A 21-year-old soccer player has died after being struck by lightning during a practice session in Queensland, Australia — a tragedy that has left a small coastal community in shock and mourning.
Finley Bone, a player and youth coach with the Noosa Lions Football Club, was practicing goal kicks with her partner at the Cooroy Sporting Complex around 5:30 p.m. Thursday when a storm rolled across the Sunshine Coast. Witnesses say the lightning strike came suddenly, with no time to seek shelter.
Emergency responders arrived within minutes and found Bone in critical condition. She was rushed to Nambour Hospital but later died.
“No one can believe this happened,” her mother, Donna Markert, told ABC News Australia. “Fin had her life taken away in a minute.” She thanked the paramedics and emergency room staff who tried to save her daughter. “Our heartfelt thanks to the emergency team who responded in minutes, and the ED at Nambour Hospital. They gave us next-level care,” she said.
Queensland Ambulance Service senior operations supervisor Danielle Williams said bystanders at the field had immediately jumped into action, using an automated external defibrillator before paramedics arrived — an act that, she said, demonstrated “incredible courage” given the ongoing storm.
“It was a very challenging scene because the storm was still happening when we arrived,” Williams told reporters. “Lightning storms can be unpredictable. When you hear thunder, that means lightning is close enough to strike — and that’s the time to get indoors.”
She urged residents to take warnings seriously as Queensland continues to face a string of severe weather events this spring. “If people can, seek shelter in a safe space in the house,” she said. “The bathroom is the safest place in the house to seek shelter.”
Bone’s death has devastated the regional football community. Noosa Lions F.C. posted a tribute on Instagram Friday morning, writing: “Finley was a much-loved member of our FQPL3 Women’s team and a coach of our U12/13 girls. Our heartfelt condolences go out to Paul and Donna and all of Finley’s family and friends.”
Teammates described her as kind, dedicated, and deeply involved in mentoring younger players. “She always had time for the kids,” one club parent told local outlet Sunshine Coast News. “They adored her.”
The Cooroora United Football Club said in a statement that it was “deeply saddened” by the incident and has suspended all football activities until further notice. “Our deepest condolences go out to the family and members of our club community who have been impacted by this tragic loss.”
Police Chief Inspector Jason Overland called Bone’s death a “tragic incident” and said a report will be prepared for the coroner.
For a region where community sport is a cornerstone of social life, the shock has been profound. In a town where players, parents, and volunteers often overlap across teams and clubs, Finley Bone’s loss feels intensely personal — a reminder that even a familiar patch of green turf can suddenly become a place of heartbreak.
“She was just doing what she loved,” her mother said. “That’s the hardest part.”
