Alf Quill

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Alf Quill
Personal information
Full name Alfred Quill
Date of birth 1910
Place of birth Ultimo, Sydney, Australia
Position(s) Forward
Senior career*
YearsTeamApps(Gls)
1927–1928 Pyrmont 10 (18)
1929–1930 Leichhardt-Annandale 42 (63)
1931–1933 Wallsend 37 (67)
1934–1936 Goodyear 59 (119)
1937–1943 Wallsend 114 (229)
1943 Lake Macquarie 1 (3)
1943–1949 Wallsend 93 (121)
Total356(620)
International career
1938 Australia 2 (2)
Managerial career
Wallsend
Australia
Newcastle KB United (youth)
* Club domestic league appearances and goals

Alfred Quill (born 1910) was an Australian soccer player and played for the Australia national team. Often considered one of the best soccer players in New South Wales, he scored 868 goals in all NSW competitions in his 24-year senior career. [1]

Contents

Early career

Quill was born in Sydney. He first showed his signs as a footballer, whilst attending Globe Public School. At the age of 12, he represented New South Wales as a schoolboy against Victoria, South Australia and Queensland. For three seasons he played for Wentworth Juniors before joining the senior side of Pyrmont. [2]

Club career

Beginning in his teens, Quill played 24 seasons.

Pyrmont

Quill began his career with Pyrmont at age 17 in the New South Wales State League in 1927. [3]

Leichhardt-Annandale

While contracted at Leichhardt-Annandale, English club Bolton Wanderers wanted to sign Quill on 25 April 1931, which was rejected. [4]

Wallsend

He made a return to Wallsend on a three-year contract on 6 January 1937. [5] Quill did not have any intentions on leaving Wallsend at the end of the 1939 season, as he signed a form to stay with Wallsend. [6] At the start of the 1943 season, he left Wallsend top play for Lake Macquarie, and returned to Wallsend on 22 May 1943 to play the remainder of the season. [7] In the 1937 season, he scored a record 78 goals for Wallsend as a state record for most goals in a season. [8]

He proposed a retirement from football at the end of the 1945 season, [9] but he came back to Wallsend's squad in April 1946 to play a home match against Lysaght's-Orb the next week. [10] Over his career he scored 802 goals in 477 league and cup matches, [11] but some sources state that he retired in 1949 with 1,002 goals in total, although these numbers probably include goals in friendlies and unofficial matches. [12] In total, he scored 271 top-tier goals after turning 30 years old in 1940, which makes him one of the most prolific top-tier goalscorers in that age bracket in the history of football. [13]

International career

Quill played twice in full international matches for Australia, both against India in September 1938, [14] [15] scoring twice in the former to help his side to a 5–3 win. [16]

Coaching career

After finishing playing he coached Wallsend before a stint as coach of Australia. [11]

Career statistics

Club

Appearances and goals by club, season, and competition. Only official games are included in this table. [17] [18]
ClubSeasonLeagueState Premiership

Sheahan Cup

State League CupOtherTotal
AppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Pyrmont19271200120024
19289160036211423
Leichhardt192919270032002229
193023360048122846
Wallsend 193112180012001320
193210181413431628
193315311134112037
Goodyear1934173500365132554
193522390049102748
193620451310102348
Wallsend 193722634337353278
193822392437222952
193919231422102329
194022321010352737
194119412433352753
194210313547372050
Lake Macquarie19431300000013
Wallsend
1943133010116102141
194420220046442832
194513242111432029
194612100042432015
194712130025451923
194813130025111619
19491090035001314
Total356620192957935370485812

International

National teamYear [14] CompetitiveFriendlyTotal
AppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Australia 1938002222
List of international goals scored by Alf Quill
No.DateVenueOpponentScoreResultCompetitionRef.
13 September 1938 Royal Agricultural Showground, Sydney, AustraliaBritish Raj Red Ensign.svg  India 1–05–3 Friendly [16]
24–2

Honours

Individual

References

  1. Grant, Sid (1974). Jack Pollard's Soccer Records. North Sydney: Jack Pollard Pty Ltd. p. 123. ISBN   0909950741.
  2. "Soccer Sidelights - the Cessnock Eagle and South Maitland Recorder (NSW : 1913 - 1954) - 21 Jun 1929". Cessnock Eagle and South Maitland Recorder. 21 June 1929.
  3. "Alf Quill". Football Australia. 4 February 2021. Retrieved 27 March 2021.
  4. "ENGLISH SOCCER CLUB WANTS ALF QUILL". The Labor Daily . No. 2306. New South Wales, Australia. 25 April 1931. p. 3. Retrieved 27 March 2021 via National Library of Australia.
  5. "SOCCER PLAYERS SIGN ON". The Newcastle Sun . No. 5948. New South Wales, Australia. 6 January 1937. p. 2. Retrieved 27 March 2021 via National Library of Australia.
  6. "A. Quill Will Remain With Wallsend". Newcastle Morning Herald and Miners' Advocate . No. 19, 718. New South Wales, Australia. 21 December 1939. p. 15. Retrieved 27 March 2021 via National Library of Australia.
  7. "QUILL BACK TO WALLSEND". The Daily Telegraph . Vol. VIII, no. 53. New South Wales, Australia. 22 May 1943. p. 12. Retrieved 27 March 2021 via National Library of Australia.
  8. "QUILL STILL HOLDS SOCCER RECORD". The Newcastle Sun . No. 9311. New South Wales, Australia. 3 November 1947. p. 16. Retrieved 27 March 2021 via National Library of Australia.
  9. "Quill To Retire From Soccer". The Newcastle Sun . No. 8639. New South Wales, Australia. 5 September 1945. p. 11. Retrieved 27 March 2021 via National Library of Australia.
  10. "Quill To Carry On In Soccer Until Replacement Found". The Newcastle Sun . No. 8833. New South Wales, Australia. 22 April 1946. p. 11. Retrieved 27 March 2021 via National Library of Australia.
  11. 1 2 "Quill, Alfred". Australian Player Database. OzFootball. Archived from the original on 15 June 2011. Retrieved 10 July 2011.
  12. "Who scored the most goals in history?". 90soccer.com. 31 October 2021. Archived from the original on 14 July 2023. Retrieved 31 January 2024.
  13. "Cristiano Ronaldo: now all-time top scorer after 30 years!". www.iffhs.com. 22 October 2024. Retrieved 24 June 2025.
  14. 1 2 The Australian National Men's Football Team: Caps And Captains (PDF). Football Federation Australia. Archived from the original (PDF) on 27 May 2011. Retrieved 26 December 2012.
  15. "Sporting Person: QUILL, ALFRED, Soccer". Newcastle City Council. Retrieved 10 July 2011.
  16. 1 2 "CLOSE SOCCER GAME". The Sun . No. 8943. New South Wales, Australia. 3 September 1938. p. 9 (LAST FINAL EXTRA). Retrieved 23 December 2022 via National Library of Australia.
  17. "Trove". trove.nla.gov.au.
  18. Jack Pollard's Soccer Records - Sid Grant. 1974. p. 226.
  19. "NSW Champions". socceraust.co.uk. Retrieved 16 April 2023.
  20. Jack Pollard's Soccer Records - Sid Grant. 1974. p. 116.