Brisbane Strikers Football Club is an Australian semi-professional
football
Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...
club based in
Brisbane
Brisbane ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the states and territories of Australia, Australian state of Queensland, and the list of cities in Australia by population, third-most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a populati ...
,
Queensland
)
, nickname = Sunshine State
, image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg
, map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdivision_name = Australia
, established_title = Before federation
, established_ ...
. Founded in 1991 as Brisbane United, the club competed in the
National Soccer League
The National Soccer League (NSL) was the top-level soccer league in Australia, run by Soccer Australia and later the Australian Soccer Association. The NSL, the A-League's predecessor, spanned 28 seasons from its inception in 1977 until its d ...
until the
2003–04 season and was one of two clubs contending for an
A-League
A-League Men (known as the Isuzu UTE A-League for sponsorship reasons) is the highest-level professional men's soccer league in Australia and New Zealand. At the top of the Australian league system, it is the country's premier men's competiti ...
licence during the establishment of the league in 2004.
Brisbane Strikers currently competes in the
National Premier League Queensland
The National Premier League Queensland, run by Football Queensland, is the top tier state-level football (soccer) competition in Queensland. The conference is a sub division of the National Premier Leagues. The inaugural season kicked off in Marc ...
, with home matches played at
Perry Park.
History
Background
Brisbane's first representation in the
National Soccer League
The National Soccer League (NSL) was the top-level soccer league in Australia, run by Soccer Australia and later the Australian Soccer Association. The NSL, the A-League's predecessor, spanned 28 seasons from its inception in 1977 until its d ...
(NSL), then known as the Philips Soccer League (PSL), came in the form of
Brisbane City and
Brisbane Lions
The Brisbane Lions is a professional Australian rules football club based in Brisbane, Queensland, that plays in the Australian Football League (AFL).
The club was formed in late 1996 via a merger of the Melbourne-based 1883 foundation VFL c ...
. Brisbane City won the first two national knockout competitions, by defeating
Marconi in 1977 and
West Adelaide in 1978.
Brisbane Lions won the knockout competition in 1981, also defeating West Adelaide. Brisbane City left the NSL in after the 1986 season and Brisbane Lions after the 1988 season.
National Soccer League 1991–2004
The next Brisbane team in the NSL was Brisbane United, which played from 1991 to 1993 coached by
Miron Bleiberg
Miron Bleiberg ( he, מירון בלייברג) is an Israeli-Australian football (soccer) manager.
Biography
Bleiberg was educated at the Hebrew Reali School in Haifa, Israel. A former captain in the Israeli Navy, Bleiberg commanded patrol bo ...
. The team wore predominately white, with a blue and gold trim – the official colours of Brisbane. After a troubled time, with small crowds, confronting relegation and with a "disenchanted team", former
Australian Soccer Federation chairman
Ian Brusasco headed a trustee management group to restructure the club. The name was changed to the Brisbane Strikers for the 1993/94 season, with the colours, newly installed coach
Bruce Stowell and most players retained.
![Brisbane United clean](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d8/Brisbane_United_clean.jpg)
Initially the Brisbane Strikers were owned by the
Queensland Soccer Federation
Football Queensland is recognised by both the State and Federal Governments and Football Australia as the governing body for association football and futsal in Queensland, Australia.
Tracing its history back to the establishment of the Angl ...
(QSF), which handed the running of the club to a Trust Management Group composed of Brusasco (also a former president of the QSF),
Clem Jones
Clem Jones AO (16 January 191815 December 2007), a surveyor by profession, was the longest serving Lord Mayor of Brisbane, Queensland, representing the Labor Party from 1961 to 1975. He was chair of the Darwin Reconstruction Commission from 19 ...
(former
Lord Mayor of Brisbane
The Lord Mayor of Brisbane is the chief executive of the City of Brisbane, the capital of the Australian state of Queensland, and the head of the Brisbane City Council. Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner of the Liberal National Party was sworn in on ...
) and leading football official Frank Speare.
Coached by Stowell for three seasons, the Strikers finished fourth in 1995/96 to qualify for their first NSL finals appearance, in which they lost a semi-final playoff over two legs to
Sydney United
Sydney United 58 Football Club is a semi-professional soccer club and current NSW NPL Champions based in Edensor Park, Sydney, New South Wales Australia. The club was formed as Sydney Croatia in 1958, by Croatian Australians in the area, but ...
.
