Trevor Thompson - A Profile

​On November 16, 2005, as John Aloisi stepped up to take the crucial penalty that would propel the Socceroos to their first World Cup in more than 32 years, journalist Trevor Thompson found himself perched in the upper echelons of Stadium Australia with his son. The tension that swept through the stadium was palpable as Aloisi buried the ball into the net, uniting a generation of heart-ached football fans across Australia.

As Aloisi raced down the field in celebration, a moment etched in the mind of every football fan, Thompson felt as if he were charging straight towards him. "It was an emotional release that I think I’ll rarely experience," Thompson vividly recounted.

“As somebody like me who's old enough to have stood on the terraces and watched the team not do that for 32 years to finally get there was … amazing.”

It’s undeniable that football has always been a part of Thompson's life. Before making his way to Australia as a ten-pound pom, he spent his youth absorbed in the atmosphere of St James' Park, watching Newcastle United. Relocating from England to Australia, Thompson traded a football-centric nation for a place where the sport has always historically struggled to gain traction.

Upon his arrival, football was a "marginal" sport in Australia, a sentiment echoed in the title of the late Johnny Warren's biography, Sheilas, Wogs, and Poofters, reflecting the perceptions of the sport in post-war Australia.

With an unrelenting passion, Thompson began reporting in the 1980s, producing a documentary for Radio National on Australia's football competitions. 

Through this era, football was in a challenging position, with the Socceroos absent from the World Cup for nearly two decades, which was heavily compounded by the decline and mismanagement of the National Soccer League (NSL). Unlike the AFL and NRL competitions, NSL matches were all relegated to delayed nighttime television slots - a far cry from football’s publicity that Thompson left behind in England.

However, despite its marginalization, football boasted influential writers and journalists, among them Sydney Morning Herald's Michael Cockerill, for whom Thompson lauded for his approachability and constant enthusiasm.

Les Murray and Johnny Warren also stood out as pillars of football media, offering support to Thompson whenever he needed it most as a journalist. Particularly the late Warren, for whom Thompson spoke glowingly of, as a key pillar for the growth of football.

Through his career in media, Thompson soon became one of the sport’s most accomplished voices. As a correspondent, Thompson covered the World Cup finals in both Germany, 2006, and South Africa, 2010 - in addition to being on the ground in Sydney for the Socceroos Asian Cup triumph in 2015, a moment Thompson considers one of his career highlights.

Undoubtedly the most significant development in Australian football since 2005 for Thompson has been the rise of the Matildas, the women's national team. In one month, through August 2023, the Matilda's journey through the Women's World Cup captured the Australian imagination.

During their semi-final match against England, the Matildas became the most-watched television program in Australian history since 2001, with 11.15 million viewers tuning in nationally.

Reflecting on this success, Thompson said, "To have a team as popular as it is now is fantastic and shows that if you've got the product right - they'll continue to go from strength to strength."

Thompson said in particular of its importance for football media, and is evidence for when a sport is presented correctly and with heart, it can be transformative for a nation. Both the Aloisi penalty in 2005 and the Matilda’s in 2023, are evidence of how Football can be transcendent in Australia.

“It shows that there is an appetite for football in this country - girls are being turned away from clubs in Sydney because there are not enough fields for them to play on.”

Thompson, now retired, has witnessed all manner of football's highs and lows through his journalistic career. He has witnessed first-hand the coming of age for Australian football.

Yet, his passion remains undeterred as he continues contributing through his prolific writing and authorship of historical novels - continuing to leave an indelible mark on the landscape of Australian football.