Jason Polak
{{Short description|Australian soccer player}}
{{Infobox football biography
| name = Jason Polak
| image =
| caption =
| fullname = Jason Polak
| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|df=yes|1968|01|09}}
| birth_place =
| death_date =
| death_place =
| height =
| position = Midfielder
| currentclub =
| youthyears1 = 1985–1987
| youthclubs1 = Watford F.C.
| years1 = 1987–1989
| clubs1 = Sydney Olympic
| caps1 = 14
| goals1 = 0
| years4 = 1989–1990
| clubs4 = Panathinaikos
| caps4 = 3
| goals4 = 0
| years5 = 1991–1992
| clubs5 = De Graafschap
| caps5 = 17
| goals5 = 0
| years6 = 1994–1995
| clubs6 = South Melbourne
| caps6 = 21
| goals6 = 2
| years7 = 1995–1996
| clubs7 = Brisbane Strikers
| caps7 = 27
| goals7 = 1
| years8 = 1996–1999
| clubs8 = South Melbourne
| caps8 = 56
| goals8 = 5
| years9 = 1999–2000
| clubs9 = Canberra Cosmos
| caps9 = 23
| goals9 = 3
| years10 =
| nationalyears1 = 1988–1996
| nationalteam1 = Australia
| nationalcaps1 = 32
| nationalgoals1 = 2
| club-update =
| nationalteam-update =
| medaltemplates = {{MedalCountry|{{fb|AUS}}}}
{{MedalSport|Men's Association football}}
{{MedalCompetition|OFC Nations Cup}}
{{Medal|W|1996 Oceania|}}
}}
Jason Polak (born 9 January 1968) is an Australian former association football player.
Playing career
=Club career=
Polak began his National Soccer League career with Sydney Olympic in 1989 after having spent three years at the Australian Institute of Sport.{{Cite web|url=http://www.ozfootball.net/ark/Players/P/PO.html|title=Australian Player Database – P|publisher=ozfootball.net|access-date=17 February 2010}} In the 1989/90 season, Polak spent time with Greek club Panathinaikos.{{Cite web|url=https://www.rsssf.org/players/foreign-players-in-grk6080.html |title=Foreign Players in Greece since 1959/60 |access-date=17 February 2010 |url-status=live |website=RSSSF |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081210204039/http://www.rsssf.com/players/foreign-players-in-grk6080.html |archive-date=10 December 2008 }} He played as a centre midfielder and left midfielder. He also played as an attacker.
=International career=
In 1985, Polak was selected for an Australian Schoolboys team to tour the United Kingdom, however he did not tour.{{Cite web|url=http://nswschoolsfootball.org.au/images/Australian%20Schoolboys%20Teams.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110706125440/http://nswschoolsfootball.org.au/images/Australian%20Schoolboys%20Teams.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-date=6 July 2011 |title=AUSTRALIAN SCHOOLBOYS TEAMS 1977–2009 |publisher=NSW Schools Football |access-date=17 February 2010 }}
In 1987, Polak played three matches for the Australia national under-20 football team at the 1987 FIFA World Youth Championship.
Polak made his debut for the Australia national association football team in 1988 against Fiji in Newcastle. He played his last match in 1996 in Australia's defeat of Tahiti in the second leg of the 1996 OFC Nations Cup final in Canberra.{{Cite web|url=https://www.fifa.com/worldfootball/statisticsandrecords/players/player=56360/index.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080328023149/http://www.fifa.com/worldfootball/statisticsandrecords/players/player=56360/index.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=28 March 2008|title=FIFA Player Statistics: Jason POLAK|publisher=FIFA|access-date=17 February 2010}}{{cite book|title=The Australian National Men’s Football Team: Caps And Captains|publisher=Football Federation Australia}}
In 1989, Polak made three appearances for the Australia national futsal team at the 1989 FIFA Futsal World Championship.{{Cite web|url=http://www.ozfootball.net/ark/Futsalroos/1989.html|title=Futsalroo Internationals for 1989|publisher=ozfootball.net|access-date=17 February 2010}}
{{International goals header|ref=no|above= International goals}}
{{Ig match
| n = 1
| d = 12 June 1994
| st = Sydney Football Stadium (1988)| ci=Sydney | co=Australia
| o = South Africa
| sc = 1
| fr = 1–0
| comp = Friendly
}}
{{Ig match
| n = 2
| d = 21 September 1996
| st = | ci=Pretoria| co=South Africa
| o = Kenya
| sc = 1
| fr = 4–0
| comp = Friendly
}}
|}
Honours
References
{{Reflist}}
{{Australia Squad 1996 OFC Oceania Nations Cup}}
{{Authority control}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2020}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Polak, Jason}}
Category:Australian men's soccer players
Category:Australia men's international soccer players
Category:Australian Institute of Sport soccer players
Category:Australian people of Polish descent
Category:Men's association football midfielders
Category:1996 OFC Nations Cup players
Category:OFC Nations Cup–winning players