Aytek Genc (; born 3 February 1966) is a former Australian

soccer Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 Football player, players who almost exclusively use their feet to propel a Ball (association football), ball around a rectangular f ...

player and was the coach of the

Sydney Olympic FC Sydney Olympic Football Club is an Australian semi-professional soccer club, based in Belmore, Sydney, New South Wales, that plays in the National Premier Leagues NSW. The club was founded as Pan-Hellenic Soccer Club in 1957 by Greek immigrant ...

in the NSW Premier League. Considered one of the most technically gifted players in the Australian

National Soccer League The National Soccer League (NSL) was the top-level soccer league in Australia, run by Soccer Australia and later the Australian Soccer Association. The NSL, the A-League's predecessor, spanned 28 seasons from its inception in 1977 until its ...

(NSL), he featured in over 350 professional games over a career period of 15 years. Genç won three official caps for the Australia national soccer team and spent five years of his playing career in

Malaysia Malaysia is a country in Southeast Asia. Featuring the Tanjung Piai, southernmost point of continental Eurasia, it is a federation, federal constitutional monarchy consisting of States and federal territories of Malaysia, 13 states and thre ...

with

Johor FC Johor Darul Ta'zim Football Club, or simply JDT, is a professional football club based in Johor Bahru, Johor, Malaysia, that competes in the Malaysia Super League, the top tier of Malaysian football. Founded in 1972 as PKENJ FC, the club was ...

Early career

Aytek Genc was born in

Ankara Ankara is the capital city of Turkey and List of national capitals by area, the largest capital by area in the world. Located in the Central Anatolia Region, central part of Anatolia, the city has a population of 5,290,822 in its urban center ( ...

, Turkey. He came to Australia as a child. Aytek Genc played his junior football in Sydney's Granville, Nepean and Southern Districts. At the age of 16 (1983) Genc was chosen for the Australian U16 Indoor Soccer team which toured the United States. Genc's first professional contract was in 1984 with the Bankstown Soccer Club in the

National Premier Leagues NSW The National Premier Leagues NSW is a semi-professional soccer competition in New South Wales, Australia. The competition is conducted by Football NSW, one of the two organising bodies in New South Wales (the other being the National Premier L ...

. In 1985, Genc played for the

Marconi Guglielmo Giovanni Maria Marconi, 1st Marquess of Marconi ( ; ; 25 April 1874 – 20 July 1937) was an Italian electrical engineer, inventor, and politician known for his creation of a practical radio wave-based wireless telegraph system. This ...

under 19 team and made his

debut in the final game of the season. Between 1986 and 1989 Genç played for the Penrith Uruguay club in the National Premier Leagues NSW.

National League and overseas career

At age 22 Genc joined Parramatta Eagles then coached by Raul Blanco and played his first full season in the Australian NSL. Genc became a favourite of the Parramatta fans and was known for his speed and skill on the ball. Genc came to the attention of the then National Team coach

Eddie Thomson Eddie Thomson (25 February 1947 – 21 February 2003) was a Scottish association football player and coach, who played as a defender. He played for Heart of Midlothian and Aberdeen in Scotland, San Antonio Thunder in the United States and ...

who handed Genc his first cap in the Trans-Tasman Series against New Zealand. Genc went on to earn 3 caps for Australia his last in 1997 under

Terry Venables Terence Frederick Venables (6 January 1943 – 25 November 2023), often referred to as El Tel, was an English football player and manager who played for clubs including Chelsea, Tottenham Hotspur and Queens Park Rangers and won two caps for E ...

. He played in a friendly match for Australia against the great

AC Milan (), commonly referred to as Milan or AC Milan () mainly outside of Italy, is an Italian professional Football club (association football), football club based in Milan, Lombardy. Founded in 1899, the club competes in the Serie A, the top tie ...

team of the early '90s. Aytek Genc was offered playing opportunities with Turkish club

Trabzonspor Trabzonspor Kulübü is a Turkish professional sports club located in the city of Trabzon, located in Black Sea region, northeastern Turkey. Established in 1967 through the merger of several local clubs, Trabzonspor is one of the most prominent A ...

and with Korean side

Posco Atoms The Pohang Steelers (Hangul: 포항 스틸러스) are a South Korean professional football club based in Pohang, North Gyeongsang Province that compete in the K League 1, the top flight of South Korean football. The Steelers were founded on 1 ...

, however both opportunities fell through due inopportune injury and negotiation problems. In 1994 Genc moved to

n side

and played five seasons in Malaysia where he became a legend with the Johor fans. During those years Genc came back to Australia in the

n off season to play for the

Sydney United Sydney United 58 Football Club is a semi-professional soccer club and current NSW NPL Champions based in Edensor Park, Sydney, New South Wales Australia. The club was formed as Sydney Croatia in 1958, by Croatian Australians in the area, but it ...

team coached by

Branko Culina Branko Culina (; born 1 October 1957) is a soccer coach and former player. He previously managed Sydney FC and the Newcastle Jets in the A-League. Playing career Culina was born in Zadar, Socialist Republic of Croatia, FPR Yugoslavia and emigra ...

, and was a member of the 1997 side. This team was considered one of the greatest NSL sides ever. In 1999 Genc finally returned to Australia finish his playing career and captained NSL side

until his retirement in 2002.

Playing/coaching honours and achievements

*Australian Under 16 Indoor Soccer Representative 1983 *NSW Representative 1991, 1993 *Australian National Team (3 Caps) *Winner NSL Cup with Parramatta Eagles *NSL Minor Premiership and Grand Final Runner-up with Sydney United *Winner NSW Premier League Premiership with Blacktown City Demons (Coach-2006) *Winner NSW Continental Tyres Cup (Coach-2006) *Winner NSW Premier League Premiership and Grand Final with Blacktown City Demons (Coach-2007) *Head Coach 1st XI Football Oakhill College 2010

Coaching career

Triple Championship Winning Coach in the NSW Premier League in 2006, 2007 and 2010. Assistant Coach of Sydney FC in 2009. His return to Blacktown from Sydney FC & Sydney Olympic was successful; he led the team to the NSW Premier League title, while also coaching the Oakhill College first XI. In 2010, Genc became coaching director for the St. George Football Association. He is part of the coaching staff of the 1st Eleven Football Academy. Coaching Staff (Director of Football), Football United, NSW

Media

Currently on the commentary team on SBS Australia TV and Radio

References

External links

* *
Aytek Genc Highlights – Youtube
{{DEFAULTSORT:Genc, Aytek 1966 births Living people Australian people of Turkish descent Footballers from Ankara Soccer players from Sydney Turkish emigrants to Australia Australian expatriate men's soccer players Australia men's international soccer players National Soccer League (Australia) players Sydney United 58 FC players Expatriate men's footballers in Malaysia Sydney Olympic FC managers Parramatta FC players Men's association football midfielders Australian soccer managers Australian men's soccer players 20th-century Australian sportsmen