Craig Foster’s children are amused he’s won Father of the Year

Former Socceroo Craig Foster says his children are amused that he has been awarded Father of the Year.

“Like any father, they think in a lot of ways that I’m pretty hopeless, so they start talking about the things I can’t do – how bad I am at cooking and the gardening that doesn’t happen,” Foster said.

For Foster, Fathers’ Day and his award, which comes courtesy of the Fathering Project, is less about him, and more about the conversation it can spark.

“It’s to place a focus on the importance of male role models, whether they’re biological fathers or single fathers, blended families, or the myriad of ways that adult males impact young lives,” he said.

Foster, also known as Fozz or Fozzy, has three children. His son, 24, is currently in Italy with his girlfriend, while his two daughters, aged 22 and 15, are still at the family home in Sydney’s east.

He also tries to be a positive influence on the many young men and women he comes into contact with as an elite football coach and through Indigenous football programs.

‘There’s different culture, different ways of thinking, a different religion, and yet they’re still just young girls who are trying to find their way in the world.’

Craig Foster

But he has won the award because of his community work, most recently as a mentor and father figure for a group of 15 young Afghan women he helped escape Taliban rule after the fall of Kabul last year.

The young women, who range from their late teens to early 20s like his daughters, have become close to Foster and his family.