Leek Aleer ( ; born 21 August 2001) is a professional

Australian Rules Football Australian football, also called Australian rules football or Aussie rules, or more simply football or footy, is a contact sport played between two teams of 18 players on an oval field, often a modified cricket ground. Points are scored by k ...

er. He was selected by the

Greater Western Sydney Giants The Greater Western Sydney Giants (officially the Greater Western Sydney Football Club and colloquially known as the GWS Giants or simply GWS) are a professional Australian rules football team based in Sydney Olympic Park, which represents the ...

in the 2021 AFL draft. He previously played for the Central Districts Football Club in the

SANFL The South Australian National Football League, or SANFL ( or ''S-A-N-F-L''), is an Australian rules football league based in the Australian state of South Australia. It is also the state's governing body for the sport. Originally formed as the ...

and the Angle Vale Football Club in the Adelaide Plains Football League. Aleer was born in Kenya to South Sudanese parentsAFL: South Sudanese footballer Leek Aleer to make AFL debut after overcoming injury hurdles, doubters
by Marc McGowan 28 July 2022 and came to Australia as a refugee when he was six years old. After arriving, his uncles were big fans of the

Adelaide Crows The Adelaide Crows (officially the Adelaide Football Club) are a professional Australian rules football team based in Adelaide, South Australia. Founded in 1990. The Crows has fielded a men's team in the Australian Football League (AFL) sinc ...

and encouraged him to pursue the game. Despite injury setbacks, Aleer broke the all-time record for the running vertical jump at the South Australian Draft Combine.

AFL career

Aleer made his AFL debut for the Giants in round 20 of the

2022 AFL season The 2022 AFL season is the 126th season of the Australian Football League (AFL), the highest level senior men's Australian rules football competition in Australia, which was known as the Victorian Football League until 1989. The season features ...

, against the Swans.

References

Living people 2001 births Greater Western Sydney Giants players Australian people of South Sudanese descent Sportspeople of South Sudanese descent {{AFL-bio-2000s-stub