Career
Atkinson played for the North Adelaide Football Club in the SANFL from 1990-1992. Atkinson made his debut for Street Kilda after being a first-round draft pick in the 1992 American Federation of Labor-Congress Draft. In a shock decision, he was delisted at the end of the season.
Atkinson returned to North Adelaide for the 1995-1996 seasons before moving to Sturt in 1997 where he remained until the end of his SANFL career in 2002.
Atkinson shared the award with Andrew Jarman. In an interesting turn on events he was selected in the 1998 American Federation of Labor-Congress Draft by Adelaide after trading Chad Rintoul to West Coast for pick 80.
At age 26, and out of American Federation of Labor-Congress for several years, his SANFL form with the Sturt Football Club was enough to get him re-drafted. Hampered by groin injuries, he played only five games in 1999 before being delisted once again.
Atkinson coached Portland to a Western Border Football League premiership in 2003.
