- The sporting community mourns Ben Singleton
- He worked as general manager of foreign exchange businesses.
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Former Australian footballer Ben Singleton is in mourning after his sudden death on Christmas Eve at the age of 45.
Singleton represented his country in indoor soccer, a form of soccer played primarily on hard courts, and is survived by his wife Aki and young daughters Evie and Joni.
One of Singleton’s former coaches announced the tragic news in a heartbreaking statement this week.
“It is with deep, deep sadness that I write this post,” Scott Gilligan wrote on Facebook.
‘On Christmas Eve, one of my closest friends, Ben Singleton, also known as Door in the futsal world, passed away.
‘Door was an integral member of Mad Alison’s, who played in 3 consecutive Men’s Club Futsal National Championship finals between 2000 and 2002. In the 2001 final, Door scored the most spectacular futsal goal I have ever seen when he volleyed the ball with the heel towards the opponent’s upper corner.
Ben Singleton (pictured, bottom right, playing futsal for the Australian national team) is in mourning following his sudden death at the age of 45.
The business executive is survived by his wife Aki (pictured together) and young daughters Evie and Joni.
Singleton (pictured with his daughters) has been remembered as a “legend”
‘Door was also a key component of the Futsalroos team I was fortunate to coach which culminated in the 2004 FIFA Futsal World Cup, scoring a goal against Thailand in that event.
‘Over the last 15 years we had crossed paths on several occasions whenever we could, always catching up on old times.
‘However, all good things come to an end, sometimes sooner than one anticipates, but the memories will last forever.
“Ben, I trust you have found a champion of peace.”
Singleton’s sister Megan also paid an emotional tribute, writing: “He was simply one of the best, kindest and most respected human beings, and he will be greatly missed.”
The former athlete worked as CEO of a company that describes itself as “Australia’s leading online trading company” after previously holding senior roles at Bank of America and France’s Credit Agricole.
According to Singleton’s LinkedIn profile, he recently began working as CEO of IC Markets, which is described on its website as “Australia’s leading online trading company”.
Before that, his profile lists him as CEO of French company Credit Agricole, vice president of Bank of America, and currency trader for the Commonwealth Bank.
Her sister’s Facebook post generated many messages of support and condolences, as did the announcement from Gilligan, who also revealed that she will wear her Mad Alison t-shirt at the funeral “to honor Door’s memory and that goal.”
Commenters on his post described Singleton as “an incredible human being,” a “legend,” and a humble man who was “always happy to share knowledge about the game.”