Scott Higgins

Scott Higgins
Scott Higgins
Born	June 9, 1976 (age 50); Cairns, Queensland, Australia
Occupation(s)	Soccer player (retired), goalkeeping coach, politician
Years active	1990s–2011 (player), post-2011 (coach)
Known for	Goalkeeper in Australian, European, and Middle Eastern leagues; first Australian to play in Israeli football; coaching at Gold Coast United; 2013 Australian Senate candidate

Scott Higgins (born 9 June 1976) is a retired Australian soccer player who served as a goalkeeper in leagues across Australia, Europe, and the Middle East.

Club career

Higgins launched his professional journey in the National Soccer League with Canberra Cosmos before moving back to Queensland to represent Brisbane Strikers.

With the introduction of the A-League, he joined Queensland Roar in 2005. In June 2006, he transitioned to Europe by signing with Falkirk, a club competing in the Scottish Premier League. His stint ended following a dispute with manager John Hughes, despite the team sitting sixth in the SPL and reaching the League Cup semi-finals. One of his standout moments was a closely contested match against Glasgow Celtic at Parkhead on 23 December 2006, where he achieved a personal milestone and received commendations for his efforts. On 24 January 2007, Higgins departed Scotland to play for Israeli club Maccabi Herzliya.

Herzliya

Upon joining Herzliya, Higgins made history as the first Australian to compete in Israeli football. His impactful displays contributed to the club reaching its inaugural Toto Cup final, where they triumphed 2–1 over Hapoel Kfar Saba at Ramat Gan Stadium.

Although Higgins was instrumental in Herzliya securing the Toto Cup title and maintaining their position in the Israeli Premier League, he exited in May 2007 when the club attempted to replace him with Jane Nikolovski—a transfer that ultimately did not materialize.

A-League

After returning to Australia, Higgins signed a brief contract with Adelaide United at the outset of the 2007–08 A-League season, providing cover for injured goalkeeper Daniel Beltrame.

In December 2008, he secured a short-term deal with Wellington Phoenix as a stand-in for Mark Paston. However, he was released prematurely without featuring in any matches once Paston recovered.

Miron Bleiberg, football director of newly established A-League side Gold Coast United, announced Higgins among the club’s initial signings for the 2009–10 season, alongside fellow goalkeeper Jess Vanstrattan.

Coaching

Following his retirement after the conclusion of the 2010–11 A-League campaign, Higgins transitioned into coaching by taking on the role of goalkeeping coach at Gold Coast United.

Politics

In the 2013 federal election, Higgins stood unsuccessfully as a candidate for the Australian Senate representing Queensland under the Palmer United Party banner.

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