In the 1996/97 season, the Strikers ditched the white to wear a predominately gold kit, with blue trims, and were led by player-coach
Frank Farina
Frank Farina OAM (born 5 September 1964) is an Australian football (soccer) coach and former player who played as a forward.
His playing career spanned Australia, Belgium, France, Italy and England, and was a major player for the Australian ...
. The team finished second on the NSL ladder to Sydney United before going on to beat United in their semi-final to set up a home grand final – against the same team.
During this period, future
FIFA
FIFA (; stands for ''Fédération Internationale de Football Association'' ( French), meaning International Association Football Federation ) is the international governing body of association football, beach football and futsal. It was found ...
whistleblower
A whistleblower (also written as whistle-blower or whistle blower) is a person, often an employee, who reveals information about activity within a private or public organization that is deemed illegal, immoral, illicit, unsafe or fraudulent. Whi ...
Bonita Mersiades
Bonita Mersiades is an Australian corporate affairs practitioner, sports administrator and writer. Until 24 January 2010, Mersiades was Head of Corporate and Public Affairs with the Football Federation Australia and was also a member of the Senior ...
worked for the Strikers as the club's media officer.
At a time when football was struggling for mainstream acceptance and credibility in Australia, NSL Grand Finals– the pinnacle of club football in Australia – generally drew crowds between 12,000 and 25,000. But the 1997 Grand Final, played at
Lang Park
Lang Park, also known as Brisbane Football Stadium, by the sponsored name Suncorp Stadium, and nicknamed: 'The Cauldron', is a multi-purpose stadium in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia, located in the suburb of Milton. The current facility co ...
in Brisbane, drew a capacity 40,446 spectators to watch the Strikers beat Sydney United 2–0 with goals by Farina and
Rod Brown
Lelton Gerard "Rod" Brown (born September 9, 1978) is an American former professional basketball player. Born in Dallas, Texas, he holds dual British-American citizenship.
Professional career
After graduating from Western Michigan University in ...
.
This was a watershed moment for football in Australia, but the Strikers struggled the next season, finishing 12th. A significant event in the history of the club occurred in 1998 when the QSF divested itself of its ownership, which passed to the Strikers Football Club Pty Ltd.
Scarcely three years after the club had played its part in Australian club football's proudest moment, it was dealt a savage blow when Soccer Australia, as part of a restructuring of the national competition, refused the Strikers' application for a place in the NSL, citing financial concerns.
Canberra Cosmos
Canberra Cosmos Football Club was an Australian soccer club based in Canberra, Australian Capital Territory. It participated in the National Soccer League from the 1995/96 season until the end of the 2000/01 season, after which it folded, primar ...
was also expelled. This left the national league without a representative from the country's third most populous state.
Politicians, supporters and the general public waged a campaign to have the club reinstated to the national league. Then-
Queensland premier
The premier of Queensland is the head of government in the Australian state of Queensland.
By convention the premier is the leader of the party with a parliamentary majority in the unicameral Legislative Assembly of Queensland. The premier is ap ...
Peter Beattie
Peter Douglas Beattie (born 18 November 1952) is an Australian former politician who served as the 36th Premier of Queensland, in office from 1998 to 2007. He was the state leader of the Labor Party from 1996 to 2007.
Beattie was born in Sy ...
said of Soccer Australia officials: "Who the hell do they think they are?" How can you have a national soccer competition without a Queensland team? I mean, it's absolutely ridiculous. Soccer officials must be sensitive to its national obligations."
Public pressure eventually convinced Soccer Australia to reverse its decision and grant the Strikers Football Club Pty Ltd a licence for the 2000/2001 season.
Back on the field, under coach
John Kosmina
Alexander John Kosmina (born 17 August 1956), known as John Kosmina, is an Australian former football (soccer) player and manager, most recently being the Senior Head Coach of Brisbane Strikers. He is a member of the Football Federation Australi ...
, the Strikers finished fourth and qualified for the NSL finals. Eventual premiers
South Melbourne FC
South Melbourne Football Club is an Australian semi-professional Association football, soccer club based in suburb of Albert Park, Victoria, Albert Park, in Melbourne, Victoria (Australia), Victoria. The club currently competes in the National P ...
prevailed over the Strikers in their two-legged semi-final.
