Frank Arok

Ferenc "Frank" Arok AM (Hungarian: Árok Ferenc; 20 January 1932 – 12 January 2021) was a Yugoslavian-Australian ethnic Hungarian association football player and coach.[1]

Frank Arok
Personal information
Full name Ferenc Arok
Date of birth (1932-01-20)20 January 1932
Place of birth Kanjiža, Kingdom of Yugoslavia
Date of death 12 January 2021(2021-01-12) (aged 88)
Place of death Subotica, Serbia
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1950–1960 FK Jedinstvo
Teams managed
1961–1962 FK Novi Sad
1966–1967 FK Vojvodina (assistant coach)
1969–1972 St George Saints
1981–1983 St George Saints
1983–1989 Australia
1989 St George Saints
1994–1996 South Melbourne
1996 Port Melbourne
1996–1998 Gippsland Falcons
1998–1999 Sydney Olympic (Director of Coaching)
2000 Port Melbourne
2001–2003 Perth Glory (youth coach)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only

Career

Arok played for FK Jedinstvo in Yugoslavia during the 1950s before moving into coaching. In the early 1960s Arok coached FK Novi Sad and FK Vojvodina before moving to Australia. In Australia Arok coached St George Saints, as well as South Melbourne FC, Port Melbourne, Gippsland Falcons, and Sydney Olympic but is perhaps best known for his role as coach of the Australian national team. Arok coached Australia in 48 A internationals between 1983 and 1989. In the 1990 Australia Day honours, Arok was made a Member of the Order of Australia (AM) for "service to soccer, particularly as the Australian national coach".[2]

He oversaw the Australian team in its 1-0 loss to Fiji on 30 November 1988, a match which is still remembered fondly by Fiji soccer supporters today.

After working with Perth Glory's youth team between 2001 and 2003, Arok moved back to Serbia with his wife to retire.

He died on 12 January 2021, aged 88.[3]

References
  1. "Frank Arok". Olympedia. Retrieved 13 January 2021.
  2. "Australia Day Honours". Canberra Times (ACT: 1926 - 1995). 26 January 1990. p. 4. Retrieved 15 January 2019.
  3. @Socceroos (12 January 2021). "We are deeply saddened by the news that former @Socceroos coach, Frank Arok, passed away today" (Tweet) – via Twitter.


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