Shane Edward Smeltz (born 29 September 1981) is a

New Zealand Australian New Zealand Australians refers to Australian citizens whose origins are in New Zealand, as well as New Zealand migrants and expatriates based in Australia. Migration from New Zealand to Australia is a common phenomenon, given Australia's proximi ...

footballer A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugb ...

. He plays as a striker for

Guiseley AFC Guiseley Association Football Club is a football club based in Guiseley, West Yorkshire, England. They are currently members of and play at Nethermoor Park. History The club was established in 1909 and initially played in the Wharfedale Leagu ...

in the

Northern Premier League The Northern Premier League is an English football league that was founded in 1968. It has four divisions: the Premier Division (which stands at level 7 of the English football league system), Division One East, Division One West and Divisio ...

, the 7th tier of

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ...

football. Smeltz had spent much of his early career playing in Australia before moving to England where he played for two and a half seasons. He played mostly in the A-League from 2007 onwards, with the exception of brief stints with Gençlerbirliği in Turkey and

Kedah FA Kedah Darul Aman Football Club ( ms, Kelab Bola Sepak Kedah Darul Aman) is a football club based in Alor Setar, Kedah, that competes in the Malaysia Super League. They are the only team in the history of Malaysian football to have won two treb ...

in Malaysia. He ended his professional playing career with Indonesian team

Borneo F.C. Borneo Football Club Samarinda (commonly known as Borneo Samarinda) is an Indonesian association football, football club based in Samarinda, East Kalimantan, Indonesia. They currently compete in Liga 1 (Indonesia), Liga 1. Their nickname is ''Pe ...

, before returning to the sport at a semi-professional level. Smeltz is the all-time second-highest goalscorer in the A-League and was the top-goalscorer for

Gold Coast United Gold Coast United Football Club is an Australian soccer club based in Gold Coast, Queensland. The earliest incarnation of the club formed in 1966 and its home ground was at Nikiforides Family Park in Broadbeach. The first era of Gold Coast Unit ...

. He scored 24 goals in 58 international appearances for

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island coun ...

and played at the

2010 FIFA World Cup , image = 2010 FIFA World Cup.svg , size = 200px , caption = ''Ke Nako. (Tswana and Sotho for "It's time") Celebrate Africa's Humanity'It's time. Celebrate Africa's Humanity'' (English)''Dis tyd. Vier Afrika se mensd ...

Early and personal life

Smeltz was born in Göppingen,

West Germany West Germany is the colloquial term used to indicate the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG; german: Bundesrepublik Deutschland , BRD) between its formation on 23 May 1949 and the German reunification through the accession of East Germany on 3 ...

to ethnic

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ge ...

parents with New Zealand citizenship. Six months later he moved to New Zealand. In November 1987, at the age of six, Smeltz moved to the Gold Coast in Queensland, Australia, where he pursued a career in football through the

Queensland Academy of Sport The Queensland Academy of Sport (QAS) is an elite sports institute set up in 1991 by the Queensland Government to support athletes in the state of Queensland. Its headquarters are currently located at the Queensland Sport and Athletics Centre in ...

and was brought up for the remainder of his adolescent years while holding a New Zealand visa. Smeltz was granted dual-citizenship at the age of 23, becoming a dual-citizen of New Zealand and Australia. He attended

Palm Beach Currumbin High School Palm Beach Currumbin State High School (PBC High School or PBC) is an independent co-educational public school (government funded), in the Gold Coast suburb of Currumbin, Queensland, Australia. PBC is Queensland's southernmost coastal High ...

on the Gold Coast during his teenage years and was classmates with future professional surfers

Mick Fanning Michael Eugene Fanning (born 13 June 1981) is an Australian professional surfer who was crowned champion of the Association of Surfing Professionals/World Surf League (ASP/WSL)'s World Tour in 2007, 2009 and 2013. In 2015, he survived a shar ...

and

Joel Parkinson Joel Parkinson (born 10 April 1981) is an Australian surfer who used to compete on the WSL (World Surf League). After twelve years competing at the elite level on the ASP World Championship Tour, a stretch that saw him win eleven elite ASP Wor ...

. Smeltz lives in

Sydney Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mounta ...

with his wife Nikki (who later became a federal election candidate for

United Australia Party The United Australia Party (UAP) was an Australian political party that was founded in 1931 and dissolved in 1945. The party won four federal elections in that time, usually governing in coalition with the Country Party. It provided two prim ...