The next season saw the Strikers struggle again and led to the club parting ways with Kosmina. Despite a host of coaches showing interest in the vacancy, including some from overseas, the Strikers took the step of appointing 28-year-old club captain
Stuart McLaren as head coach, assisted by
Luciano Trani
Luciano Trani (born 10 August 1966 in Melbourne, Victoria) is an Australian former soccer player who currently serves as the assistant manager of A-League Men club Brisbane Roar FC.
Coaching career
Trani began coaching at the Victorian Premier ...
. Together, the two assembled a squad of unsung players from the local leagues and turning them into a team that took the club back to the 2003/04 NSL finals only to lose a memorable semi-final play-off to
Adelaide United
Adelaide United Football Club is a professional Association Football, soccer club based in Adelaide, South Australia, Australia. The club participates in the A-League Men under North American professional sports league organization#Systems ar ...
.
That season was the last for the NSL. A strong reform movement within the game in Australia had seen a new Soccer Australia Board appointed (which would change its name to Football Federation Australia) under the Chairmanship of
Frank Lowy
Sir Frank P. Lowy ( ; born 22 October 1930) is an Australian people, Australian-Israeli people, Israeli businessman of Jewish Slovakian-Hungarian origins and the former long-time Chairman of Westfield Corporation, a global shopping centre comp ...
and the new governing body set about creating a new national competition called the A-League.
1996–97 remained the only time a Queensland team had won an Australian national football title, until
Brisbane Roar
Brisbane Roar Football Club is an Australian professional soccer club based in Brisbane, Queensland and has won the domestic title on three occasions, as well as holding the longest unbeaten record of 36 league matches without defeat.
Brisba ...
won the
2010–11 A-League title.
First A-League bid
The Brisbane Strikers were a prime candidate for the Brisbane position in the new
A-League
A-League Men (known as the Isuzu UTE A-League for sponsorship reasons) is the highest-level professional men's soccer league in Australia and New Zealand. At the top of the Australian league system, it is the country's premier men's competiti ...
that kicked off in mid-2005.
Football Federation Australia
Football Australia is the governing body of soccer, futsal, and beach soccer within Australia, headquartered in Sydney. Although the first governing body of the sport was founded in 1911, Football Australia in its current form was only esta ...
boss Frank Lowy was quoted at the time saying that the two Brisbane bids were outstanding, but the reality was that only one team would make it.
The A-League decided to go with the Lions bid, who changed their name to the Queensland Roar, whose name changed once more to the present
Brisbane Roar
Brisbane Roar Football Club is an Australian professional soccer club based in Brisbane, Queensland and has won the domestic title on three occasions, as well as holding the longest unbeaten record of 36 league matches without defeat.
Brisba ...
, maintaining their local link to the Lions, and its Dutch ethnic iconography.
Brisbane Premier League 2005–2007
Determined to find an outlet to continue their philosophy of developing the talents of Queensland footballers, the Brisbane Strikers joined forces with local Brisbane club North Star to field a team in the
Brisbane Premier League
Brisbane ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Queensland, and the third-most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a population of approximately 2.6 million. Brisbane lies at the centre of the South ...
. Coached by Bobby Hamilton, the new team qualified for the finals play-off in its first BPL season (2005) before falling to
Palm Beach in a semi-final. However, in 2006 the Strikers carried all before them, winning the BPL championship, the Grand Final and the Premier Cup.
Another coaching change saw Craig Collins take on the player-coach role in 2007. It was an "almost" season for the Strikers, which saw them finish runners-up in the championship to
Rochedale Rovers F.C., before losing a titanic struggle in the Grand Final to the same team by the scoreline of 5–4.
Queensland State League 2008–2012
With the
Queensland State League due to commence in 2008 as part of Football Federation Australia and Football Queensland's goal of enhancing career pathways across Queensland and providing a platform between the local and national competitions, the Strikers saw a position in the QSL as a natural "fit" with the club's own player development ethos. Its application to join the new state competition was accepted and the club, once again under the coaching of Stuart McLaren, put its best foot forward on playing fields from Brisbane to Townsville in the inaugural QSL season. The Strikers finished second behind
Sunshine Coast F.C. on the league table before hosting the Grand Final at Perry Park and losing to the same team.
The following (2009) season, McLaren and his squad clinched the QSL championship in the penultimate round of the competition after a tense season-long battle with
Olympic FC
Olympic Football Club is a semi-professional soccer club based in Brisbane, Queensland. The club was founded in 1967 and currently competes in the National Premier Leagues Queensland, with home matches played at Goodwin Park. The club has grow ...
