When Australia took on New Zealand in the first ever international in 1922, the team’s captain Alex Gibb earned the prestigious honour of being the first ever Socceroo.

Almost 100 years later, Howe, Australia’s premier football statistician, has chronicled the story of the 596  'A' internationals and 314 additional non ‘A’ internationals who featured for the Socceroos.

Howe first fell in love with Australian football almost 30 years ago when he went to his first National Soccer League game between APIA and Marconi at Lambert Park.

Since then Howe combined his new love of soccer with his skills as a demographer to create the Encyclopedia of Socceroos which tells the story of every Australian national team player for the first time.

“They have an amazing history," he said speaking to FourFourTwo.

“The team has been around for almost 100 years and this is the first book that was focused on the players and there have been a lot of players whose stories I wanted to tell.

“When I fell in love with the game I was looking for information about the teams and about the history and I couldn’t find much.

“So I collected my own information and my own history and the encyclopedia is a result of a 30 year journey that I’ve taken, to not just follow the game as a fan, but to collect information to tell stories to others about the game.”

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Each of the 596 Socceroos who've played 'A' internationals and are featured in Howe’s encyclopedia have a mini biography, which delves into the background of the players' lives and reveals more than just their stats.

“I’ve tried to summarise their life before they played for Australia,” he said.

“In terms of where they came from and any particular feats they achieved at club level and any achievement they made along the way.

“Because a lot of the players came from overseas. Around one in three Socceroos were born overseas, especially players from the 60s and 70s who achieved a lot before coming to Australia and playing for the national team.”