) and daughters Bonnie and Scarlett but spends the off season on the Gold Coast and still considers it to be his home.

Club career

In England 2005–07

Smeltz played for a variety of amateur and semi-professional Australian clubs before he played a brief five match spell for

Mansfield Town Mansfield Town Football Club is a professional football club based in the town of Mansfield, Nottinghamshire, England. The team competes in , the fourth tier of the English football league system. Nicknamed 'The Stags', they play in a blue and ye ...

in the English

Football League Two The English Football League Two (often referred to as League Two for short or Sky Bet League Two for sponsorship purposes, and known as the Football League Two from 2004 until 2016) is the third and lowest division of the English Football L ...

in 2005. In the 2005–06 season, he played in 61 competitive matches for

AFC Wimbledon AFC Wimbledon is an English professional football club, based in Merton, London, that plays in the EFL League Two, after being relegated from the EFL League One following the 2021–22 season. The club's home stadium is Plough Lane. The ...

, including 11 as a substitute, and scored 26 goals. He played the following season for Halifax Town in the

Conference National The National League, known as the Vanarama National League for sponsorship reasons, is the highest level of the National League System and fifth-highest of the overall English football league system. It is the highest league that is semi-professi ...

Wellington Phoenix

Smeltz returned to New Zealand in 2007, signing a two-year deal with the

Wellington Phoenix Wellington Phoenix Football Club is a professional association football club based in Wellington, New Zealand. It competes in the Australian A-League, under licence from Football Federation Australia. Phoenix entered the competition in the ...

in the

A-League A-League Men (known as the Isuzu UTE A-League for sponsorship reasons) is the highest-level professional men's soccer league in Australia and New Zealand. At the top of the Australian league system, it is the country's premier men's competiti ...

. In his first season, he finished second in the Golden Boot race with nine goals from 19 appearances. In the 2008–09 season, Smeltz scored a record-equalling 12 goals for the A-League season proper, resulting in the A-League Golden Boot 2008-09 and also goal of the season for his winning strike against

Melbourne Victory Melbourne Victory Football Club is an Australian professional soccer club based in Melbourne, Victoria. Competing in the country's premier men's competition, the A-League Men, under licence from Australian Professional Leagues (APL), Victory ...

at Westpac Stadium in round 13. In 2008–09 season Smeltz was voted the A-League's best player and was awarded the Johnny Warren Medal.

Gold Coast United

In November 2008 the Phoenix lost its battle to retain Smeltz for the 2009 season as he signed a three-year deal with

expansion club

. Smeltz scored nine goals on his Gold Coast United debut as Miron Bleiberg's men recorded a 12–1 victory in their inaugural outing, a friendly against Mudgeeraba SC. On 8 August 2009, Smeltz scored his club's first goal in their first A-League game against Brisbane Roar. In the following week Smeltz scored an impressive four goals against

North Queensland Fury Northern Fury Football Club was an Australian professional soccer club based in Townsville, Queensland. The club was founded in 2008 and competed in the A-League under the name North Queensland Fury. On 1 March 2011, the club was removed from th ...

, which included a penalty. Smeltz and Gold Coast recorded their first loss to the Newcastle Jets at the next round, notable for being the only game he had not scored a goal. A week later, Smeltz rebounded from his club's first loss to help in the win against

Sydney FC Sydney Football Club is an Australian professional soccer club based in Sydney, New South Wales. It competes in the country's premier men's competition, A-League Men, under licence from Australian Professional Leagues (APL). The club was f ...

. In the process he added another two goals to his tally taking him to an outstanding 8 goals from 5 games, his single man goal count was greater than any other club's overall amount in the league. With 19

goals to his name, he was formerly the holder for most

A League A-League Men (known as the Isuzu UTE A-League for sponsorship reasons) is the highest-level professional men's soccer league in Australia and New Zealand. At the top of the Australian league system, it is the country's premier men's competiti ...

goals in a season.

