Royce Brownlie (born 28 January 1980) is an Australian

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, rugby lea ...

who plays as a striker for NPL Queensland club Moreton Bay United

Club career

Royce Brownlie was born in

Coffs Harbour Coffs Harbour, locally nicknamed Coffs, is a coastal city on the Mid North Coast of New South Wales, Australia, north of Sydney, and south of Brisbane. It is one of the largest urban centres on the North Coast, with a population of 78,759 a ...

New South Wales New South Wales (commonly abbreviated as NSW) is a States and territories of Australia, state on the Eastern states of Australia, east coast of :Australia. It borders Queensland to the north, Victoria (state), Victoria to the south, and South ...

and began his football career at 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 ...

, representing them in the National Youth League in the 1996–97 and 1997–98 seasons. Brownlie scored a

hat-trick A hat-trick or hat trick is the achievement of a generally positive feat three times in a match, or another achievement based on the number three. Origin The term first appeared in 1858 in cricket, to describe H. H. Stephenson taking three Wick ...

in QAS's 4–1 win over UTS Olympic in round seven of 1996–97, and several goals in the following season to earn his call-up to the

Brisbane Strikers Brisbane Strikers Football Club is an Australian semi-professional football club based in Brisbane, Queensland. Founded in 1991 as Brisbane United, the club competed in the National Soccer League until the 2003–04 season. Brisbane Strikers ...

senior team for the end of the 1997–98

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 ...

season. Brownlie made five appearances for the Strikers in 1997–98, but none the following season, and so moved to the

Brisbane Premier League The Brisbane Premier League was the first tier of senior soccer in Brisbane, Queensland (fourth tier in Queensland and fifth overall in Australia). It was run and administered by Football Queensland Metro. The competition folded and was revam ...

to play for the

Brisbane Lions The Brisbane Lions are a professional Australian rules football in Australia, Australian rules football club based in Brisbane, Queensland, that compete in the Australian Football League (AFL), the sport's elite competition. Brisbane are the ...

. The 2000 BPL season was a large success for Brownlie, as he scored 12 goals in just 11 appearances for the Lions, as well as making his representative debut and scoring a goal for

Queensland Queensland ( , commonly abbreviated as Qld) is a States and territories of Australia, state in northeastern Australia, and is the second-largest and third-most populous state in Australia. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Austr ...

against his home state in September. Brownlie then signed with

Marconi Stallions Marconi Stallions Football Club is an Australian semi-professional association football club based in Fairfield, Sydney, New South Wales. The club has been crowned Australian champion four times. The Stallions are the soccer team of Club Marc ...

for 2000–01, scoring six goals in 24 appearances in his first season with the Sydney club. He made his true breakthrough the following season though, breaking an NSL scoring record by scoring 8 goals in a series of four matches, and ending the 2001–02 season with 11 goals from his 15 appearances. His success earned him an invitation to trial with English club

Sheffield Wednesday Sheffield Wednesday Football Club is a professional association football club based in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England. They compete in the EFL Championship, the second level of the English football league system. Formed in 1867 as an off ...

, and whilst on the verge of a contract offer, he broke his

cheekbone In the human skull, the zygomatic bone (from ), also called cheekbone or malar bone, is a paired irregular bone, situated at the upper and lateral part of the face and forming part of the lateral wall and floor of the orbit (anatomy), orbit, of t ...

and missed the opportunity. Upon recovery, Brownlie remained in England to trial with

Brentford Brentford is a suburban town in West (London sub region), West London, England and part of the London Borough of Hounslow. It lies at the confluence of the River Brent and the River Thames, Thames, west of Charing Cross. Its economy has dive ...

Portsmouth Portsmouth ( ) is a port city status in the United Kingdom, city and unitary authority in Hampshire, England. Most of Portsmouth is located on Portsea Island, off the south coast of England in the Solent, making Portsmouth the only city in En ...

