| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Reece Tollenaere | ||
| Date of birth | 27 June 1977 | ||
| Place of birth | Tweed Heads, New South Wales, Australia | ||
| Height | 1.82 m (5 ft 11 1⁄2 in) | ||
| Playing position | Striker | ||
| Club information | |||
| Current club | Free Agent | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| 1995-1999 | Brisbane Strikers | 35 | (4) |
| 1997-1998 | Newcastle Breakers | 9 | (3) |
| VV Huizen | |||
| 2001-2005 | Queensland Lions | 61 | (74) |
| 2005-2006 | Queensland Roar | 3 | (0) |
| 2007-2008 | Brisbane Strikers | ||
| 2009-2010 | Eastern Suburbs | ||
| * Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 5 August 2011. † Appearances (Goals). |
|||
Reece Tollenaere (born 27 June 1977 in Tweed Heads, New South Wales, Australia) is an Australian football (soccer) player who plays as a striker. He last played for the Queensland Roar in the A-League competition,[1] and played in the National Soccer League for Brisbane Strikers. Reece was signed by the Brisbane Strikers FC in the National Soccer League at the age of 17 after a successful two-year stint with the Queensland Academy of Sport, in which he won the NYL top goalscorer award with 23 goals in just 18 appearances.
In his early days with the Strikers he played predominantly as a wide midfielder under the guidance of Frank Farina and was a part of the Brisbane Strikers team to win the Ericsson Cup (NSL title) in the 1996/97 season. He was a part of the Australian U20 squad and played three matches for his country before missing out on the final Youth World Cup squad in 1997.
In early 1998, whilst contracted to the Strikers, Reece transferred on loan to the Newcastle Breakers for the final 9 games of the season. He played in each game scoring 6 goals, which included a hat-trick against Perth Glory in a 4-3 win and a goal against the Strikers to deny his former team of a win. Reece returned to his hometown and the Strikers the next season with the Newcastle Breakers coach John Kosmina. Although the season started brightly with a headed goal against Marconi Fairfield, he suffered a fracture to the ankle in the third game of the season against Sydney Olympic and struggled for the remainder of the season, requiring surgery to remove floating bone.
Reece suffered multiple facial fractures in a head clash in only his third game of the inaugural A-League season whilst playing for the Roar and was forced to miss the remainder of the season, undergoing two facial reconstructions.
After a long absence from the game he continued his playing career with the Brisbane Strikers, halfway through the 2006 Brisbane Premier League season. He managed to score 12 goals in as many games with the club helping the Strikers to the Premiership and Grand Final win with a double in the final. Reece continued playing for the Brisbane Strikers in 2007 and 2008 in both a striker and midfield role and has proved to be a prolific goalscorer.
Aside from football, Reece has a Bachelors degree in Science, majoring in Biotechnology and a Diploma of Business in Marketing.
He is married to the marine biologist Alina Tollenaere (née Craigie).[1]