Errol Gulden


Errol Gulden is a professional Australian rules footballer playing for the Sydney Swans in the Australian Football League. Gulden is a dual All-Australian and won the Bob Skilton Medal in 2023. He also won the AFLPA best first-year player award in 2021 and was nominated for the 2021 AFL Rising Star award.

Early life

Gulden was born in Sydney to a Turkish-born father and an Australian mother. He grew up in the suburb of Malabar and supported Carlton. He began playing junior Australian rules football for the Maroubra Saints Junior Football Club in Maroubra as at the age of 4. However his main passion was soccer, he was considered quite a talented player and desired to continue toward playing it professionally. Gulden was identified by Sydney Swans talent scouts and was signed to the Sydney Swans academy at 11 years of age.
In 2017, while attending Marcellin College Gulden was named in the NSW independent schools team to New Zealand to play against the New Zealand national team. In 2018, Gulden was named as an Under 16s All-Australian after his stellar season with the Under-16 NSW/ACT Rams, and was also named as the team's most valuable player. He played in the 2019 NAB All Stars Futures Match alongside future teammates Braeden Campbell and Logan McDonald. Gulden also played for the UNSW-Eastern Suburbs Bulldogs in three seasons from 2018 to 2020 for a total of 33 games and was named as best on ground in their 2019 premiership win over Sydney University.

AFL career

Gulden was recruited by Sydney with the 32nd draft pick in the 2020 AFL draft.
Gulden debuted in the opening round of the 2021 AFL season, starring for Sydney in a 31-point win over the at the Gabba. In his first game, he kicked 3 goals and collected 19 disposals and earned himself a Rising Star nomination for the round, as the Swans won at the Gabba and defeated the Lions, in both instances, for the first time since round 10, 2018. In addition, Gulden polled two votes in the 2021 Brownlow Medal, becoming the fifth Swan to poll votes on debut. He backed up his groundbreaking round one performance with a 22 disposal, 1 goal performance the next week in the team's 33 point win over. After this performance, Champion Data statistics described him as having two of the best games recorded by a debutant ever.
Gulden played the first eight games of the 2021 season, before being sidelined for an extended period of time due to stress reactions in his foot. He returned in Round 15 against Port Adelaide and remained in the side for the rest of the year. Gulden became a key part of Sydney's best 22, helping the team qualify for finals after a 16th-placed finish the year before. He played 15 games and kicked 12 goals, and was recognised by his peers when he won the AFLPA Best First Year Player award. He also polled in the top 5 for the Rising Star, and was the highest-polling first-year player.
In 2023, Gulden polled 27 votes in the Brownlow Medal, finishing in equal fourth place, just four votes behind winner Lachie Neale. This was the most votes by a Swan in a season since 1940.
He also received selection to the All-Australian team for the first time. He also won the Bob Skilton Medal, awarded to the best Swans player for the year.
Gulden extended his time at the Swans, signing a 4-year contract. As a Liverpool FC fan, he has credited Steven Gerrard as an inspiration for extending his time at Sydney.
In the 2025 preseason clash against Gold Coast at People First Stadium, Gulden fractured his ankle, which saw him miss the first half of the year. He returned in the round 15 clash against Port Adelaide, and eventually brought up his 100th AFL game against in round 21.

Statistics

Updated to the end of the 2025 season.
! colspan=3 | Career
! 103 !! 75 !! 56 !! 1675 !! 701 !! 2376 !! 519 !! 395 !! 0.7 !! 0.5 !! 16.3 !! 6.8 !! 23.1 !! 5.0 !! 3.8 !! 63

Honours and achievements

Team
Individual
  • 2× All-Australian team: 2023, 2024
  • Bob Skilton Medal: 2023
  • AFLPA best first-year player: 2021
  • 3× Brett Kirk Medal: 2023, 2024
  • AFL Rising Star nominee: 2021