Vale Joe Pompor

St George FC was saddened to learn of the recent passing of one if its former players, Joe Pompor, who was a member of the Budapest team in its formative years. Originally a refugee who arrived in Australia after fleeing Hungary, Joe initially played his football in Canberra where he was to meet his future wife, Vicki. Following the creation of the Budapest team in Sydney, Joe was recruited and made his first appearances for the club in 1959, the first season in which Budapest competed in the top division.

Joe was a member of both the victorious Ampol Cup winning side in 1960, defeating APIA 5-2 in the final, and the 1962 Premiership winning side, the first First Division title that the Budapest club won.

Joe’s final match for the club was an Australia Cup fixture in 1965 but he remained connected to the club, and was proud to be a member of a St George Old Boy’s team which played with Hungarian great Ferenc Puskas upon one of Puskas’ visits to Australia in the mid 1980s. Interestingly, Joe had grown up just down the road from Puskas in Budapest, and was extremely proud to take the field and reconnect with the famous star.

Joe passed away on 1 June 2025 at the age of 85.