Leslie Robert "Les" Fong (born 24 August 1956) is a former

Australian rules 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 ...

footballer who played for

West Perth Football Club The West Perth Football Club, nicknamed the Falcons, is an Australian rules football club located in Joondalup, Western Australia. West Perth competes in the West Australian Football League (WAFL) and WAFL Women's (WAFLW) and is the oldest exis ...

in the

West Australian Football League The West Australian Football League (WAFL) is an Australian rules football league based in Perth, Western Australia. The league currently consists of ten teams, which play each other in a 20-round season usually lasting from March to September, ...

(WAFL).

Playing career

After being recruited from Nollamara, he joined the club in 1973 as a rover in the reserves. Despite being only 16, he played well enough to take the fairest and best award. He made his debut in the senior team in round 8 of the same year against

East Fremantle Football Club The East Fremantle Football Club, nicknamed the Sharks, is an Australian rules football club playing in the West Australian Football League (WAFL) and WAFL Women's (WAFLW). The team's home ground is East Fremantle Oval. East Fremantle are the ...

, becoming the youngest player to represent West Perth at league level. He tasted premiership glory in 1975 when West Perth defeated South Fremantle. He was club captain from 1980 to 1986 making him the longest serving captain at West Perth, during which he earned the nickname 'Captain Courageous'. Fong retired after the 1987 season having played 284 games.

Coaching career

After retiring from playing, he began coaching Trinity Aquinas in the

Western Australian Amateur Football League The Perth Football League is an Australian rules football competition based in Perth, Western Australia. It is the largest Australian rules football competition in Western Australia. History The competition began in 1922 with five teams as the M ...

. He coached Sunday Football League club Wanneroo to consecutive premierships in 1991 and 1992.

Honours

Fong is the first rover in West Perth's official 'Team of the Century'. Fong was inducted into the

West Australian Football Hall of Fame The West Australian Football Hall of Fame was created in 2002 to recognise and enshrine those who have made a significant contribution to Australian rules football in Western Australia. People eligible for inclusion are players, coaches, umpires, ...

in 2006.

Family

Les is the brother of Neale Fong.

References

External links

* 1956 births Living people West Perth Football Club players Western Australian State of Origin players West Australian Football Hall of Fame inductees Australian rules footballers from Western Australia Australian people of Chinese descent {{AFL-bio-1950s-stub