Shandong Luneng

On 12 July 2010, after a stellar season with

, it was announced Smeltz had agreed to terms with Chinese club

Shandong Luneng Shandong Taishan Football Club () is a professional football club that currently participates in the Chinese Super League under licence from the Chinese Football Association (CFA). The team is based in Jinan, Shandong and their home stadium is th ...

on a two-year contract subject to passing a medical. On 17 July 2010, it was announced that Smeltz had "changed his mind about China and decided to return home", just five days into his contract. There was some confusion after his decision to return home in regards to which club he was contracted to. Shandong Luneng had paid the transfer fee to Gold Coast United, but a Football Federation Australia source confirmed that Gold Coast United had not dispatched Smeltz's International Transfer Clearance form, meaning Smeltz was therefore free to rejoin them without any possibility of an international tug-of-war over his services. On 17 July 2010, Gold Coast United owner Clive Palmer publicly stated that he is "hopeful of retaining him for the coming season."

Gençlerbirliği SK

On 24 August, his overseas career was given a lifeline when he was signed by Turkish

Süper Lig The Süper Lig (, ''Super League''), officially known as Spor Toto Süper Lig for sponsorship reasons, is a Turkish professional league for association football clubs. It is the top-flight of the Turkish football league system and is run by the ...

club Gençlerbirliği. Smeltz made his debut for the club in their 2–1 home win over

Istanbul BB ) , postal_code_type = Postal code , postal_code = 34000 to 34990 , area_code = +90 212 (European side) +90 216 (Asian side) , registration_plate = 34 , blank_name_sec2 = GeoTLD , blank_in ...

. Smeltz scored his first goal for the club in the 1–0 home win over Ankaragucu with a 45th-minute penalty.

Perth Glory

On 20 March 2011 it was announced that

Perth Glory Perth Glory Football Club is an Australian professional soccer club based in Perth, Western Australia. It competes in the country's premier men's competition, A-League Men, under licence from Australian Professional Leagues. Founded in 19 ...

and Smeltz signed a three-year contract worth A$4.1 million with the

club as a marquee. In his second appearance in the League for Perth, he scored a brace to take him to 51 League goals in the A-League, becoming only the second player to have scored a half-century in the competition next to Archie Thompson. On 24 March 2012 he scored all 4 goals in a 4–2 win against

Sydney FC

On 18 May 2014, it was announced that Smeltz would be parting ways with Perth Glory after three years at the club, to join

on a one-year deal. After the 2014–15 season, Smeltz signed a 2-year contract extension with Sydney, taking him to the end of the 2016–17 season.

Kedah FA

On 12 July 2016, Smelz joined Malaysian Super League club

. On 20 July 2016, he made his debut goal for Kedah, against T-Team in

Malaysia Cup The Malaysia Cup ( ms, Piala Malaysia), formerly known as ''Malaya Cup'', is an annual football tournament in Malaysia, held at the end of the calendar year. The cup was first held in 1921. Despite its prestige and popularity as the nation's o ...

, scoring two goals.

Return to Wellington Phoenix

On 18 December 2016, Smeltz returned to New Zealand, signing with

until the end of the season.

Borneo FC

On 9 April 2017, Smeltz joined Indonesian club side

Borneo Borneo (; id, Kalimantan) is the third-largest island in the world and the largest in Asia. At the geographic centre of Maritime Southeast Asia, in relation to major Indonesian islands, it is located north of Java, west of Sulawesi, and e ...

in the Liga 1.

Return to Gold Coast United

Following an 18-year career, Smeltz retired from professional football on 11 February 2018. He subsequently signed with NPL Queensland team

in January 2020.

Guiseley AFC

After returning to England for family and work, in January 2023 Smeltz signed for

, a 7th-tier semi-professional club based in the

Leeds Leeds () is a city and the administrative centre of the City of Leeds district in West Yorkshire, England. It is built around the River Aire and is in the eastern foothills of the Pennines. It is also the third-largest settlement (by popul ...

suburb of Guiseley.

International career

Smeltz has played for the under-20, under-23 and senior New Zealand national teams. He scored his first goal for the All Whites, an away friendly on 25 April 2006, against

Chile Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in the western part of South America. It is the southernmost country in the world, and the closest to Antarctica, occupying a long and narrow strip of land between the Andes to the eas ...

. In that game Smeltz also became the first

player to win international honours, and the first to become an international goalscorer. In May 2007, he was the scorer of both New Zealand goals in an impressive 2–2 draw against

Wales Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the Bristol Channel to the south. It had a population in ...

