Gilbert_McAdam
Gilbert McAdam
Australian rules footballer
Gilbert McAdam (born 30 March 1967 in Alice Springs) is an Indigenous Australian former Australian rules football player and one of three McAdam brothers to play in the Australian Football League (AFL).
| Gilbert McAdam | |||
|---|---|---|---|
|
McAdam in July 2019 | |||
| Personal information | |||
| Date of birth | (1967-03-30) 30 March 1967 (age 57) | ||
| Place of birth | Alice Springs, Northern Territory | ||
| Original team(s) | Southern Districts | ||
| Height | 182 cm (6 ft 0 in) | ||
| Weight | 76 kg (168 lb) | ||
| 1986 | Claremont (WAFL) | 3 (5) | |
| 1988-1990, 1998 | Central District (SANFL) | 86 (92) | |
| 1991–1993 | St Kilda (AFL) | 53 (48) | |
| 1994–1996 | Brisbane Bears (AFL) | 58 (41) | |
| Representative team honours | |||
| Years | Team | Games (Goals) | |
| South Australia | ? (?) | ||
| Sources: AFL Tables, AustralianFootball.com | |||
Early career
McAdam grew up in Alice Springs, where his father was president of the South Alice Football Club. His older brother, Greg McAdam, had earlier found his way to the St Kilda Football Club via North Adelaide in the SANFL. McAdam moved to Darwin to play in the Northern Territory Football League (NTFL) with the Southern Districts Football Club when he was just 11 years old. In 1979, Gilbert McAdam was chosen as the 12-year-old schoolboys Northern Territory captain who captained the team to victory to become the first Northern Territory team to win a national title. The stand out players were McAdams and Scott Parker who was the youngest competitor to have played in the carnival.
In 1986, McAdam played 3 games for Claremont in the West Australian Football League (WAFL) before returning home to Darwin.[1] After a few seasons he went on to play in the South Australian National Football League (SANFL) with Central District Football Club, taking out the 1989 Magarey Medal. McAdam was the first Indigenous player to take out the award.
AFL career
McAdam was drafted number 17 in the 1989 VFL Draft by St Kilda Football Club. He kicked five goals in the famous 1993 game against Collingwood at Victoria Park,[2] after he and Nicky Winmar were racially vilified by Magpies fans while warming up.[3] In April 2023, the weekend before the 30th anniversary of the game, the Collingwood Football Club formally apologised to Winmar and McAdam for the incident.[4]
After three years and 53 games for the Saints, McAdam headed north to play for the Brisbane Bears. He played 58 games between 1994 and 1996 and kicked 41 goals[5] before returning to the Central District Football Club for the 1998 SANFL season.[6] McAdam retired from football in 1999.[7]
McAdam returned to Alice Springs and coached South Alice to a premiership. In 2006, he moved back to Darwin to coach the Darwin Football Club.
In 2007, McAdam took up a position with the Academy of Sport, Health and Education in Shepparton, Victoria. The academy uses participation in sport as an avenue for Indigenous people to undertake education and training within a trusted and culturally appropriate environment. His role with the academy is as a sports and personal development officer. He co-hosts the TV program The Marngrook Footy Show with Grant Hansen, currently screening on NITV on Thursday nights.
- 1986 West Australian Football Register. Westralian Publishers. 1986. p. 111.
- "AFL Tables - Collingwood v St Kilda - Sat, 17-Apr-1993 2:08 PM - Match Stats". afltables.com. Retrieved 17 April 2023.
- "Nicky Winmar's stand". National Museum of Australia. The National Museum of Australia. Retrieved 19 October 2023.
- "'We say sorry': Collingwood Football Club apologises to Nicky Winmar 30 years after iconic photo". Fox Sports. 16 April 2023. Retrieved 17 April 2023.
- "Gilbert McAdam". AFL Tables. Retrieved 19 October 2023.
- "Gilbert McAdam". Central District Football Club. Archived from the original on 5 March 2009. Retrieved 2009-11-17.
- "Gilbert McAdam". AFL Northern Territory. Retrieved 17 April 2023.
Gilbert McAdam's playing statistics from AFL Tables