Football Australia sends its sincere condolences to the family of Jimmy Armstrong following the recent passing of the inaugural Hall of Fame inductee and former Socceroo.
A stalwart with Hakoah and most notably South Melbourne, Armstrong was an international and state representative held in the highest esteem by his peers.
One of Victorian football's most prolific forwards, Jimmy Armstrong was born on 21 March 1943 in Scotland and played semi-professional football for several Glasgow-based clubs before arriving in Australia as a relative unknown in 1966 upon receiving an international clearance from Yoker Athletic.
Armstrong joined mid-table Hakoah in the Victorian State League, his first goals coming in the form of a hat-trick against Alexander in a 4-1 win. With seven goals in half-a-season, he lifted Hakoah to 4th in the League and a win in the Dockerty Cup. He scored twenty goals in as many matches in 1967, then nineteen goals in 1968 to claim the Golden Boot. By the time the new decade dawned, he had bagged a half-century of league goals and attracted interest from Middle Park co-tenants South Melbourne Hellas, who duly signed him in 1970.
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What followed was a partnership made in heaven. In seven seasons between 1970 and 1976, Armstrong played 150 league games and scored 89 goals, claiming the Victorian State League goalscoring honours twice more not to mention the Bill Fleming Medal in 1974. More importantly, he was instrumental in steering the club to three championships in that period, cementing himself as an all-time great of the club.
It was at this time that Armstrong played for Australia, scoring twice in four internationals, including the second goal in a 2-0 win against South Korea in Seoul. He played ten representative matches for Victoria, most notably against Brazilian giants Santos and Cruzeiro, Manchester United, Werder Bremen and Bristol Rovers, where he scored the clinching goal in a 2-1 win at Olympic Park.
He remained with South Melbourne until it joined the National Soccer League in 1977, then moved to Juventus, where he would score another ten goals in two seasons. Upon his departure from Juventus in 1979, he had amassed a remarkable 152 goals in the Victorian top-flight, the most in the State League era, and only bettered by Sash Becvinovski who amassed 209 goals across three decades in the Victorian Premier League.
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At 36, he moved to regional Victoria to play multiple seasons with Shepparton United in the North Eastern Soccer League, before returning to the Metropolitan leagues, albeit with the regional powerhouse Morwell Falcons. After turning 40, he transferred back to Melbourne, firstly with Sandringham City in the lower divisions, before moving to the Industrial & Amateur League where he kitted up for ANZ Bank.
Upon retirement he turned to coaching, firstly with Juventus, and then with South Melbourne, fulfilling the Director of Coaching role with both clubs. His most successful period as a senior Head Coach came with Westvale Olympic in the early 1990s. Armstrong fulfilled a host of roles beyond coaching, including time on the Board of Directors at South Melbourne, where he was also Secretary for two seasons. He was a member of Victorian Soccer Federation committees at both the senior and junior level and worked tirelessly in promoting football in the Victorian Secondary Schools system, supporting Bobby McLachlan as Team Manager during a number of Championship campaigns.
McLachlan, honoured with Football Victoria Life Membership earlier this year, recalls a player with a fondness for scoring goals.
“Jimmy had that wonderful ability of seemingly being out of the game for large periods, but tucking away goals at will with the few chances that would come his way. There was a subtle nonchalance to his play.”
Echoed by many in the football community, McLachlan also remembers an individual adored by his contemporaries.
“Jimmy was a joy to be with and he always had a smile on his face. He wasn’t a loudmouth, but commanded the respect of his peers by virtue of the professional way he went about things.”
Armstrong was part of the inaugural intake of the Football Australia Hall of Fame in 1999 and was honoured with Life Membership of Football Victoria in 2015. The following year, he was inducted into the Football Victoria Hall of Fame. He was named as the starting forward in South Melbourne's Team of the Century, where he continued to attend matches until the impact of his long-suffering dementia finally took hold.
Jimmy Armstrong passed away earlier this week, aged 81.
He is survived by his wife Heather, and children Nicholas and Lachlan.
The FV Board of Directors, Executive, staff and broader Victorian football community send our sincere condolences to Jimmy Armstrong's family and friends.
A funeral service to celebrate the life of Jimmy Armstrong will be held at South Melbourne FC, 31-33 Aughtie Drive, Albert Park (Lakeside Stadium) on Thursday 29th August 2024 at 1:00pm. A private cremation will follow the service. The family has requested no flowers.
