CHAMPION country footballer Steven Oliver is to stand for parliament. 

The Bendigo Football  Netball League Chief Executive Officer is to represent the Nationals in the lower house seat of Bendigo West against Police Minister Bob Cameron.Oliver, 39, is regarded as one of Victoria's best country footballers, with a brief stint at AFL club Carlton in the '90s.


“I firmly believe there comes a stage when you have to put up or shut up, and that time for me is here,” Oliver said in a statement today.


“I have a lifetime commitment to the region and I believe we need a new voice and a firmer direction than we’ve been getting in recent years.


“This is a great community. But so much is to be done to make it even greater.” 


Oliver was born in Castlemaine, and educated at Castlemaine Secondary College.


He captained the Victorian Under 17 cricket side, winning his local golf club championship at 17 before being drafted to Carlton.He returned to Castlemaine where he kicked more than 1000 goals and coached junior and senior teams for seven years.

Oliver continues a long tradition of country football starts standing for The Nationals.

Current Nationals MP Peter Hall, Hugh Delahunty and Bill Sykes all played VFL/AFL football, while Morwell MP Russell Northe was a champion footballer in Gippsland.Former Nationals MP Ron Best was widely regarded as the greatest country footballer never to have played at the highest level.


Oliver said "the Nationals hold the same values I do when it comes to regional Victoria. They work hard to give the regions a voice and have a track record of not buckling under to big city pressures."