Oldham Athletic Oldham Athletic Association Football Club is a professional association football club in Oldham, Greater Manchester, England. As of the 2025–26 EFL League Two, 2025–26 season, the team competes in EFL League Two, the fourth level of the Eng ...

and

Swindon Town Swindon Town Football Club is a professional association football club based in Swindon, Wiltshire, England. The team, known as the "Robins", currently compete in , the fourth level of the English football league system. Founded as Swindon A ...

throughout August 2002, and despite scoring a goal for

Swindon Swindon () is a town in Wiltshire, England. At the time of the 2021 Census the population of the built-up area was 183,638, making it the largest settlement in the county. Located at the northeastern edge of the South West England region, Swi ...

in a friendly against Spanish side

Sporting de Gijón Real Sporting de Gijón, S.A.D. (), commonly known as Real Sporting, Sporting Gijón, or simply Sporting is a Spanish professional association football, football club from Gijón, Principality of Asturias. Founded on 1 July 1905, it plays in the ...

after just 86 seconds, he returned to Australia without a contract. After training with

Perth Glory Perth Glory Football Club is an Australian professional Association football, soccer club based in Perth, Perth, Western Australia. It competes in the country's premier men's competition, A-League Men, under Professional sports league organi ...

in the lead-up to the 2002–03 season, Brownlie eventually signed for

Parramatta Power Parramatta Power Soccer Club were a professional association football club who were based in the Western Sydney city of Parramatta. They played in the National Soccer League (Australia), National Soccer League from season National Soccer League ...

when contract negotiations with

broke down. Despite Parramatta finishing third, Brownlie had a disappointing season personally. He was in the starting line-up just four times, and scored once – in Parramatta's 2–0 win over his old club Brisbane in round 8. This prompted Brownlie to return to the Strikers for the 2003–04 season, but he was hampered by injuries which forced him to undergo surgery on his knee, and he scored just three times in 21 appearances. From 2006 to 2008 Royce continued to play professionally in England and then New Zealand. From 2008 Royce has played mainly in player/coach roles for clubs in the Brisbane area in the

National Premier Leagues Queensland The National Premier League Queensland (NPL Queensland or NPL QLD) is the top tier state-level soccer competition in the Australian state of Queensland. The conference, run by Football Queensland, is a sub division of the National Premier Leagues ...

and the

A-League

In February 2005, Brownlie was announced as one of the first eleven signings at new club

Queensland Roar Brisbane Roar Football Club is a professional Association football, soccer club based in Brisbane, Queensland. competing in Australia's premier men's competition, A-League Men, which is the top tier Australia's Australian soccer league system ...

. He began playing for them in the annual Silver Boot competition, scoring a hat-trick against

Pine Rivers The Shire of Pine Rivers was a local government area about north of Brisbane in the Moreton Bay region of South East Queensland, Australia. The shire covered an area of , and existed as a local government entity from 1888 until 2008, when it a ...

in an early 7–1 victory, and the equaliser in the final against Rochedale Rovers. Brownlie's scoring form continued in the North Queensland Challenge Cup, scoring in Queensland's 2–1 win over the

Central Coast Mariners Central Coast Mariners Football Club is an Australian professional soccer club based in Gosford, on the Central Coast of New South Wales. It competes in the A-League Men, under licence from the Australian Professional Leagues (APL). The Mar ...

Townsville The City of Townsville is a city on the north-eastern coast of Queensland, Australia. With a population of 201,313 as of 2024, it is the largest settlement in North Queensland and Northern Australia (specifically, the parts of Australia north of ...

. Despite suffering a

rib In vertebrate anatomy, ribs () are the long curved bones which form the rib cage, part of the axial skeleton. In most tetrapods, ribs surround the thoracic cavity, enabling the lungs to expand and thus facilitate breathing by expanding the ...

injury in a 5–0 Pre-season Cup win over

New Zealand Knights New Zealand Knights Football Club (formed from the Football Kingz Football Club in 2004) were the only professional association football club in New Zealand before they became defunct. Based in Auckland, New Zealand, they played in the A-League ...

, Brownlie recovered in time for Queensland's 2005–06 A-League season opener. Dropped in favour of Reece Tollenaere, Brownlie missed the following two rounds, and after earning a call-up into the starting line-up against

Sydney FC Sydney Football Club, commonly known as Sydney FC, is a professional association football, soccer club based in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. They compete in the top-tier men's league in Australia, the A-League Men. Established in 2004, ...

, was struck by three onsets of a virus within a month, which also affected other members of the Queensland squad. Brownlie returned to the first team in round 8, and scored against

Adelaide United Adelaide United Football Club is a professional men's soccer club located in Adelaide, South Australia, Australia. The club was one of the eight founding members of the A-League Men and have competed in it concurrently since its formation, u ...

the following week, but was hit by virus again and forced out of the squad. Following a further short absence, a suspension to fellow striker Michael Baird saw Brownlie return to the team against New Zealand, and he picked up his second league goal of the season. The introduction of

Brazil Brazil, officially the Federative Republic of Brazil, is the largest country in South America. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by area, fifth-largest country by area and the List of countries and dependencies by population ...

ian striker

Reinaldo Reinaldo is a Spanish and Portuguese language given name for males (the English form is Reynold). It may refer to: Football *Reinaldo Merlo (born 1950), Argentine former footballer and manager *Reinaldo Gomes (born 1954), Portuguese football strike ...

to the Roar in early 2006, however, again forced Brownlie out of the squad and he played just twice more before the end of the season. Citing his proneness to injury and illness, Queensland declined to offer a contract extension, but gave him the opportunity to prove himself during their Tongyeong Cup campaign in

South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the southern half of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and borders North Korea along the Korean Demilitarized Zone, with the Yellow Sea to the west and t ...

