Words: Garry McKenzie
Image: Palm Beach SC

Shane Smeltz swapped the sky-blue shirt of Sydney FC for the sky-blue strip of his junior club Palm Beach SC on Tuesday afternoon at Mallawa Complex.

But while the PlayStation® 4 NPL Queensland team would love to add such goal-scoring prowess on the pitch, the only shots on target were from the cameras of 150 junior players and their families come to meet Smeltz and Sydney FC teammates Alex Brosque, Alex Gerbasch and Max Burgess.

The Hyundai A-League runners-up took time out of their Gold Coast pre-season camp to sign autographs and inspire the next generation of Gold Coast players.

Smeltz said it was great to give back to the community and pass on his knowledge to the next generation of footballers at grassroots level.

“At Sydney FC we try to get out in the community as much as our schedule allows, and to be able to spend time with the kids at Palm Beach the other night was certainly an enjoyable evening,” Smeltz said.

“Having grown up on the Gold Coast I’ve got fond memories of Palm Beach and the club holds a special place in my memory.”

Smeltz played his junior football on the Gold Coast with Palm Beach, Broadbeach, Surfers Paradise and Runaway Bay before a professional career in Australia and Europe.

In 2009 Smeltz returned to his roots by joining Gold Coast United after a successful spell at Wellington Phoenix.

Smeltz had a successful first year with United, winning the Hyundai A-League Golden Boot before taking his form to South Africa to score against Italy for New Zealand in the 2010 FIFA World Cup Finals.

While further stints at Perth Glory and now Sydney has seen Smeltz rise to second in the all-time Hyundai A-League scoring charts, the city of his formative football years is never far from his thoughts.

“I try to return to the Gold Coast whenever possible and it’s always a fantastic feeling to be back seeing all the old faces and places,” Smeltz said.