A lifetime in football
Elmer “Lacknet” Bedia was born in 1962 in Barotac Nuevo, Iloilo, a Philippine community with a long football tradition. He represented the Philippines in youth football before playing for Barotac Nuevo in the former National Football League.
His performance during the 1979 Don Andres Soriano Memorial Cup helped bring him to the attention of Philippine Air Force Football Club. He later became part of the club during a successful period in national football.
Elmer represented the Philippines at senior international level and was included in the national squad for the 1991 Southeast Asian Games. He received the Philippine Sportswriters Association’s Mr. Football Award in 1981, 1983 and 1984.
He moved to Australia in 1986 and continued his playing career with Brisbane Olympic United Football Club for approximately nine years. Following his playing career, he remained involved in junior coaching, football development, youth mentoring and community outreach.
In 2013, he established the Elmer Lacknet Bedia Football Academy. His football and community work later contributed to the development of ELB Filipino-Australian Football Association Inc., which became active as an Australian incorporated entity on 24 March 2021.
Sources: Wikipedia — Elmer Bedia; Australian Business Register — ABN Lookup.