Full name Percy Lennard Years Team Date of birth 1900 Name Percy Lennard | Date of death 1975 Died 1975 Kurri Kurri 1918 | |
Place of birth Inverell, New South Wales | ||
Percy Lennard (1900–1975) was an Australian football player. In his career, he played 492 senior games and scored 210 goals for Cessnock. Lennard represented Australia twelve times, scoring twice. He made his Australian debut against New Zealand in 1923 where he scored Australia's first ever international goal on home soil. Lennard was inducted into the City of Cessnock Hall of Fame on 6 December 2006, has was also inducted in the Hunter Region Sporting Hall of Fame.
Lennard's son Jack Lennard also represented Australia in international football.
Life and career
Lennard was born in Inverell in 1900. As a young child, he moved to Kurri Kurri where he attended a local public school. At the age of 18, despite having shown potential in rugby league, Lennard turned to football and captained the Kurri Kurri Under 18 side before moving on to senior football with Rothbury. After one year with Rothbury, Lennard joined Cessnock where he spent the rest of his career at. He helped the club to honours that included the Stevenson, Kerr and Ellis Cups, and in 1928 and 1929 the State League Premiership Cup.
Lennard represented New South Wales interstate and internationally, and in 1923, was selected to play for Australia in three exhibition matches against New Zealand, and scored two goals. These matches were the first played in Australia by an international football team, and the first full A Grade international football matches played in the country. Given that he scored the first goal in the first match of the series, Lennard scored the first ever Australian international football goal on home soil. He played for Australia in nine further internationals.
Lennard died in Cessnock in 1975, aged 74.