Paul John Patterson (born 28 September 1965) is a former 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 who played for the

Adelaide Football Club 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) since ...

in the

Australian Football League The Australian Football League (AFL) is the only fully professional competition of Australian rules football. Through the AFL Commission, the AFL also serves as the sport's governing body and is responsible for controlling the laws of the gam ...

(AFL), and for the

West Adelaide Football Club West Adelaide Football Club is an Australian rules football club in the South Australian National Football League (SANFL). Commonly known as The Bloods and Westies, the club's home base is Richmond Oval (South Australia), Richmond Oval (current ...

in the

South Australian National Football League 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 ...

(SANFL).

Career

Patterson was already an experienced player for West Adelaide, having played in the SANFL since 1984, when he joined the newly formed Adelaide Crows for their first ever AFL league season in

1991 File:1991 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Boris Yeltsin, elected as Russia's first president, waves the new flag of Russia after the 1991 Soviet coup d'état attempt, orchestrated by Soviet hardliners; Mount Pinatubo erupts in the Phil ...

. A key defender, he had to wait until round 22 to make his debut, against at

Football Park Football Park, known commercially as AAMI Stadium, was an Australian rules football stadium located in West Lakes, South Australia, West Lakes, a western suburb of Adelaide, the state capital of South Australia, Australia. It was built in 197 ...

, and played just eight more games before being delisted in

1993 File:1993 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The Oslo I Accord is signed in an attempt to resolve the Israeli–Palestinian conflict; The Russian White House is shelled during the 1993 Russian constitutional crisis; Czechoslovakia is peace ...

.AFL Tables: Paul Patterson
/ref> Patterson, who had continued playing for West Adelaide while also a member of the Crows, remained at The Bloods until retiring in 1999, having brought up his 200th SANFL appearance in the final round of the season and in doing so earning himself player life membership with the SANFL.

Personal

During his football career, Patterson was also a member of the Police Tactical Group, S.T.A.R. force with the

South Australia Police South Australia Police (SAPOL) is the police force of the Australian state of South Australia. SAPOL is an independent statutory agency of the Government of South Australia directed by the Commissioner of Police, who reports to the Minister for ...

. Patterson is currently an assistant coach of West Adelaide's league team.WAFC Coaching Staff 2012
/ref>

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Patterson, Paul 1965 births Australian rules footballers from South Australia Adelaide Football Club players West Adelaide Football Club players Living people