A bustling but skilful centre-forward with a reputation for hot-headedness, he was originally from the Hunter region, 2 hours north of Sydney.
In 1983 he was signed by their local rivals Sydney Olympic where he would spend the next 7 seasons and where he would make his name as a player, he scored 60 goals in 151 appearances in all competitions for the club between 1983 and 1989, in the process becoming a household name and star for the Socceroos.
After finishing up with Olympic, Soper also played an important role during a successful period at Parramatta FC, helping the club win the 1991 NSL Cup.
At a national level, Soper played 29 times for the Socceroos, scoring four goals, mostly in "XI" matches against club teams.
Soper then moved to a team in the Illawarra Premier League the Coniston Lions FC to become their club coaching director[1] before accepting the post at his former club Perak FA as their academy head coach in April 2013.