Leigh_Gunn

Leigh Gunn

Leigh Gunn

Australian–Filipino footballer

Leigh James Gunn (born 24 December 1980) is an Australian–Filipino footballer who plays as a forward for Fraser Park FC. He has also represented the Philippines at international level.

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Career

Club career

Gunn played in various Australian clubs during his career.[2] Gunn became the top scorer of Canterbury-Marrickville Olympic during the 2002–03 season with 12 goals.[3]

He also aspired to play abroad sending resumes to secure trials in clubs in England.[2]

International career

Gunn is eligible to play for the Philippines through his mother who hails from Cebu. He contacted then-Philippine Football Federation General Secretary Chris Monfort regarding the prospects of representing the country.[2]

Philippines U23

Gunn had his first called up to the Philippines national U-23 team for the 2000 Summer Olympics preliminary qualifiers from June to July 1999..[4] The team is mentored by Juan Cutillas who is aware of Gunn's experience in playing in Australia.

He made his debut on June 12, 1999 when the Philippines lopsidedly loss to Japan; 0–13.[2] He also scored his first international goal in the qualifiers in the 2–2 draw with Nepal.[2][5]

Philippines

Shortly after the Olympic qualifiers, Gunn was called up to the full national team for the 1999 Southeast Asian Games. He played in two of the Philippines' three matches during the tournament; against Myanmar and Laos.[6]

Gunn featured again for the Philippines during the 2000 Tiger Cup. He played in the first two of the Philippines' three matches but was only used as a substitute.[7] It would be his last international appearance until 2006.

In 2006, he was called up again by the Philippines, now coached by Aris Caslib, for the inaugural AFC Challenge Cup.[2] Again only playing in two of the Philippines' three fixtures; against India[8] and Afghanistan.[9] They failed to advance from the group stage and the two appearances he made would be his last at international level. However, later that year, he would be part of the Philippines squad that was to compete in the 2007 ASEAN Football Championship qualification tournament but was sacked by then coach Aris Caslib one week before the qualifiers for speaking out on the terrible conditions of the training venue and the coaching methods.[10]

On 10 May 2011, it was reported that Gunn would be returning to the national team for the start of their preparations for their 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification first round tie against Sri Lanka.[11] However he would not play in a full international match, with his last outing with the national team being the scrimmage against the Central Philippine University's football team in Barotac Nuevo[2] which ended in a 1–1 draw.[12]

Coaching career

After his retirement, Gunn became a coach under the Philippine Football Federation and is a holder of a FFA C License. He was an assistant coach of the Philippines U23 led by Jim Fraser and team manager Jeff Cheng that played in the 2013 AFC U-22 Championship qualifiers.[2]

Triathlon

After retiring from football, Gunn has shifted focus to triathlon and is aiming to represent the country at the World Championships in Kona, Hawaii.[2]

Personal life

Gunn's mother Viol Noval is from Liloan, Cebu.[13] Gunn is married and has three daughters. By 2020, Gunn has settled back in Australia in Sunshine Coast, Queensland and owns Australia Wide GPS & Radio Installations, a GPS communications company.[2]

References

  1. [1]
    "Philippines roster – 2008 AFC Challenge Cup". The-AFC.com. Asian Football Confederation. Retrieved 17 August 2010.
  2. [2]
    Olivares, Rick (28 July 2020). "Meet the first Filipino born overseas to play for Azkals". The Philippine Star. Retrieved 28 July 2020.
  3. [3]
    "West Sydney Berries history". Football NSW. Retrieved 17 August 2010.
  4. [4]
    Cutillas, Juan (10 June 1999). "Bon voyage and good luck to RP Olympic football team". Manila Standard. p. 11.
  5. [5]
    "Results From Olympics Quarlifiers Of Asian Group Six" (reprint, fee required). Xinhua News Agency. HighBeam Research. 30 June 1999. Retrieved 17 August 2010.
  6. [6]
    Courtney, Barrie. "South East Asian Games 1999 Details". RSSSF. Retrieved 17 August 2010.
  7. [7]
    Morrison, Neil. "ASEAN ("Tiger") Cup 2000 (Thailand) (Full Info)". RSSSF. Retrieved 18 August 2010.
  8. [8]
    "Match summary: Philippines – India" (PDF). The-AFC.com. Asian Football Confederation. Retrieved 18 August 2010.
  9. [9]
    "Match summary: Philippines – Afghanistan" (PDF). The-AFC.com. Asian Football Confederation. Retrieved 18 August 2010.
  10. [10]
    "RP booters tired from training?". Manila Standard Today. 15 November 2006. p. D2.
  11. [11]
    Manotoc, TJ (10 May 2011). "Azkals begin training for World Cup qualifier". ABS-CBNnews.com. Alto Broadcasting System-Chronicle Broadcasting Network. Retrieved 12 May 2011.
  12. [12]
    "Azkals settle for draw in friendly vs CPU booters". Philippine Daily Inquirer. 25 May 2011. Retrieved 28 July 2020.
  13. [13]
    Motus, Bobby (5 August 2011). "SOFA – State of Football, Addressed". Feel the Game. The Freeman. Retrieved 13 March 2015.
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