Football Australia mourns the passing of former Socceroo, Stephen Laybutt | Football Australia
A graduate of the Australian Institute of Sport, Laybutt was a skilled centre back who proudly represented the Australian Men’s Senior National Team from 2000 to 2004. Throughout 1999 and 2000 he played concurrently with the Australian Under-23 Men’s National Team and Australian Men’s National Team.
Laybutt made a significant impact with 18 appearances for the Socceroos, making his A International debut in early 2000 against Chile in Valparaiso and subsequently playing crucial roles in the team’s victories at the 2000 and 2004 Oceania Football Confederation (OFC) Nations Cup, where Australia triumphed in both tournaments. Laybutt also represented the Australian Men’s Under-23 side from 1998 to 2000, featuring in all three of Australia’s group stage matches at the Sydney 2000 Summer Olympics on home soil.
Starting his career in the National Soccer League (NSL) with the Wollongong Wolves (1995-1997) and then the Brisbane Strikers (1997-1999), Laybutt showcased his talent, accumulating 29 and 68 appearances, respectively. His journey extended to Bellmare Hiratsuka in Japan (1999), where he added 10 more appearances to his professional record followed by a brief stint with Parramatta Power.
In 2000, Laybutt made the move to Dutch giants Feyenoord marking the start of his European venture which also saw him playing for Roosendaal in the Netherlands and Lyn Oslo in Norway. In the same year, he would make his debut for the Australian Men’s National Team under the tutelage of Frank Farina, scoring his lone goal for the Socceroos, volleying in the opener against Hungary in a memorable 3-0 victory in Budapest.
The year 2002 saw Laybutt's return to Australia, donning the colours of Sydney Olympic (2002, 12 appearances) and making a
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