Alan Niven (soccer)
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | 4 July 1955 | ||
| Place of birth | England | ||
| Date of death | 5 March 1999 (aged 43) | ||
| Position(s) | Defender | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Wolverhampton Wanderers | |||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1975 | Nuneaton Borough | 1 | (0) |
| 1977–1988 | Brisbane Lions | 252 | (11) |
| Mt Gravatt | |||
| Rochedale Rovers | |||
| St Helens | |||
| International career | |||
| 1981–1983 | Australia | 8 | (0) |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Alan Niven (4 July 1955 – 5 March 1999) was an Australian international footballer who played as a defender.
Niven was born in England and played youth football for Wolverhampton Wanderers. After representing Nuneaton Borough, he moved to Australia, where he made over 250 appearances for Brisbane Lions in the National Soccer League.
He made eight appearances for the Australian national team.
Early life[edit]
Niven was born in England.[1]
Club career[edit]
Niven played youth football for Wolverhampton Wanderers.[2][3]
In 1975, Niven made three appearances for Nuneaton Borough – one in the Southern League Premier Division and two in the Midland Floodlit Cup.[4]
From 1977 to 1988, Niven represented Brisbane Lions in the Australian National Soccer League, making 252 appearances and scoring 11 goals.[1]
International career[edit]
Niven made his international debut for Australia in 1981 against Fiji. He went on to make eight 'A' international appearances for the side.[3]
Style of play[edit]
Niven played as a defender.[3]
Gerry O'Hara, who played with Niven at Wolverhampton, described Niven as a left back with a similar playing style to Scott Golbourne.[2]
After football[edit]
Niven went on to work for the Queensland Government at the Queensland Water Resources Commission and the Department of Natural Resources.[5]
Death[edit]
Niven died on 5 March 1999, aged 43, after suffering a heart attack while playing soccer.[5][6]
Career statistics[edit]
Club[edit]
| Club | Season | League | National Cup | Continental | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Brisbane Lions | 1977 | National Soccer League | 22 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 23 | 0 | ||
| 1978 | 19 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 20 | 0 | ||||
| 1979 | 14 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | — | 16 | 0 | ||||
| 1980 | 25 | 2 | 3 | 0 | — | — | 28 | 2 | ||||
| 1981 | 27 | 0 | 4 | 0 | — | — | 31 | 0 | ||||
| 1982 | 28 | 1 | 3 | 0 | — | — | 31 | 1 | ||||
| 1983 | 30 | 5 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 31 | 5 | ||||
| 1984 | 29 | 1 | 4 | 1 | — | — | 33 | 2 | ||||
| 1985 | 18 | 2 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 18 | 2 | ||||
| 1986 | 15 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 16 | 0 | ||||
| 1988 | 25 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | — | 27 | 0 | ||||
| Total | 252 | 11 | 22 | 1 | – | – | 274 | 12 | ||||
International[edit]
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Australia | 1981 | 2 | 0 |
| 1982 | 4 | 0 | |
| 1983 | 2 | 0 | |
| Total | 8 | 0 | |
Honours[edit]
International[edit]
See also[edit]
References[edit]
- ^ a b "Alan Niven". OzFootball.net. Retrieved 2 June 2020.
- ^ a b "Dressing room dressing-down haunts Gerry". WolvesHeros.com. 6 October 2014. Retrieved 2 June 2020.
- ^ a b c d "Niven, Alan". OzFootball.net. Retrieved 2 June 2020.
- ^ "Nuneaton Borough 1970-1979 – Part 2" (PDF). FromTownToTown.org.uk. Retrieved 2 June 2020.
- ^ a b "Rest in Peace" (PDF). Warty Sorcerers - Auldies and Baldies. March 1999. p. 6. Retrieved 2 June 2020.
- ^ Howe, Andrew (2018). Encyclopedia of Socceroos: Every national team player. Fair Play Publishing. p. 198. ISBN 978-0-648-13330-8.
- ^ "Socceroo Internationals for 1982". OzFootball.net. Retrieved 2 June 2020.
External links[edit]
- Alan Niven at OzFootball
- 1955 births
- 1999 deaths
- English men's footballers
- Australian men's soccer players
- Men's association football defenders
- Nuneaton Borough F.C. players
- Queensland Lions FC players
- National Soccer League (Australia) players
- Southern Football League players
- Australia men's international soccer players
- English emigrants to Australia