. Still with no offer forthcoming and permission to negotiate with other clubs, Brownlie headed to England again in July 2006.

England

Four years after his first attempt, Brownlie trialled with

again, and this time scored five goals in his first two trial matches for the Robins. On 27 July 2006 he signed for Swindon Town for their 2006–07 season in the English League Two. He scored his first league goal for the club on his debut, with a last-minute blistering strike against

Barnet Barnet may refer to: People *Barnet (surname) *Barnet (given name) Places United Kingdom *Chipping Barnet or High Barnet, commonly known as Barnet, one of three focal towns of the borough below. *East Barnet, a district of the borough below; anc ...

, shortly after an equaliser by Ricky Shakes, to seal a 2–1 victory. Brownlie earned a

red card A red card is a type of penalty card that is shown in many sports after a rules infraction. Red card may also refer to: Art, entertainment, and media * ''Red Card'' (album), 1976 release by Streetwalkers * Red card, suit (cards) of hearts or di ...

in Swindon Town's League Cup match against

, and since his mandatory one-match suspension, has been deployed as a wide right

midfielder In the sport of association football, a midfielder takes an Glossary of association football terms#O, outfield position primarily in the middle of the pitch. Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in t ...

Paul Sturrock Paul Whitehead Sturrock (born 10 October 1956) is a Scottish former football coach and former player. As a player, Sturrock spent his entire senior career with Dundee United, making more than five hundred appearances between 1974 and 1989. He w ...

. Brownlie was released by Swindon Town on 9 May 2007 after an unsuccessful loan period at Chester City.

New Zealand

On 19 May 2007, Brownlie signed for

A-League A-League Men, also known as the Isuzu UTE A-League for sponsorship reasons, is a professional soccer league in Australia and New Zealand and the highest level of the Australian soccer league system. Established in 2004 as the A-League by the ...

club

Wellington Phoenix Wellington Phoenix Football Club is a professional football club based in Wellington, New Zealand. It competes in the Australian A-League Men, under licence from Football Federation Australia. Phoenix entered the competition in the 2007–08 ...

on a two-year contract but left the club on 4 March 2008 after struggling to gain a spot in the first team and will return to

Brisbane Brisbane ( ; ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and largest city of the States and territories of Australia, state of Queensland and the list of cities in Australia by population, third-most populous city in Australia, with a ...

to pursue a career in the construction industry.Brownlie released by Phoenix
/ref>

Australia

Brownlie signed with Peninsula Power in the

alongside his brother Paul. He was also an assistant coach with the Power and netted 8 goals in 12 games in 2009 season. Brownlie joined North Star FC as player/coach and won the 2011

Brisbane Premier League Division 1 Brisbane ( ; ) is the capital and largest city of the state of Queensland and the third-most populous city in Australia, with a population of approximately 2.8 million. Brisbane lies at the centre of South East Queensland, an urban aggl ...

grand final and promotion to the

. In 2013, he became a foundation player and later player/coach with FFA

club Moreton Bay United winning the 2015 NPLQ premiership/championship double. When he stepped down at the end of the 2016 season he was the most lethal striker in the short history of the NPLQ with 72 goals in four seasons. He plans to continue playing for Moreton Bay United feeder club Albany Creek Excelsior (ACE) in the

in 2017.

References

Royce is currently playing and coaching North Star Soccer Club.

External links

OzFootball profile
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Brownlie, Royce 1980 births Living people Sportspeople from Coffs Harbour Australian men's soccer players Australian expatriate men's soccer players A-League Men players National Soccer League (Australia) players English Football League players Brisbane Strikers FC players Chester City F.C. players Marconi Stallions FC players Parramatta Power SC players Brisbane Roar FC players Swindon Town F.C. players Wellington Phoenix FC players Expatriate men's association footballers in New Zealand National Premier Leagues players Men's association football forwards Sportsmen from New South Wales Soccer players from New South Wales Peninsula Power FC players 21st-century Australian sportsmen Expatriate men's footballers in England