Goalkeeper Mark Schwarzer has been named Australian Footballer of the Year for 2008/09.

The 36-year-old was presented with the inaugural accolade at the Australian Football Awards in Sydney.

The gong is voted on by FFA board members, FFA chief executive Ben Buckley, and media representatives from News Ltd, Fairfax and football magazine 442, with Schwarzer the clear pick after a year in which he kept nine consecutive clean sheets for the Socceroos and helped Fulham to achieve their best-ever Premier League finish of seventh.

Schwarzer, who captained the Socceroos in Wednesday's 2-0 won over Bahrain, has a senior international career spanning 16 years - a record in longevity for an Australian male footballer.

Schwarzer also won the Football Media Association's International Player of the Year, while Tim Cahill won the Professional Footballers' Association Player of the Year.