Kye Francis Rowles (born 24 June 1998) is an Australian professional soccer player who plays as a central defender for Scottish Premiership club Heart of Midlothian. Rowles began his professional career with Brisbane Roar in 2016 before moving to Central Coast Mariners in 2017. He has represented Australia at under-17 level, including at the 2015 FIFA U-17 World Cup, under-23 level at the Tokyo Olympics and at senior level at the 2022 FIFA World Cup.

Kye Rowles
Personal information
Full name Kye Francis Rowles[1]
Date of birth (1998-06-24) 24 June 1998 (age 26)
Place of birth Kiama, New South Wales, Australia
Height 1.85 m (6 ft 1 in)
Position(s) Central defender
Team information
Current team
Heart of Midlothian
Number 15
Youth career
QAS
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2014–2015 FFA CoE 1 (0)
2016–2017 Brisbane Roar NPL 5 (0)
2016–2017 Brisbane Roar 2 (0)
2017–2022 Central Coast Mariners 104 (2)
2022– Heart of Midlothian 73 (1)
International career
2013–2015 Australia U17 15 (0)
2016 Australia U20 4 (0)
2019–2021 Australia U23 5 (0)
2022– Australia 23 (1)
Medal record
Men's football
Representing  Australia
AFF U-19 Youth Championship
First place 2016 Vietnam U-20 Team
AFF U-16 Youth Championship
Third place 2013 Myanmar U-17 Team
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 11 November 2024
‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 20 September 2024 (UTC)

Club career

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Brisbane Roar

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In May 2016, Rowles signed his first professional contract with Brisbane Roar on a two-year deal along with fellow young defender Connor O'Toole.[2] Rowles made his first competitive start for the Roar in a loss to Ulsan Hyundai in the AFC Champions League on 28 February 2017.[citation needed]

Central Coast Mariners

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Rowles moved to Central Coast Mariners on a one-year contract in June 2017.[3] He made his Mariners' A-League debut on 18 November 2017, following an injury to Josh Rose, in a loss to Adelaide United.[4]

Rowles played for the Mariners in the 2021 FFA Cup Final, which the Mariners lost 2-1. Rowles was jointly awarded the Mark Viduka Medal along with Jake Brimmer, becoming the first player to win the medal while playing for the losing team. He is also the only person to consecutively win the Mariners Medal.

Heart of Midlothian

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On 9 June 2022, Rowles joined Scottish Premiership side Heart of Midlothian for an undisclosed fee and signed a three-year deal.[5] On 16 January 2023, following a successful World Cup with Australia, Rowles signed a five-year contract extension to 2028.[6]

International career

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Rowles was selected in the Australian under-17 team for the 2015 FIFA U-17 World Cup.[7]

In November 2020, Rowles was called up to the Australian under-23 team for friendly matches against A-League sides.[8] In June 2021, Rowles was called up to the team again for the Tokyo 2020 Olympics.[9] He was part of the Olyroos Olympic squad. The team beat Argentine in their first group match but were unable to win another match. They were therefore not in medal contention.[10]

Rowles made his Socceroos debut 1 June 2022 against Jordan in a friendly match, winning 2-1.[11]

Rowles was called up to the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar.[12]

Career statistics

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Club

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As of 11 November 2024
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League National cup[a] Continental Other Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Brisbane Roar 2016–17 A-League 2 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 4 0
Central Coast Mariners 2017–18 A-League 11 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 11 0
2018–19 21 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 22 1
2019–20 20 1 2 0 2 0 0 0 22 1
2020–21 27 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 27 0
2021–22 25 0 3 0 0 0 0 0 28 0
Total 104 2 6 0 2 0 0 0 112 2
Hearts 2022–23 Scottish Premiership 29 1 2 0 2 0 0 0 33 1
2023–24 33 0 6 0 4 0 0 0 43 0
2024–25 11 0 0 0 4 0 15 0
Total 73 1 8 0 10 0 0 0 91 1
Career total 179 3 14 0 14 0 0 0 207 3
  1. ^ Includes the FFA Cup

International

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Appearances and goals by national team and year
National team Year Apps Goals
Australia 2022 7 0
2023 6 0
2024 10 1
Total 23 1

International goals

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No. Date Venue Opponent Score Result Competition
1 21 March 2024 Western Sydney Stadium, Parramatta, Australia   Lebanon 2–0 2–0 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification

Honours

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Australia U20
Individual

Notes

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References

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  1. ^ "Squad list - Men's Olympic Football Tournament Tokyo 2020" (PDF). FIFA. Retrieved 8 July 2021.
  2. ^ Monteverde, Marco (3 May 2016). "Brisbane Roar sign teenage defenders at the expense of Steve Lustica and Javier Hervas". The Courier-Mail. Retrieved 1 June 2017.
  3. ^ "Mariners sign Roar youngster". FourFourTwo. 26 June 2017. Archived from the original on 21 June 2018. Retrieved 26 June 2017.
  4. ^ Taylor, Ellie (17 November 2017). "Depleted Mariners fall to Adelaide United". Central Coast Mariners FC. Retrieved 18 November 2017.
  5. ^ "Gorgie Rowles | Heart Of Midlothian Football Club". www.heartsfc.co.uk. Retrieved 10 June 2022.
  6. ^ "KYE PLEDGES LONG-TERM FUTURE TO HEARTS | Heart Of Midlothian Football Club". www.heartsfc.co.uk. Retrieved 16 January 2023.
  7. ^ "Joeys name squad for the FIFA U-17 World Cup". The World Game. 2 October 2015. Retrieved 26 June 2017.
  8. ^ "Three Mariners head off to Olyroos camp in Sydney". Central Coast Mariners. 9 November 2020. Retrieved 11 November 2020.
  9. ^ "8 out of 12 ain't bad: which A-League clubs featured Olympic-bound talent in 2020/21". A-League. 29 June 2021. Retrieved 30 June 2021.
  10. ^ "Australian Olympic Team for Tokyo 2021". The Roar. Retrieved 22 February 2022.
  11. ^ "'Couldn't have had a better game to play': Arnold praises Socceroos' resilience after Jordan fightback". Socceroos. 3 June 2022. Retrieved 4 June 2022.
  12. ^ "Illawarra duo named in Socceroos World Cup squad". Illawarra Mercury. 8 November 2022. Retrieved 28 November 2022.
  13. ^ "Roar quartet and Young Socceroos crowned Champions". Brisbane Roar FC. 25 September 2016. Retrieved 25 August 2021.
  14. ^ "News - Kye Rowles Big Winner At Mariners Medal Dinner". Central Coast Mariners. 3 June 2022. Retrieved 4 June 2022.
  15. ^ Harrington, Anna (5 February 2022). "Popovic delights in Victory FFA Cup glory". Seven News. Seven Network. Archived from the original on 17 November 2022. Retrieved 1 February 2023.
  16. ^ Harrington, Anna (20 May 2022). "ALM young guns get shot against Barcelona". The Canberra Times. Retrieved 20 May 2022.
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