. In doing so, the Brisbane Strikers became one of the very few football clubs in Australia to have won trophies at local, state and national levels. However, the Strikers lost in a Grand Final once again, going down 1–4 in a boilover result to
Redlands United FC, who had finished the season in fourth position on the QSL ladder.
The 2010 and 2011 campaigns took on a familiar path. With
David Large taking on the coaching role from the departing McLaren, the club finished both seasons in second position on the league table before going on to host the Grand Finals and losing each one by an identical scoreline, 1–0 to Sunshine Coast FC. The 2012 QSL proved to be a successful season for the club. The Strikers claimed their second QSL championship in five years in emphatic fashion, finishing eight points above second place
Far North Queensland Bulls FC
Cairns FC, previously known as FNQ FC Heat, was an Australian semi-professional soccer club based in the regional city of Cairns, in the far north of Queensland. Founded in 2012, the club was awarded a licence to compete in the National Premie ...
. The Strikers were eliminated in a home semi-final 2–0 to
Whitsunday Miners FC
Whitsunday Miners Football Club were an Australian association football club based in Mackay, Queensland, Mackay, Queensland. They played in the Queensland State League (association football), Queensland State League and were founded in 2008.
...
.
National Premier Leagues Queensland 2013–2021
Since 2013 the Strikers have competed in the
National Premier Leagues Queensland
The National Premier League Queensland, run by Football Queensland, is the top tier state-level football (soccer) competition in Queensland. The conference is a sub division of the National Premier Leagues. The inaugural season kicked off in Marc ...
, run by
Football Queensland
Football Queensland is recognised by both the State and Federal Governments and Football Australia as the governing body for association football and futsal in Queensland, Australia.
Tracing its history back to the establishment of the Ang ...
, the top tier state-level
association football
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 players who primarily use their feet to propel the ball around a rectangular field called a pitch. The objective of the game is ...
competition in
Queensland
)
, nickname = Sunshine State
, image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg
, map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdivision_name = Australia
, established_title = Before federation
, established_ ...
, replacing the
Queensland State League. The conference is a sub division of the
National Premier Leagues
The National Premier Leagues (NPL) is a national association football competition in Australia which acts as the second tier of the sport in the country below the A-League. The NPL consists of the highest level state league in each state-based ...
. The league consists of teams across
Queensland
)
, nickname = Sunshine State
, image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg
, map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdivision_name = Australia
, established_title = Before federation
, established_ ...
.
In seasons 2013 and 2014 the Strikers finished fourth in the league before being eliminated in the semi-finals by league winners and eventual Grand Final champions in
Olympic FC
Olympic Football Club is a semi-professional soccer club based in Brisbane, Queensland. The club was founded in 1967 and currently competes in the National Premier Leagues Queensland, with home matches played at Goodwin Park. The club has grow ...
and
Palm Beach Sharks respectively.
Season 2015 saw a new coach take the helm in
Kevin Aherne-Evans and while enjoying a relatively successful campaign it was to prove a frustrating year for the club. With the Strikers equal top of the league but second on goal difference their final game of the season was abandoned due to wet weather and with the governing body,
Football Queensland
Football Queensland is recognised by both the State and Federal Governments and Football Australia as the governing body for association football and futsal in Queensland, Australia.
Tracing its history back to the establishment of the Ang ...
, choosing not to reschedule the match and deem it a goalless draw they were forced to settle for the runners-up position. The disappointment from the last game controversy was further heightened when the Strikers qualified for the Grand Final, only to lose to their league rivals
Moreton Bay United.
The Strikers proved a dominant force in season 2016, finally clinching the club's first
National Premier Leagues Queensland
The National Premier League Queensland, run by Football Queensland, is the top tier state-level football (soccer) competition in Queensland. The conference is a sub division of the National Premier Leagues. The inaugural season kicked off in Marc ...
league title. In 2017
Sean Lane took over the coaching duties from the departing Aherne-Evans. The Strikers became the first side to win consecutive league titles in the
National Premier Leagues Queensland
The National Premier League Queensland, run by Football Queensland, is the top tier state-level football (soccer) competition in Queensland. The conference is a sub division of the National Premier Leagues. The inaugural season kicked off in Marc ...
era after a gripping battle with
Gold Coast City FC. Postseason football however continued to be a thorn in the Strikers' side with the team losing their semi-finals in both 2016 and 2017 seasons.
