kuwait, South Korea, Hong Kong and Iran.
Player of the Year
Named Player of the Year in consecutive seasons, with his award presented by Socceroos coach Rudi Gutendorf.
Sources
Career details are drawn from the Stone family’s own records and photographs, together with: