Craig Foster: podcast appearances and interviews

Craig Foster is an Australian retired soccer player and a documentary filmmaker known for his Academy Award-winning film My Octopus Teacher. Born in 1969, Foster played professionally from 1988 to 2003, including for the Australian national team, the Socceroos, from 1996 to 2000. He served as the 419th Socceroo and was the 40th captain of the national team. Beyond his playing career, Foster has been a sports analyst for the Stan streaming service in Australia and was chief soccer analyst for SBS until June 2020. He is recognized for his human rights activism, notably criticizing the Australian government’s treatment of asylum seekers. Foster played a prominent role in the campaign to free Bahraini footballer Hakeem al-Araibi from detention in Thailand between late 2018 and early 2019. He co-wrote a book titled Fighting for Hakeem, which served as the working title for a 2023 documentary, The Defenders. Additionally, Foster was elected chair of the Australian Republic Movement in November 2022, demonstrating his active engagement in civic and social issues.