As league winners in 2016 and 2017 the Strikers also qualified for the Australia-wide
National Premier Leagues
The National Premier Leagues (NPL) is a national association football competition in Australia which acts as the second tier of the sport in the country below the A-League. The NPL consists of the highest level state league in each state-based ...
finals series which sees the winner from each state federation compete in a knockout cup competition to be crowned national champions. After losing at the semi-final stage to eventual champions
Sydney United 58
Sydney United 58 Football Club is a semi-professional soccer club and current NSW NPL Champions based in Edensor Park, Sydney, New South Wales Australia. The club was formed as Sydney Croatia in 1958, by Croatian Australians in the area, but ...
in 2016, the Strikers became the first Queensland side to make the Grand Final in 2017 where they hosted
National Premier Leagues Victoria
The National Premier Leagues Victoria, commonly known as NPL Victoria, is a semi-professional soccer league in Victoria, Australia. The league is a part of the National Premier Leagues, and is the highest level within the Victorian soccer leagu ...
side
Heidelberg United
Heidelberg United Alexander Football Club (founded as Alexander the Great-Melbourne Soccer Club) established in 1958 is a football (soccer) club based in the northern Melbourne suburb of Heidelberg West, Victoria, Australia. The team currently ...
. The Strikers lost that match 2–0 in front of 1105 fans at Perry Park.
The following year, an annual $500,000 bequeathment from the late Dr Jones, which was paid to Strikers, Sport, Recreation and Welfare Association Limited for a decade after his death, ended as per the terms of his will. The club's 2020 financial report, submitted to the
Australian Securities and Investments Commission
The Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) is an independent commission of the Australian Government tasked as the national corporate regulator. ASIC's role is to regulate company and financial services and enforce laws to pro ...
, noted: "The discontinuation of the above funding subsequent to 30 June 2018 gives rise to a material uncertainty which may cast significant doubt about the ability of the entity to continue as a going concern."
In 2019, the Strikers appointed Salvatore Sottile and Julianna Suranyi, who claimed to be a
psychic
A psychic is a person who claims to use extrasensory perception (ESP) to identify information hidden from the normal senses, particularly involving telepathy or clairvoyance, or who performs acts that are apparently inexplicable by natural laws, ...
, to the board. Shortly afterwards, in February 2020, a player development partnership with Spanish club
CD Leganes was announced, with the relationship between Sottile and CD Leganes representative Morris Pagniello cited as the driving force behind the deal. Pagniello was one of about 50 people arrested as part of the
2015 "Dirty Soccer" Italian football match-fixing scandal.
For the 2021 season, and without the financial stability of Dr Jones's bequeathment, Strikers chairman Bruce Atterton-Evans announced a new youth-focused policy that saw almost the entire first-team squad depart for rival clubs. The effect was instant, with the Strikers winning just two matches in the 2021 NPL season, ensuring relegation for the first time in the club's history.
Atterton-Evans ceased being a director on 14 October 2021, leaving the Strikers under the control of Sottile, Suranyi and Bosnian-born Brisbane businessman Dino Hasanovic.
FFA Cup
The
Football Federation Australia Cup
The Australia Cup, formerly known as the FFA Cup until the 2021 season, is the national football knockout cup competition in Australia. This annual competition is organised by Football Australia, formerly known as Football Federation Australi ...
is Australia's national knockout Cup football competition. Since its inception in 2014 Brisbane Strikers has enjoyed some memorable moments in the
FFA Cup
The Australia Cup, formerly known as the FFA Cup until the 2021 season, is the national football knockout cup competition in Australia. This annual competition is organised by Football Australia, formerly known as Football Federation Australia ...
.
Qualifying through the Brisbane zone for the national Round of 32 in 2014 the Strikers featured in a piece of Australian football history when its tie against Newcastle based club
Broadmeadow Magic became the first live televised game of the new Cup competition. The Strikers won the game 2–1 but were eliminated in the Round of 16 after a 1–0 away loss to
Adelaide City FC
Adelaide City Football Club is a soccer club based in Adelaide, South Australia. The club was known historically as Juventus — the original name given to the club by its founders in Adelaide's Italian community.
Adelaide City is one of Aust ...
.
Once again the Strikers made it to the national stage of the FFA Cup in 2015 when the qualified for the Round of 32 from the Brisbane zone. However they suffered a heartbreaking 4–3 extra time defeat to
Hume City FC
Hume City Football Club is a semi-professional Australian football club based in Broadmeadows, a suburb of Melbourne, Victoria. Established by the local Turkish Australian community, the club competes in the National Premier Leagues Victoria.
