James Bell (Australian footballer)
James Bell (born 10 February 1999) is a former professional Australian rules footballer who played for the Sydney Swans in the Australian Football League (AFL).
| James Bell | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 Bell playing for Sydney in July 2019 | |||
| Personal information | |||
| Full name | James Bell | ||
| Date of birth | 10 February 1999 | ||
| Place of birth | Shellharbour, New South Wales | ||
| Original team(s) | Shellharbour Swans (South Coast Australian Football League) | ||
| Draft | Category B Rookie Selection, 2017 rookie draft | ||
| Height | 183 cm (6 ft 0 in) | ||
| Weight | 81 kg (179 lb) | ||
| Position(s) | Midfielder | ||
| Club information | |||
| Current club | Sydney | ||
| Number | 32 | ||
| Playing career1 | |||
| Years | Club | Games (Goals) | |
| 2019-2022; | Sydney | 28 (10) | |
|
1 Playing statistics correct to the end of the 2022 season. | |||
| Sources: AFL Tables, AustralianFootball.com | |||
Early life
Bell was born and raised in Shellharbour in the Illawarra region of New South Wales[1] and is of Indigenous Australian heritage (Yuin).[2] He grew up playing soccer and was linked to the Western Sydney Wanderers for a number of years as a teenager.[3] He began playing Australian rules football at the age of 13 and was placed in the Sydney Swans developmental academy shortly after.[4] When Bell was 15, he was given an ultimatum to choose between his two sporting interests and elected to pursue Australian rules football after attending a three-day training camp with his childhood idol - Sydney Swans player and two-time Brownlow Medallist Adam Goodes.[5] Bell subsequently moved to Sydney and joined the club's academy program full-time. The decision paid off when the Swans elected to pre-select Bell as a Category B rookie during the 2017 AFL draft.[6]
AFL career
Bell made his AFL debut for Sydney in 2019 in their round 21 fixture against Port Adelaide.[7]
Statistics
Updated to the end of the 2022 season.[8]
G |
Goals | K |
Kicks | D |
Disposals | T |
Tackles |
B |
Behinds | H |
Handballs | M |
Marks |
| Season | Team | No. | Games | Totals | Averages (per game) | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| G | B | K | H | D | M | T | G | B | K | H | D | M | T | ||||
| 2017 | Sydney | 32 | 0 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 2018 | Sydney | 32 | 0 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 2019 | Sydney | 32 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 9 | 5 | 14 | 7 | 5 | 0.5 | 0.5 | 4.5 | 2.5 | 7.0 | 3.5 | 2.5 |
| 2020[lower-alpha 1] | Sydney | 32 | 8 | 3 | 2 | 37 | 32 | 69 | 13 | 28 | 0.4 | 0.3 | 4.6 | 4.0 | 8.6 | 1.6 | 3.5 |
| 2021 | Sydney | 32 | 12 | 2 | 2 | 38 | 37 | 75 | 24 | 25 | 0.2 | 0.2 | 3.2 | 3.1 | 6.3 | 2.0 | 2.1 |
| 2022 | Sydney | 32 | 6 | 4 | 3 | 33 | 12 | 45 | 15 | 9 | 0.7 | 0.5 | 5.5 | 2.0 | 7.5 | 2.5 | 1.5 |
| Career | 28 | 10 | 8 | 117 | 86 | 203 | 59 | 67 | 0.4 | 0.3 | 4.2 | 3.1 | 7.3 | 2.1 | 2.4 | ||
Notes
- The 2020 season was played with 17 home-and-away matches per team (down from 22) and 16-minute quarters with time on (down from 20-minute quarters with time on) due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.
References
- "AFL 2019: Sydney Swans team news, James Bell to debut". Daily Telegraph. 6 August 2019.
- "AFL Indigenous Player Map 2018" (PDF). AFL Player's Association. 6 March 2018.
- Mee, Cameron (28 November 2017). "Swans select Shellharbour junior in AFL Rookie Draft". Illawarra Mercury.
- "Bell to do Illawara proud". Sydney Swans. 7 August 2019.
- Rugari, Vince (23 May 2019). "Goodes passes the torch to the AFL's next Indigenous leaders". The Age.
- Mee, Cameron (28 November 2017). "Swans select Shellharbour junior in AFL Rookie Draft". Illawarra Mercury.
- "Bell to debut". Sydney Swans. 6 August 2019.
- "James Bell Stats". AFL Tables. Retrieved 30 August 2022.
External links
- James Bell's profile on the official website of the Sydney Swans
- James Bell's playing statistics from AFL Tables