Silvio Foschini (born 18 September 1963) is a former
Australian rules footballer who played for the
Sydney Swans and
St Kilda Football Club
The St Kilda Football Club, nicknamed the Saints, is a professional Australian rules football club based in Melbourne, Victoria. The club plays in the Australian Football League (AFL), the sport's premier league.
The club's name originates fr ...
in the
Victorian Football League
The Victorian Football League (VFL) is an Australian rules football league in Australia serving as one of the second-tier regional semi-professional competitions which sit underneath the fully professional Australian Football League (AFL). I ...
(VFL). He is best known for taking the VFL to court over its refusal to grant him a clearance, which led, among other things, to the end of the League's
Zoning
Zoning is a method of urban planning in which a municipality or other tier of government divides land into areas called zones, each of which has a set of regulations for new development that differs from other zones. Zones may be defined for a s ...
system.
Career
Foschini was aged just 17 in 1981 when he kicked three goals on his league debut for South Melbourne against Hawthorn and finished the season with 37 goals. The club relocated to Sydney the following year and Foschini, again playing as a forward, kicked 42 goals.
Despite his success he was unhappy in Sydney and decided to return to his home state of Victoria in 1983, joining St Kilda. He however had not received a clearance to sign with St Kilda and as a result the issue went to court. In what was a high-profile case at the time, Foschini argued that the VFL's clearance rules breached restraint of trade laws. He won the case and was allowed to play for St Kilda, in doing so helping to abolish the
zoning system from the league.
At St Kilda he was used mainly as a rover and played for the club until a shoulder injury ended his career in 1988.
Personal life
Foschini attended Westall Secondary College in
Clayton South, Victoria
Clayton South is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 20 km south-east of Melbourne's Central Business District, located within the City of Kingston local government area. Clayton South recorded a population of 13,381 at the .
T ...
and
Mazenod College in
Mulgrave, Victoria
Mulgrave is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 21 km south-east of Melbourne's Central Business District,[VFL/AFL Italian Team of the Century
The Victorian Football League-Australian Football League (VFL/AFL) Italian Team of the Century was announced in June 2007. It recognises the role of Italian Australian players in the sport.
Players and/or at least one of the player's parents or ...]
. He played soccer as a child and his son
Matthew Foschini plays soccer (football) for
Melbourne Victory FC
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), Victo ...
,
South Melbourne FC
South Melbourne Football Club is an Australian semi-professional soccer club based in suburb of Albert Park, in Melbourne, Victoria. The club currently competes in the National Premier Leagues Victoria, with matches played at Lakeside Stadiu ...
and
Oakleigh Cannons FC
Oakleigh Cannons Football Club is a soccer club based in the south-east Melbourne suburb of Oakleigh, Victoria, Australia. The club, established by members of Oakleigh's Greek Australian community, currently competes in the NPL Victoria. The ...
.
References
*
*
*Holmesby, Russell and Main, Jim (2007). ''The Encyclopedia of AFL Footballers''. 7th ed. Melbourne: Bas Publishing.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Foschini, Silvio
1963 births
Living people
Australian rules footballers from Victoria (Australia)
Sydney Swans players
St Kilda Football Club players
Australian people of Italian descent