...
.
The
2016 FFA Cup saw Brisbane Strikers qualify for the third successive time, this time drawing
Darwin NorZone Premier League
The NorZone Premier League is a semi-professional soccer league in Darwin, Australia.
The NorZone Premier League is one of three top tier state-level soccer competition in the Northern Territory of Australia. It comprises teams within the N ...
side
Shamrock Rovers Darwin FC in the Round of 32. On 27 July 2016, the Strikers ran out 6–0 winners over Rovers Darwin in front of 1358 people at
Darwin Football Stadium
Darwin Football Stadium is a sports stadium in Darwin, Australia in the Marrara Sporting Complex, and is located adjacent to the TIO Stadium.
Work began on the stadium in 2007 and was officially opened on 28 July 2007 when it played host to a ...
. In the Round of 16, Brisbane drew
A-League
A-League Men (known as the Isuzu UTE A-League for sponsorship reasons) is the highest-level professional men's soccer league in Australia and New Zealand. At the top of the Australian league system, it is the country's premier men's competiti ...
side
Melbourne City FC
Melbourne City Football Club is an Australian professional soccer club based in the south–eastern Melbourne suburb of Cranbourne East, that plays in the A-League, the top level of Australian soccer, under licence from Australian Professio ...
. In front of 3571 people at Perry Park, the Strikers' biggest crowd since their exit from the NSL, two
Bruno Fornaroli
Bruno Fornaroli Mezza (; born 7 September 1987) is a professional footballer who plays as a forward or attacking midfielder for Melbourne Victory. Born in Uruguay, he plays for the Australian national team.
Club career
Fornaroli was born in ...
penalties saw the A-League side progress, despite the Strikers taking the lead through Greig Henslee. The match also marked
Tim Cahill
Timothy Filiga Cahill (; born 6 December 1979) is an Australian former professional footballer who played as an attacking midfielder but also played as a striker on many occasions. A box-to-box midfielder, Cahill became recognised for "his ag ...
's first game since arriving back in Australia, joining Melbourne City.
The Strikers next qualified for the Round of 32 in the
2019 FFA Cup, where they met
Wellington Phoenix
Wellington Phoenix Football Club is a professional association football club based in Wellington, New Zealand. It competes in the Australian A-League, under licence from Football Federation Australia. Phoenix entered the competition in the ...
at Perry Park on 7 August. In front of 1612 fans, the Strikers went 2–0 ahead through goals to
Hiroki Omori and Andy Pengelly, before Wellington scored twice to equalise. The Strikers held on in extra time, thanks largely to goalkeeper Bon Scott, who saved an extra time penalty. Scott continued his heroics in the penalty shoot-out, which the Strikers won 4–3.
![Perry Park Cox Architects](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/25/Perry_Park_Cox_Architects.jpg)
The Strikers qualified for the quarter finals for the very first time on 29 August 2019, when they defeated
Manly United
Manly United Football Club is an Australian football club based in the northern beaches area of Sydney. The club competes in the National Premier Leagues NSW and their home ground is Cromer Park, in the suburb of Dee Why, approximately 15 minute ...
1–0 in front of 1240 spectators at Perry Park and drawing
Moreland Zebras
Brunswick Juventus FC is an Australian soccer club based in the Melbourne municipality of Merri-bek. The club currently competes in the National Premier Leagues Victoria 2 and is based at CB Smith Reserve in the suburb of Fawkner. The earliest ...
in the next round.
The Strikers defeated the Zebras 3–2 in front of 1915 at Perry Park on 18 September 2019, to become the first Queensland side to qualify for the FFA Cup semi finals, setting up a match with
Melbourne City. They lost that match at Perry Park 1–5, in front of a post-NSL club record crowd of 3706.
Second A-League bid
The Strikers announced in May 2017 that the club would once again put in a bid to join the A-League, with the club making the announcement on the 20th anniversary of its NSL grand final win.
Central to the Strikers bid was the club's plans for a 15,694-seat boutique stadium at
Perry Park.
However, the club pulled out of the race when the bid's financial backers pulled their support. The debacle led to criticism from fans about the club's direction and the "inertia" of the bid.
Later, it emerged that the Strikers had approached
Brisbane City, another Brisbane club vying for A-League admission, about consolidating their bids. Brisbane City knocked back that approach. City subsequently withdrew its own bid.
