Steven Riches

Steven Alexander Riches (born 6 August 1976) is an Australian soccer player.[2]

Steven Riches
Riches in 2020
Personal information
Date of birth (1976-08-06) 6 August 1976
Place of birth Sydney, Australia
Position(s) Midfielder
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1995 Manly Warringah Dolphins
1995–1996 Campbell University
1996-1997 Leyton Orient[1] 4 (0)
1997 Northampton Town
1998 Raunds Town
1998 King's Lynn
1999-2003 Blacktown City
2003-2011 Brookvale
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 10 May 2009

Playing career

Steven Riches is a retired journeyman footballer who plied his trade on three continents.

Whilst still a teenager, under coach John Kosmina, Riches won the NSW Super League double (Premiers and Grand Final)[3] with the Manly Warringah Dolphins in 1995.[4]

Later in 1995 Riches moved to the USA playing for Campbell University of North Carolina in NCAA Division I, where he picked up Rookie-of-the-Year honours.[5] The Fighting Camels were NCAA play-off contenders[5] and won the Atlantic Sun Conference division title.[6]

In 1996, Riches then left for England where he had an extensive trial with West Ham (and later Crewe Alexandra) eventually staying in the capital and signing for Orient. The club giving him a contract on the recommendation of former England Youth Team coach John Cartwright. He made his debut at Rochdale two days after signing.[7]

In his home debut for Orient (against Swansea) Riches helped set up the Dave Hanson winner late into the game. According to The Sun, former West Ham player Pat Holland, the then Orient manager, beamed that Riches had made things happen and that Orient were lucky to have him,[8] whilst English football writer and novelist, Brian Glanville noted the "dancing feet" of a slender 20-year-old Australian, in The Times newspaper.[9]

From 1997 to 1998 Riches moved to Northampton Town[10] and finished his English experience with Raunds Town then King's Lynn.

In 1999, he returned to Australia in what was a successful stint at Blacktown City[2] in the New South Wales Super League, then the top league for NSW. Playing well over 100 games he picked up 9 medals in a four-year stay including a second Premiers and Grand Final NSW Super League double in 2000[3] (as he had done back in 1995 with Manly).

In 2003,  Riches then returned to Manly Warringah (MWFA) where his career first started. He signed for Brookvale F.C. on Sydney's Northern Beaches, one of Australia's biggest and strongest football regions.[11] The Brookvale team of the era, under coach Rocky Carlino, was described as a dynasty, in a period of unprecedented success.[12]

In an eight-year stay, until 2011,  Riches helped the team win a record six MWFA titles plus a NSW Champion-of-Champions crown.[13]

Personal life

In retirement from the game, Riches is an executive manager for a fitness company but remains a Peninsula football identity.[14]

References
  1. "Steve Riches". Soccerbase. Retrieved 16 August 2020.
  2. "Australian Player Database - RE". ozfootball,net. Retrieved 11 May 2009.
  3. "New South Wales Champions". Retrieved 7 June 2020.
  4. "N.S.W. SOCCER FEDERATION SUPER LEAGUE MANLY WARRINGAH DOLPHINS CHAMPIONS 1995". Australian and British Soccer Weekly (No.787 p.24). 20 August 1996.
  5. "Ex-Dolphins prove big hit in US". The Manly Daily (Tuesday). 31 October 1995. p. 20.
  6. ASUN Conference Men's Soccer Record Book (PDF). Atlantic Sun Conference. p. 15.
  7. "Steve Riches from Sydney to Brisbane…Road". Leyton Orient Winter Magazine 1996/1997. pp. 33–34.
  8. "O's bank on Riches". The Sun. 2 October 1996. p. 33.
  9. Glanville, Brian. "Flexible friend holds the key to riches". The Times (4 October 1996).
  10. "Losing start for Cobblers". Northampton Chronicle and Echo. 17 July 1997. p. 60.
  11. "DAVID MASON NAMED MWFA AND MUFC CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER". 7 June 2020.
  12. "Blues have still got it". The Manly Daily (Tuesday). 19 August 2004. pp. 18–19.
  13. "Brookvale FC History". 7 June 2020.
  14. "Bennett buzzing ahead of Back to Manly Day". Manly United Football Club. 7 June 2020.
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