Brisbane Roar is excited to announce it has signed Qantas Socceroos player Jade North on a three and a half year deal.
Brisbane Roar is excited to announce it has signed Qantas Socceroos player Jade North on a three and a half year deal.
Brisbane-raised North joins the club from Japanese team Consadole Sapporo, with whom he made 21 appearances last season.
North has represented Australia at all junior levels and has been capped 39 times at senior level.
Having started his professional career at the Brisbane Strikers in the National Soccer League in 1998, North said he was excited to be returning to where it all started.
“I-m looking forward to putting one foot forward and contributing to the legacy Brisbane Roar has created over the past two seasons and doing all I can to help add to the trophy cabinet,” North said.
“For me it-s exciting to know I will be playing in front of family and friends, but most importantly for the city which groomed me as a player.
“From a personal point of view I would like to acknowledge and thank Brisbane for the professionalism the club has shown throughout discussions and negotiations with my manager Buddy Farah.”
Born in Taree, NSW, North moved to Brisbane from New Zealand as an 11-year-old, joining the Queensland Academy of Sport in 1998 before moving on to the Australian Institute of Sport-s football program a year later.
A proud indigenous footballer, North has enjoyed success at domestic level by securing NSL Championships with Sydney Olympic and Perth Glory, while he captained the Newcastle Jets to the Hyundai A-League 2008 Championship.
North, who celebrated his 31st birthday yesterday, has subsequently had international experience playing in Korea, Norway and, most recently, Japan.
Brisbane Roar Head Coach Mike Mulvey said he was pleased to have secured such a vastly experienced defender for the club.
“Jade has an excellent footballing pedigree and will bring a great deal of experience and knowledge to our squad,” Mulvey said.
“He is a proven winner and has a great appetite for future success.
“Aside from footballing ability, these are key attributes we are looking to bring into our squad to help maintain the culture of success at the club.”
North will join team mates next Tuesday for his first session with the club.
JADE NORTH FACT FILE
Junior clubs: Burleigh Tigers, Rochedale Rovers
Former clubs: Brisbane Strikers (1998-2002 – 48 appearances, 3 goals), Sydney Olympic (2001-03 – 59, 3), Perth Glory (2003-04 – 22, 0), Newcastle Jets (2005-09 – 80, 2), Incheon United (Korea 2009 – 9, 0), Tromso (Norway 2010 – 6,0), Wellington Phoenix (2010-11 – 19, 0), FC Tokyo (Japan 2011 – 4, 0), Consadole Sapporo (Japan 2012 – 21, 0).
National Caps: U-17 (19 appearances, 4 goals), U-20 (6, 1), U-23 (15, 1), Qantas Socceroos (39, 0)
Honours: NSL Championship 2001-02 (Sydney Olympic), NSL Championship 2003-04 (Perth Glory), Hyundai A-League Championship 2008 (Newcastle Jets).
