Mark Bickley


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Mark Alan Bickley (born 4 August 1969) is a former Australian rules footballer who played for the Adelaide Football Club in the Australian Football League (AFL). Bickley was a player for the Crows from 1991 until 2003, captaining the team to both the 1997 and 1998 AFL premierships. He was a media commentator, most notably with Channel 9 in Adelaide as their sports presenter. In 2011 he had a brief coaching career as caretaker coach of the Crows after the retirement of Neil Craig.

Mark Bickley
Personal information
Full name Mark Alan Bickley
Date of birth 4 August 1969 (age 55)
Place of birth Port Pirie, South Australia
Original team(s) Solomontown Football Club
Height 178 cm (5 ft 10 in)
Weight 82 kg (181 lb)
Playing career1
Years Club Games (Goals)
1989–1991 South Adelaide (SANFL) 53 (43)
1991–2003 Adelaide 272 (77)
Total 325 (120)
Representative team honours
Years Team Games (Goals)
South Australia 7 (?)
International team honours
2002–03 Australia 3 (?)
Coaching career3
Years Club Games (W–L–D)
2011 Adelaide 6 (3–3–0)

1 Playing statistics correct to the end of 2003.

3 Coaching statistics correct as of 2011.

Career highlights
Sources: AFL Tables, AustralianFootball.com

Recruited from South Australian National Football League (SANFL) club South Adelaide, Bickley made his AFL debut in 1991 against Essendon at Windy Hill, as an inaugural member of the Adelaide Crows squad. In 1997 he was appointed captain of the Adelaide Football Club, and captained the 1997 and 1998 premiership sides.[1]

After retiring from the AFL in 2003, he began presenting the weekend sports report on Nine News Adelaide alongside Georgina McGuinness, and in 2004 he became a panellist on the Nine Network's Sunday Footy Show.

In 2009, Bickley became an assistant coach at the Crows, thus ending his career on the Sunday Footy Show and Nine News.

In the 2011 season, Bickley took over as caretaker senior coach at Adelaide after Neil Craig stepped down at the end of Round 18.[2][3][4] His reign as Adelaide coach began with a convincing win over Port Adelaide in Showdown XXXI.[5][6] It was just their fifth win of the season, and their second since the end of April. This was followed up with a narrow 5-point victory over the Brisbane Lions at the Gabba in Round 20, for the Crows' first win outside of Adelaide this season. Overall, Bickley coached Adelaide to three wins and three losses, the last of those a 96-point loss to West Coast. At the end of the 2011 season, Bickley was not retained as Adelaide Football Club senior coach with the appointment of Brenton Sanderson as the senior coach.[7]

In November 2014, Mark Bickley joined the 5AA talk radio station as a co-host of the top rating weeknight sports show.

Bickley stepped away from full-time radio in 2021, and currently coaches the Immanuel College, Adelaide First XVIII football side.[citation needed]

In December 2022, Bickley joined radio station SEN SA as co-host of the breakfast show.

In February 2024, Bickley was appointed “Club Engagement Officer” at Adelaide Football Club.

[8]
Legend

  G  

 Goals

  K  

 Kicks

  D  

 Disposals 

  T  

 Tackles

  B  

 Behinds 

  H  

 Handballs 

  M  

 Marks

Head coaching record

edit

Team Year Home and Away Season Finals
Won Lost Drew % Position Won Lost Win % Result
ADE 2011 3[n 1] 3 0 .500 14th out of 17 - - - -
Total 3 3 0 .500 - - -
[9]
  1. ^ Neil Craig resigned on July 25th 2011 following a 103-point shellacking at the hands of St Kilda in round 18 which dropped the Crows to 4-12 on the season. Bickley coached out the remainder of the season with a 3-3 record. Thus, the first 16 games are credited to Craig and the final 6 to Bickley.
  1. ^ Holmesby, Russell; Main, Jim (2003). The Encyclopedia of AFL Footballers: every AFL/VFL player since 1897 (5th ed.). Melbourne, Victoria: Crown Content. p. 52–53. ISBN 1-74095-032-1.
  2. ^ "Neil Craig stands down as Adelaide coach".
  3. ^ "Neil Craig calls it quits". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. 26 July 2011. Retrieved 19 March 2022.
  4. ^ "Crows need to step up: coach". 30 July 2011. Retrieved 19 March 2022.
  5. ^ Bickley opens with Showdown win | AFL | Fox Sports
  6. ^ "Bickley unsure on chasing Crows gig". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. 26 August 2011. Retrieved 29 November 2021.
  7. ^ "Sanderson bolts into Crows job". ABC News. 19 September 2011. Retrieved 29 November 2021.
  8. ^ Mark Bickley's player profile at AFL Tables
  9. ^ "Mark Bickley's coaching profile". AFL Tables.