Players
First-team squad
Coaching Staff
Notable players and coaches
Ex-players currently playing senior football at professional/overseas clubs
Players who have represented their nation at senior level
''Active players in bold.''
Players who have played senior football at professional clubs
Ex-players/coaches who have coached national teams or professional/top flight club teams
Other notable players
List of head coaches
Honours
National Soccer League
The National Soccer League (NSL) was the top-level soccer league in Australia, run by Soccer Australia and later the Australian Soccer Association. The NSL, the A-League's predecessor, spanned 28 seasons from its inception in 1977 until its d ...
* Champions:
1996–97
* League Runners-Up:
1996–97
* Finalists (4):
1995–96,
1996–97,
2001–02,
2003–04
*
Joe Marston Medal
The Joe Marston Medal is an A-League award given to the player of the match in the A-League Grand Final each year. Introduced in 1990, previously the award was also given to the best player in the National Soccer League grand final. The medal i ...
:
Alan Hunter (
1996–97)
*
Johnny Warren Medal
The Johnny Warren Medal is awarded to the best player of the Australian national soccer club competition. It was first awarded in the National Soccer League in 1990, and upon the NSL's demise in November 2004, was carried forward into the new na ...
:
Fernando Rech
Fernando Rech (born March 13, 1974 in Caxias do Sul, Brazil) is a Brazilian former footballer. He played either as a striker or an attacking midfielder.
Life and career
He has retired from football, his last club being Adelaide United in the Au ...
(2001–02)
*NSL U/21 Player of the Year:
Kasey Wehrman
Kasey Wehrman (born 16 August 1977) is an Australian footballer. Wehrman has Indigenous Australian ancestry.
Club career
Born in Cloncurry, having impressed as a youth player with the Queensland Academy of Sport, Wehrman signed with National ...
(
1996–97)
FFA Cup
The Australia Cup, formerly known as the FFA Cup until the 2021 season, is the national football knockout cup competition in Australia. This annual competition is organised by Football Australia, formerly known as Football Federation Australia ...
* Semi finals:
2019
File:2019 collage v1.png, From top left, clockwise: Hong Kong protests turn to widespread riots and civil disobedience; House of Representatives votes to adopt articles of impeachment against Donald Trump; CRISPR gene editing first used to experim ...
*National Round of 16:
2014
File:2014 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Stocking up supplies and personal protective equipment (PPE) for the Western African Ebola virus epidemic; Citizens examining the ruins after the Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping; Bundles of wat ...
,
2016
File:2016 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Bombed-out buildings in Ankara following the 2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt; the impeachment trial of Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff; Damaged houses during the 2016 Nagorno-Karabakh ...
* National Round of 32:
2015
File:2015 Events Collage new.png, From top left, clockwise: Civil service in remembrance of November 2015 Paris attacks; Germanwings Flight 9525 was purposely crashed into the French Alps; the rubble of residences in Kathmandu following the Apri ...
*
Michael Cockerill Medal: Fraser Hills (
2019
File:2019 collage v1.png, From top left, clockwise: Hong Kong protests turn to widespread riots and civil disobedience; House of Representatives votes to adopt articles of impeachment against Donald Trump; CRISPR gene editing first used to experim ...
)
National Premier Leagues
The National Premier Leagues (NPL) is a national association football competition in Australia which acts as the second tier of the sport in the country below the A-League. The NPL consists of the highest level state league in each state-based ...
* Grand Finalists:
2017
File:2017 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The War Against ISIS at the Battle of Mosul (2016-2017); aftermath of the Manchester Arena bombing; The Solar eclipse of August 21, 2017 ("Great American Eclipse"); North Korea tests a ser ...
* Semi finalists:
2016
File:2016 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Bombed-out buildings in Ankara following the 2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt; the impeachment trial of Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff; Damaged houses during the 2016 Nagorno-Karabakh ...
NPL Queensland
* Premiers (2):
2016
File:2016 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Bombed-out buildings in Ankara following the 2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt; the impeachment trial of Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff; Damaged houses during the 2016 Nagorno-Karabakh ...
,
2017
File:2017 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The War Against ISIS at the Battle of Mosul (2016-2017); aftermath of the Manchester Arena bombing; The Solar eclipse of August 21, 2017 ("Great American Eclipse"); North Korea tests a ser ...
* League Runners-Up:
2015
File:2015 Events Collage new.png, From top left, clockwise: Civil service in remembrance of November 2015 Paris attacks; Germanwings Flight 9525 was purposely crashed into the French Alps; the rubble of residences in Kathmandu following the Apri ...
