Daniel Schwarzer hangs up the gloves

They say ‘all good things come to an end’, but some modern-day footballers are opposing this theory for as long as they can, especially goalkeepers.

But time does eventually catch up with everyone, and one such legend of the NSW football scene, Daniel Schwarzer, the decision to call time on his career is now, at the ripe old age of 44, after 27 years and approximately 500 matches in grade football.

Daniel Schwarzer was born in June, 1982, in Windsor, and began playing football with Richmond RSL at 5 years old, where matches were played in foggy and freezing cold temperatures, and goal posts were made of PVC piping. Schwarzer remained with the club until he was 9, joining Marconi in the U10s the year after.

For this initial period of his baptism to football, Schwarzer was a goal scoring striker, and was introduced to goal keeping halfway through the U10s when he filled in between the sticks when the team’s goalkeeper broke his arm.

Schwarzer absolutely fell in love with his new role, and that was it, he never looked back, developing a formidable career thereafter. Schwarzer acclimatized to his new position like a duck to water, being selected the following year in the Southern Districts representative team, a position he held from the U11s right through to the U16s.

It was at this stage that his career really began to take off, re-joining Marconi, playing in their Colts team before progressing through in to first grade.

Like many footballers, Schwarzer’s career took on a diverse path, with spells in the IPL and NPL, across clubs such as Balgownie Rangers, Hajduk Wanderers, Penrith Nepean United, and Wollongong United.

At 32 years of age, club stalwart Dean Bertenshaw, pulled out all stops to convince Schwarzer to make the move to Hawkesbury City FC in 2014 – which he describes as his ‘second family’ – a club where he has remained now for over 13 years, and a club that has provided the camaraderie and environment that has supported his longevity and love for the sport.

Schwarzer picked up quite a few gongs during his career, including the ‘Goalkeeper of the Year’ in three different leagues whilst playing for three different clubs – three successive seasons (2003/2004/2005) whilst playing for Hajduk Wanderers, in 2010 whilst playing for Wollongong United, and as recent as 2022 whilst playing for Hawkesbury City at the age of 40. In fact, in 2010, he was also the runner up that same season in the overall Player of the Year award in the Illawarra Premier League.

Having been in the game for so long, Schwarzer has played with some great players, namely Michael Beauchamp, free kick expert Daniel Severino, Simon Catanzaro, and Sydney FC legend, Alex Brosque, to name a few.

To get to know some of things that make him tick, we asked Daniel Schwarzer a series of intriguing questions;

Favourite pre-match meal?

DS – “In the early days, I always had a bowl of pasta….but later in my career, it was whatever I could find in the fridge!”

Pet hates in football?

DS – “When a player doesn’t have the right attitude. I’ve played with so many players over the years that had so much talent, but the worst attitudes, hence why they never went on in their careers.”

How do you react under pressure in a football match, for example, facing penalties in a shootout?

DS – “Dealing with the pressures definitely came easier as I became older, but I always found the best way to deal with it was to play with confidence and self-belief. This what I have trained for and this is what I love. The hardest thing was making a mistake early in a game, and trying to forget about it and move on, which is always easier said than done. I’ve never felt any pressure with penalties…I’ve always looked at it that all the pressure is on the one taking the penalties as they are the one that are expected to score.”

Most embarrassing moment in football?

DS – “Being a goalkeeper there plenty of those moments! Probably the worst would have been trying to punch clear a ball from a corner, but punching it straight into my own goal!

It would be amiss of us not to ask a few questions about older brother and Socceroo’s legend, Mark Schwarzer, and specifically, Daniel’s relationship with his sibling:

DS – “My brother Mark was always my idol, and still is to this day. Mark is an absolute perfectionist! He has a dedication, a commitment, and an absolute professionalism, not just to playing football, but also to everyday life.”

How did you compare to Mark as goalkeepers growing up?

DS – “This was probably one of the most difficult things I ever had to deal with in my early days as a goalkeeper. I was always being compared to Mark, and the expectations that came with it. After a while, I just got used to it, and knew I had to make a name for myself, which I feel like I did”.

Did you train with your brother growing up? If so, when you went to the park, who would shoot?

DS – “Unfortunately, there’s 10 years between Mark and myself, so by the time I decided to be a goalkeeper, he wasn’t living at home anymore, and about a year or so later, he made his move overseas. We grew up on about 5 acres out in Grose Wold in the Hawkesbury, so we had our own full-sized goal in the backyard. I do have a few memories when I was young of kicking the ball around with him. We actually trained together once, when he was at Middlesbrough and I was about 15 years old.”

Mark has created so many memories playing for the Socceroo’s, do you remember where you were when your brother saved those penalties in the crucial World Cup qualifier vs Canada in 1993?

DS – “I’ll never forget it, I was 11 years old, cheering with family and friends behind the very goal where Mark saved those penalties!

Let’s pick Daniel’s brain and provide some words of wisdom for all of you young aspiring goalkeepers;

What attributes do you need to be a great goalkeeper?

DS – “These days to be a top flight goal keeper, you need to be well rounded with many attributes. Gone are the days where a goalkeeper was just someone that’s big and good with his hands – now you need to be also just as good with your feet. However, like many people will say, if you want to be a great goal keeper, you really need to have a screw loose in some ways! Anyone that’s willing to dive at a striker’s feet as they are about shoot cannot be totally sane! You also need to be mentally tough, to be able to remain switched on and focussed for 90 minutes, and still be able to be called on in the 91st minute to make a crucial save.”

Advice to an aspiring young goalkeeper?

DS – “Like anything in life, you really need to love what you do…. so if you truly love being a goalkeeper, then follow your heart and everything else becomes easier.”

Secret to your longevity in football?

DS – “Looking after yourself is key – throughout my 30s, I especially looked after my body, watching what I ate to remain healthy. In recent years I let myself go a little and that’s when most of my niggly injuries began to surface!”

To reach the top in any facet of life, you need to have a positive influence and a support network around you, and it has been no different for Daniel Schwarzer.

“I’ve been very lucky that I have had a lot of different people in out of football supporting me over the years. Initially it was my parents, not only for their dedication, taking me all over Sydney to training and matches, but also for pushing me to always do my best.”

“In terms of goalkeeper coaches, Jim Fraser was a massive reason why my handling skills were so good… without his repetitive drills, especially over my early years, I would of never achieved what I did.”

“My wife, Danielle, has fully supported me in every way, through changing clubs, to making sure our kids (Brodie – now 21 years old, Khloe 15 yrs old, Logan 9yrs old) never missed out with whatever they had to do, especially given my commitments with training up to 3 times a week plus matches”.

It would take an encyclopaedia to be able to capture all of the events of a storied 27 year grade career, but we’re hoping this article has managed to provide some valuable insights to one of the most successful grade players in NSW football history. You must be doing something right and be very good at what you do if your career has spanned approximately 500 games across some of the best competitions in the state.

Hopefully his vast knowledge and experience will continue to be utilised in the game of football in a different capacity, but in the meantime, Daniel Schwarzer will be remembered in football circles as a player who always gave everything he had, and lead by example as a true role model.

Article written by: Frankie Speranza

(Football writer & Long time HCFC supporter)