South Melbourne FC captain Brad Norton is set to play his 200th competitive game for the club when he leads the side against the Bentleigh Greens on Friday night.
Brad joined SMFC in November 2011 and made the first of his many SMFC TV appearances in the video below. He made his club debut on 25 March 2012 in a 4-0 home win against the Moreland Zebras in what was the opening round of the 2012 Victorian Premier League season. It was also South’s first official match at the recently developed Lakeside Stadium, with Brad being the only player that has remained with the club from that moment until today.
Since then, he has featured heavily in every season, playing mainly as a left fullback, and has rarely missed games unless injured or suspended. His honours with SMFC include two NPL Victoria championships (2014 and 2016), one NPL Victoria Premiership (2015), one Dockerty Cup (2015) and one FFV Community Shield (2015). As with all championship winners, he is an automatic SMFC Hall of Fame member.
Brad was first appointed captain in mid-2013 as he helped lead the club out of a difficult period and into a golden era. He was Michael Eagar’s vice captain during 2014 to 2016 but captained the club on Grand Final day in 2016, holding up the NPL trophy as South defeated Oakleigh 3-2. For him personally during this period, Brad’s outstanding qualities were recognised when he was awarded the Theo Marmaras Medal in 2015. He has been the official club captain since 2017.
Never one to deflect responsibility, Brad has always stepped up to speak to media during both the good and the bad times. He has been through the lows and the highs during his 199 matches, though thankfully it has mainly been good times. He becomes the first SMFC player in the post-National Soccer League era to play 200 SMFC matches.
We congratulate Brad Norton on being one of very few SMFC players to reach this milestone and wish him the best of luck in his upcoming 200th club match.