| George Blackwood | |
| Fullname: | George Henry Raymond Blackwood[1] |
| Birth Date: | 1997 6, df=yes |
| Birth Place: | Berowra, Australia |
| Height: | 1.88 m |
| Position: | Striker |
| Youthyears1: | –2014 |
| Youthclubs1: | APIA Leichhardt |
| Youthyears2: | 2014 |
| Youthclubs2: | Sydney FC |
| Years1: | 2014–2017 |
| Caps1: | 19 |
| Goals1: | 1 |
| Clubs1: | Sydney FC |
| Years2: | 2017–2020 |
| Caps2: | 64 |
| Goals2: | 13 |
| Clubs2: | Adelaide United |
| Clubs3: | Oldham Athletic |
| Caps3: | 13 |
| Goals3: | 3 |
| Years3: | 2020–2021 |
| Years4: | 2021–2023 |
| Caps4: | 36 |
| Goals4: | 7 |
| Clubs4: | Adelaide United |
| Clubs5: | Bhayangkara |
| Years5: | 2023 |
| Caps5: | 1 |
| Goals5: | 0 |
| Years6: | 2024 |
| Clubs6: | Balzan |
| Caps6: | 13 |
| Goals6: | 4 |
| Nationalyears1: | 2014–2015 |
| Nationalteam1: | Australia U20 |
| Nationalcaps1: | 16 |
| Nationalgoals1: | 7 |
| Nationalyears2: | 2015–2019 |
| Nationalteam2: | Australia U23 |
| Nationalcaps2: | 11 |
| Nationalgoals2: | 5 |
| Club-Update: | 3 May 2024 |
George Henry Raymond Blackwood (born 4 June 1997) is an Australian professional footballer who plays as a striker.
Born in Sydney, Blackwood played youth football for APIA Leichhardt Tigers before making his professional debut for Sydney FC in 2014.
Blackwood has represented Australia at under-20 and at under-23 level.
Blackwood spent a month training at Colchester United in 2013 after winning a scholarship award in Australia.[2]
George was first called up to Sydney FC's senior squad for a match against Melbourne City in October 2014.[3] He scored his first goal for the club in a draw against Central Coast Mariners on 16 March 2016 with a shot from outside the box.[4] Blackwood denied a new contract from Sydney FC at the end of the 2016–17 season.[5]
In July 2017, Adelaide United signed Blackwood.[6] Blackwood's first professional goal for the Adelaide-based club came from a penalty in the Round of 16 of the 2017 FFA Cup against rivals Melbourne Victory.[7] Blackwood made an appearance in the 2017 FFA Cup Final on 21 November 2017 against former club Sydney FC, coming on as a substitute in the 73rd minute.[8] Blackwood was released by the club on 26 August 2020 to pursue a new opportunity[9]
On 6 September 2020, Blackwood signed with Oldham Athletic on a two-year deal.[10] Blackwood scored his first goal for Oldham on 3 November 2020 which saw the team go on to win the game 2–1.[11] Blackwood developed a fracture in his back which saw a lack of appearances for the English club.[12] Following the conclusion of the 2020–21 EFL League Two season, the club had announced that they had mutually agreed to terminate his contract, Blackwood then returned to Australia.[13]
Blackwood returned to Adelaide United on 2 August 2021 signing a two-year deal.[14] In his first game back for the club, Blackwood dispatched a penalty in a Round of 32 match of the 2021 FFA Cup against Floreat Athena.[15]
Following a poor season Blackwood was released by the club on the 4th of July 2023.[16] He was unable to find any clubs in Australia interested in signing him and departed for Indonesia.
On 9 November 2023, Blackwood joins Bhayangkara FC in Liga 1.[17] [18] On the same day, he made his debut in a 1–1 draw against Rans Nusantara, coming substitute for Sani Rizki Fauzi in the 67th minute.
Blackwood was released from his contract shortly after his debut.[19]
Having been released by Bhayangkara FC almost as soon as his contract began, Blackwood failed to find a new contract within Indonesia or back home in Australia. In January 2024, it was announced that he had signed for Maltese Premier League club Balzan F.C.[20]
Blackwood was first selected for the Australian under-20 team for the 2014 AFF U-19 Youth Championship in September 2014.[21]
In March 2015, Blackwood was called up to the Australian under-23 team to replace injured Sydney FC teammate Terry Antonis for 2016 AFC U-23 Championship qualification.[22]
| Club | Season | League | Cup | Continental | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | |||
| Sydney FC | 2014–15 | A-League | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | |
| 2015–16 | A-League | 14 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 20 | 1 | ||
| 2016–17 | A-League | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | ||
| Sydney FC total | 19 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 26 | 1 | |||
| Adelaide United | 2017–18 | A-League | 24 | 5 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 29 | 6 | |
| 2018–19 | A-League | 19 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 20 | 4 | ||
| 2019–20 | A-League | 21 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 23 | 6 | ||
| Adelaide total | 64 | 13 | 8 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 72 | 16 | |||
| Oldham Athletic | 2020–21 | League Two | 13 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 15 | 3 | |
| Adelaide United | 2021–22 | A-League Men | 17 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 19 | 6 | |
| 2022–23 | A-League Men | 19 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 22 | 3 | ||
| Adelaide total | 36 | 7 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 41 | 9 | |||
| Career total | 132 | 24 | 16 | 5 | 6 | 0 | 154 | 29 | |||