* Grand Finalists:
2015
File:2015 Events Collage new.png, From top left, clockwise: Civil service in remembrance of November 2015 Paris attacks; Germanwings Flight 9525 was purposely crashed into the French Alps; the rubble of residences in Kathmandu following the Apri ...
* Golden boot:
2019
File:2019 collage v1.png, From top left, clockwise: Hong Kong protests turn to widespread riots and civil disobedience; House of Representatives votes to adopt articles of impeachment against Donald Trump; CRISPR gene editing first used to experim ...
(
Andy Pengelly – 41 goals)
Queensland State League
* Premiers (2): 2009, 2012
* League Runners-Up (3): 2008, 2010, 2011
* Grand Finalists (4): 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011
* Golden Boot: 2010 (
Matt Thurtell
Matt may refer to:
*Matt (name), people with the given name ''Matt'' or Matthew, meaning "gift from God", or the surname Matt
*In British English, of a surface: having a non-glossy finish, see gloss (material appearance)
*Matt, Switzerland, a mu ...
– 23 goals)
Brisbane Premier League
Brisbane ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Queensland, and the third-most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a population of approximately 2.6 million. Brisbane lies at the centre of the South ...
* Premiers: 2006
* League Runners-Up: 2007
* Champions: 2006
* Grand Finalist: 2007
Canale Cup
* Champions: 2014
Brisbane Premier Cup
* Champions: 2006
Silver Boot
The Lone Star Series (also known as the Silver Boot Series) is a Major League Baseball (MLB) rivalry featuring Texas' two major league franchises, the Houston Astros and Texas Rangers. It is an outgrowth of the "natural rivalry" established by ...
* Champions (3): 2010, 2013, 2018
* Runners-Up (2): 2009, 2016
* Third-place play-off winner: 2019
Records
League
* Win: 12–1 v
Sunshine Coast FC
Sunshine Coast Football Club is a semi-professional Australian soccer club based in the Sunshine Coast, Queensland. Nicknamed "The Fire", the club currently competes in the Football Queensland Premier League the third tier of Australian Football ...
(
NPL Queensland round 18,
Perry Park, 20 August 2019)
* Loss: 10–0 v
Olympic FC
Olympic Football Club is a semi-professional soccer club based in Brisbane, Queensland. The club was founded in 1967 and currently competes in the National Premier Leagues Queensland, with home matches played at Goodwin Park. The club has grow ...
(NPL Queensland round 8,
Goodwin Park, 9 May 2021)
* Goals in a single game: 9 –
Andy Pengelly (v Sunshine Coast FC, NPL Queensland round 18, Perry Park, 20 August 2019)
* Appearances:
Chay Hews
Chay Hews (born 30 September 1976) is a former Australian Association football, soccer player who played in Australia, England, Japan and Sweden.
Playing career
Hews began his senior career with Brisbane Strikers in the National Soccer League ...
(217)
* Attendance: 40,446 v
Sydney United
Sydney United 58 Football Club is a semi-professional soccer club and current NSW NPL Champions based in Edensor Park, Sydney, New South Wales Australia. The club was formed as Sydney Croatia in 1958, by Croatian Australians in the area, but ...
(
1996–97 NSL Grand Final,
Suncorp Stadium
Lang Park, also known as Brisbane Football Stadium, by the sponsored name Suncorp Stadium, and nicknamed: 'The Cauldron', is a multi-purpose stadium in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia, located in the suburb of Milton. The current facility co ...
, 25 May 1997)
FFA Cup
* Win: 10–1 v
Souths United (
Preliminary Fourth Round, Perry Park, 9 April 2019)
* Loss: 1–5 v
Melbourne City (
Semi Final
A single-elimination, knockout, or sudden death tournament is a type of elimination tournament where the loser of each match-up is immediately eliminated from the tournament. Each winner will play another in the next round, until the final matc ...
, Perry Park, 1 October 2019)
* Goals in a single game: 6 – Andy Pengelly (v Souths United, Preliminary Fourth Round, Perry Park, 9 April 2019)
* Attendance: 3,706 v Melbourne City (Semi Final, Perry Park, 1 October 2019)
References
External links
*
Supporters website
{{Football Brisbane
National Premier Leagues clubs
Queensland State League soccer teams
Association football clubs established in 1994
National Soccer League (Australia) teams
1994 establishments in Australia