The power of public education initially came for Craig Foster through sport, but these days its impacts stretch well beyond the confines of a football field.

The former Socceroo, turned football pundit, turned human rights campaigner, and qualified lawyer loved his time Kadina High School (now Kadina High Campus) in Lismore and before that at Goonellabah Public School.

“(Kadina) was effectively a new public high school, so I got to take advantage of that,” said Foster, who came to the school in 1982.

“At lunch time we could practise sport. There were new fields and new equipment, so I was very fortunate in that way. It’s one thing that drives my advocacy for public education, because I had that.”

An outspoken crusader for social justice and equity, Foster has lauded public education over the years, visiting many schools in NSW and joining the department’s alumni program.

He’s a model for the well-rounded education that NSW public schools provide.

A gifted footballer from a young age, he took his high school team to a state final, before getting a start in Australia’s National Soccer League.

After racking up more than 150 games he’d go on to play with Portsmouth and Crystal Palace in England.

He’d also represent Australia 29-times, the last few years of his national career coinciding with the rise of one of the early Westfields Sports High School’s alumni, Socceroos teammate Harry Kewell.

Having achieved success from a comprehensive public school but also bearing witness to the burgeoning state sports high schools and other specialist NSW public schools, Foster says there is room for both.

“The opportunity to train before and after school in a public school system with its low cost is extremely important,” he said.

“Elsewhere you know parents are going to be paying thousands, if not tens of thousands of dollars to be in some form of privatised environment, whether that’s a school or academy.

“Every kid should be able to chase their dreams and explore the limits of their talent at the youngest age possible.”

That could – and should – also mean at a local city public school or somewhere in the country.

“It’s all about equal opportunity. We place (selective schools) on top rather than remove and not limit opportunities elsewhere,” he said.

“One thing that is immutable and non-negotiable is that every kid has access to a free, outstanding education."