Craig Foster

Craig Foster's Biography

Craig Foster is a former Socceroo, Broadcaster, Adjunct Professor Sport & Social Responsibility and Human Rights Advocate.

Following a celebrated football career as Australia’s 419th Socceroo & 40th Captain, Craig has become one of Australia’s most respected broadcasters with an 18-year, triple Logie winning career with Special Broadcasting Service (SBS) Australia.

Known for his moral courage in speaking out for minority and marginalised communities, he believes that it’s time for sport, as a highly visible and influential social institution globally, to live its slogans and grand statements about changing the world to actively undertake the mission to do so including all forms of equality, by embedding internationally-recognised human rights into global sporting bodies.

Craig is an Adjunct Professor of Sport & Social Responsibility with Torrens University, sits on the Multicultural Council of Australia and works across a vast range of social programs from indigenous rights and self determination, homelessness and domestic violence along with refugee advocacy as a Human Rights and Refugee Ambassador for Amnesty Australia, Australia Committee member with Human Rights Watch and Advisory Council member of the Australian Human Rights Institute, UNSW.

He developed a primary school initiative to facilitate an understanding of diversity with the Australian Government for Harmony Day, is a former Chairman, Life Member and CEO of Professional Footballers Australia (PFA), Australia’s representative body of the Socceroos, Matildas and professional players around the world and has led a number of sport and business missions abroad with the NSW Government and Australian Government.

Craig believes that we all must have the courage to raise our voice for others, irrespective of the cost to ourselves as part of our social, community responsibility and shared humanity. And he leads the way by speaking out wherever he finds injustice.

His social justice advocacy extends to several high profile, global campaigns including #SaveHakeem to free Bahraini refugee Hakeem al-Araibi from a Thai prison for which he was a Finalist for the Australian Human Rights Commission Medal, #GameOver to call for the resettlement and freedom of over 400 refugees and asylum seekers indefinitely detained by Australia in PNG and Nauru for almost seven years and #PlayForLives which is a humanitarian response by global sport to the COVID-19 pandemic which began in Australia and expanded to India, UK and NZ.

In 2019, the Australian Financial Review recognised Craig as a ‘True Australian Leader’,  the Sydney Morning Herald as one of the ‘People that Defined 2019 and he was the recipient of the 2020 NSW Humanitarian Award for his work with sport and human rights.’

Craig holds a Bachelor of Laws, Master’s Degree in International Sports Management and a Postgraduate Degree in Football Management.

Somehow, Craig was nominated as one of Australia’s Best Dressed Men despite spending his life in ripped jeans and board-shorts and still plays football for the Waverley Old Boy's Over 35's in the Eastern Suburbs of Sydney, Australia where he tries to relive old glories..

Craig was recognised as Australian Father of the Year in September 2022 for his human rights and humanitarian work that impacts kids from many different cultural backgrounds and, aside from his three, amazing biological children, for his support of 15 young Afghan girls who refer to him as their ‘Australian dad’ after being evacuated from Kabul in September, 2021.

Today, Craig advises on athlete activism for some of Australia’s most prominent sportspeople and is an Adjunct Professor of Sport and Social Responsibility with Torrens University, Australia where he has developed an online course called ‘Sport for Good’ which teaches athletes and sport practitioners how to utilise sport for social justice and progressive issues around the world.

Speaking Topics Include

Sport and Community responsibility

Building Back Better in Sport

Empowering others to lead in the social context

Professional Sport - engaging at the local level

#SaveHakeem - the fight for a young man’s life

Successful Advocacy - Creating a Global Campaign

Creating Power Global Movements on Social Media

Standing Up for What’s Right

Rediscovering Australian Values - What are they?

The Values of Sport - Helping to Shape Society

Beyond the Field - Athletes Activism and the Responsibility to Give Back

Multiculturalism - the Strength in the Mix

Women in Male Dominated Industries

Supporting Women in Leadership