Goodes, Adam (1980-…), is a former Australian Rules football player. From 1997 to 2015, he was on the Sydney Swans team in the Australian Football League (AFL). In 2003, Goodes was one of three players who won the Brownlow Medal. Goodes alone won the medal in 2006. The Brownlow Medal is awarded to the “fairest and best” player in the AFL during a season. It is considered the highest individual honor in Australian Rules football. For a discussion of Australian Rules football positions and terms, see Australian Rules football.
Adam Roy Goodes was born on Jan. 8, 1980, in Wallaroo, South Australia. Goodes was born to a white father and an Aboriginal mother. Through his mother, Goodes is a member of the Adnyamathanha and Narungga Aboriginal peoples of South Australia. Aboriginal peoples are among the Indigenous. Goodes’s parents separated when he was 4 years old, and he was raised by his mother. Goodes began playing football in high school. At the age of 16, he joined the North Ballarat Rebels of the Victoria Football League.
In 1997, the Sydney Swans drafted Goodes as the 43rd selection. Goodes received the AFL Rising Star award in 1999. In 2005 and 2012, Goodes helped the Swans win the Premiership Cup in the AFL Grand Final. From 2009 through 2011, Goodes was the Swans’ leading goal kicker. He served as team co-captain from 2009 to 2012.
Early in his football career, Goodes became active in the Aboriginal community. He has participated in sports programs and other community programs, and has worked with troubled youths. In 2009, Goodes cofounded the GO Foundation with Michael O’Loughlin, his cousin and teammate, and with James Gallichan, a friend. The foundation works to empower Indigenous youths through education.
On May 24, 2013, following a match between the Sydney Swans and the Collingwood Football Club, a Collingwood fan yelled a racial slur (insulting remark) at Goodes. After the incident, Goodes spoke out about the impact of racism on Indigenous people. Goodes’s comments made him a controversial figure in Australia. He became a target for harassment by the opposing team’s fans at games. In 2014, Goodes was named Australian of the Year for his community service and his fight against racism.
In 2015, Goodes retired from the AFL due to continued racial harassment during matches. Soon after retiring, he founded the Indigenous Defence and Infrastructure Consortium, which helps Indigenous businesses compete for work contracts. In 2019, the AFL officially apologized to Goodes for its failure to protect him from racial abuse. Goodes’s retirement and campaign against racism were the subject of two documentary motion pictures, The Australian Dream and The Final Quarter (both 2019). In 2021, Goodes was selected to be inducted (formally admitted) into the Australian Football Hall of Fame. However, he declined the honor.