. On 19 November 2007, following his impressive form with

in the

and consistent performances for the All Whites, Smeltz was voted New Zealand footballer of the year, ahead of

FA Premier League The Premier League (legal name: The Football Association Premier League Limited) is the highest level of the men's English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Foo ...

star Ryan Nelsen and

Celtic Celtic, Celtics or Keltic may refer to: Language and ethnicity *pertaining to Celts, a collection of Indo-European peoples in Europe and Anatolia **Celts (modern) *Celtic languages **Proto-Celtic language *Celtic music *Celtic nations Sports Foo ...

striker Chris Killen. In December 2008, Smeltz was named Oceania federation player of 2007. Smeltz travelled to South Africa as part of the New Zealand squad for both the 2009 Confederations Cup and 2010 World Cup Finals. He scored a goal at the latter against 2006 World Cup winners

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...

Nelspruit Mbombela (also known as Nelspruit) is a city in northeastern South Africa. It is the capital of the Mpumalanga province. Located on the Crocodile River, Mbombela lies about by road west of the Mozambique border, east of Johannesburg and north ...

, making him the first ever A-League player to score in the World Cup Finals. He was part of the New Zealand men's team at the 2012 Summer Olympics. During a World Cup qualifying match against

New Caledonia ) , anthem = "" , image_map = New Caledonia on the globe (small islands magnified) (Polynesia centered).svg , map_alt = Location of New Caledonia , map_caption = Location of New Caledonia , mapsize = 290px , subdivision_type = Sovereign st ...

on 22 March 2013, Smeltz was the victim of a high boot to the face in the opposing penalty area, leaving him bloodied.

International goals

:''Scores and results list

's goal tally first.''

International career statistics

Honours

Kedah FA *

: 2016 Individual *

Oceania Footballer of the Year The Oceania Footballer of the Year award is presented each year to the best football (soccer) player from the Oceania region, as chosen by a panel of football journalists. The award was dominated by Australian players until that nation became part ...

: 2007, 2008 * Johnny Warren Medal: 2008–2009 with

Golden Boot: 2008–2009 with

– 12 goals *

Golden Boot: 2009–2010 with

– 19 goals * NZF Men's Player of the Year: 2007 *

Player of the Year: 2007–08 *

Player's Player of the Year: 2007–08, 2008–09 *

Media Player of the Year: 2007–08, 2008–09 *

A-League Golden Boot: 2008–09 * A-League PFA Team of the Season: 2008–09, 2009-10 * PFA Team of the Decade (2005-2015)

References

External links

* * * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Smeltz, Shane 1981 births Living people People from Göppingen Sportspeople from Stuttgart (region) Association football forwards New Zealand association footballers New Zealand expatriate association footballers New Zealand international footballers Brisbane Strikers FC players Napier City Rovers FC players Adelaide City FC players Adelaide United FC players Mansfield Town F.C. players AFC Wimbledon players Halifax Town A.F.C. players Wellington Phoenix FC players Gold Coast United FC players Gençlerbirliği S.K. footballers Perth Glory FC players Sydney FC players Kedah Darul Aman F.C. players Borneo F.C. players A-League Men players English Football League players National League (English football) players National Soccer League (Australia) players Isthmian League players Süper Lig players Liga 1 (Indonesia) players New Zealand people of German descent Australian people of New Zealand descent Australian people of German descent Australian people of English descent Naturalised citizens of Australia New Zealand people of English descent New Zealand emigrants to Australia Expatriate footballers in England Expatriate footballers in Turkey New Zealand expatriate sportspeople in England New Zealand expatriate sportspeople in Turkey 2003 FIFA Confederations Cup players 2004 OFC Nations Cup players 2008 OFC Nations Cup players 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup players 2010 FIFA World Cup players 2012 OFC Nations Cup players Footballers at the 2012 Summer Olympics 2017 FIFA Confederations Cup players Olympic association footballers of New Zealand North Eastern MetroStars SC players Footballers from Baden-Württemberg Guiseley A.F.C. players Northern Premier League players Sportspeople from the Gold Coast, Queensland Soccer players from Queensland

Early and personal life

Club career

In England 2005–07

Wellington Phoenix

Gold Coast United

Shandong Luneng

Gençlerbirliği SK

Perth Glory

Sydney FC

Kedah FA

Return to Wellington Phoenix

Borneo FC

Return to Gold Coast United

Guiseley AFC

International career

International goals

International career statistics

Honours

See also

References

External links