Maccabi Hakoah Sydney City East FC, commonly known as Maccabi Hakoah, is an Australian semi-professional
soccer
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 ...
club based in
Sydney
Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountain ...
, New South Wales. The club was formed in 1939 as Sydney Hakoah by members of Sydney's
Jewish
Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...
community. They played between 1977 and 1986 in the
National Soccer League as Eastern Suburbs (1977–1979) and Sydney City (1979–1987). One of the most successful sides in New South Wales and interstate competitions in the 1960s and early 1970s coached by the now retired Bob Szatmari, Hakoah were also one of the main instigators for the establishment of a national league. The club currently competes in the
National Premier Leagues NSW
The National Premier Leagues NSW is a semi-professional soccer competition in New South Wales, Australia. The competition is conducted by Football NSW, the organising body in New South Wales (the other being the National Premier Leagues Northern ...
, with games played from
Hensley Athletic Field
Hensley Athletic Field is primarily a track and field athletics field, home ground of the Randwick-Botany Little Athletics Club and the South Sydney Athletics Club, it is also used as a ground for association football in Sydney, Australia
...
.
A foundation member of the NSL, Sydney City were also its most dominant side in the competition's first decade, winning four titles, including three in a row from 1980 to 1982, and finishing below third only once. However, despite this level of success, crowds were perennially low, and even though they were one of the sides retained for 1987, after the NSL scrapped the split conference system at the end of 1986, Sydney City withdrew from the NSL one round into the 1987 season.
Lowy names task force to set ball rolling on premier league – www.smh.com.au
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History
In January of 1939 a group of Jewish immigrants, who had been playing soccer in Rushcutters Bay
Rushcutters Bay is a harbourside Eastern Suburbs (Sydney), eastern suburb of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia 3 kilometres east of the Sydney central business district, in the Local government in Australia, local government ar ...
each Sunday met to discuss the formation of a soccer club. That meeting resulted in the birth of Sydney Hakoah Football Club. However, it was not until 1954 that Hakoah was admitted to the Southern League, a semi-professional regional league in New South Wales. The team played in distinctive blue and white striped shirts featuring the Magen David badge.
The club was admitted to the newly created first division of the New South Wales Soccer Federation following the breakaway of a number of clubs from the 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 ...
associated Soccer Association in 1956/57.
In 1977, the club's name was changed to Eastern Suburbs Hakoah. They were the winner of the first National League, known as the National Soccer League.
The club's name was again changed to Sydney City in 1978
Events January
* January 1 – Air India Flight 855, a Boeing 747 passenger jet, crashes off the coast of Bombay, killing 213.
* January 5 – Bülent Ecevit, of Republican People's Party, CHP, forms the new government of Turkey (42nd go ...
, and the home ground was moved from Wentworth Park
Wentworth Park is a park near the suburbs of Glebe and Ultimo in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
The park contains several muti-purpose sporting pitches, cricket nets and a number of fitness installations. There is a playground in the s ...
to ES Marks Field in a successful year for the club. Eddie Thomson
Eddie Thomson (25 February 1947 – 21 February 2003) was a Scottish association football player and coach, who played as a defender. He played for Heart of Midlothian and Aberdeen in Scotland, San Antonio Thunder in the United States and ...
became coach in 1979, and together with manager Andrew Lederer led the club through its final years as Australia's most successful club.
The team included future International Jimmy Cant
Jim Cant (born 24 September 1953) is an Australian former soccer player.
Playing career Club career
Cant signed for Hearts Of Midlothian in 1970, from United Crossroads Boys Club, he was farmed out by Hearts of Midlothian to play one season o ...
, Jim Patikas
Dimitris "Jimmy" Patikas (Greek language, Greek: Δημήτρης "Τζίμης" Πατίκας) is a former Australian football (soccer), football player. Renowned for his exceptional speed and for being the first established Australian playe ...
, striker Ken Boden
Ken Boden (born 5 July 1950) is a former footballer, who played at both professional and international levels as a midfielder. Born in England, he represented Australia.
Career
Club career
Boden spent his early career with Hull City, Scunthorp ...
and Australia's most successful goal scorer 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 Austral ...
for the 1980 season. They went on to win the 1981
Events January
* January 1
** Greece enters the European Economic Community, predecessor of the European Union.
** Palau becomes a self-governing territory.
* January 10 – Salvadoran Civil War: The FMLN launches its first major offensiv ...
, 1982
Events January
* January 1 – In Malaysia and Singapore, clocks are adjusted to the same time zone, UTC+8 (GMT+8.00).
* January 13 – Air Florida Flight 90 crashes shortly after takeoff into the 14th Street bridges, 14th Street Bridge in ...
and 1983 NSL seasons with Australian International striker David Mitchell joining the star-studded club. In 1987
File:1987 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The MS Herald of Free Enterprise capsizes after leaving the Port of Zeebrugge in Belgium, killing 193; Northwest Airlines Flight 255 crashes after takeoff from Detroit Metropolitan Airport, k ...
Sydney City withdrew mid-season as the most successful club in League history.
NSW State League return
Since 1988 to the present, Sydney City have competed in the NSW State League North Conference in the NSW State Leagues. Recently, they have moved up through the New South Wales
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, image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg
, map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates:
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdivision_name = Australia
, established_title = Before federation
, es ...
football ranks and have been promoted rapidly. In 2014 Hakoah were in NSW's 3rd division (State League 1) and won the Premiership and Grand Final Championship trophies which culminated in winning the Club Championship crown and gaining promotion to the (national premier leagues NSW2), eventually almost replicating that season in 2015, once again winning promotion, this time into the top tier in NSW. In 2012 they also won the double as State League Division Two Premiers and Grand Final Champions under the Hakoah FC banner playing out of Hensley Athletic Field.
They have been in the National Premier Leagues NSW
The National Premier Leagues NSW is a semi-professional soccer competition in New South Wales, Australia. The competition is conducted by Football NSW, the organising body in New South Wales (the other being the National Premier Leagues Northern ...
since the 2016 season.
Current squad
First team squad
Seasons
:Notes
Honours
International
* OFC Cup Winners Cup 1987
National
* NSL Champions 1977, 1980, 1981, 1982
* NSL Runner Up 1978, 1983, 1985
* NSL Minor Premiers 1984 (Northern Division), 1985 (Northern Division)
* Australia Cup/ NSL/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 Austral ...
Winners 1965, 1968, 1986
* Australian Club of the Decade (2) 1970s, 1980s
State
* New South Wales/NPL Minor Premiers 1968, 1970, 1971, 1973, 1974
* New South Wales/NPL Champions 1961, 1962, 1966, 1968
* New South Wales/NPL Runner Up 1973, 1974
* New South Wales Federation Cup & Waratah Cup Winners 1959, 1961, 1963, 1965, 1971, 1976, 2017
* Ampol Cup Winners 1957, 1968, 1973,
*NSW State League/NSW League Two Premiers & Champions 2014
*NSW Club Championship winners 2014, 2015
*NSW State League Division Two/NSW League Three Champions 2012
*NSW State League Division Two/NSW League Three Premiers 2012
See also
* 1982 bombing of Hakoah Club
References
External links
*
{{AUS fb NSL
Jews and Judaism in New South Wales
Hakoah sport clubs
Jewish football clubs
Jews and Judaism in Sydney
National Soccer League (Australia) teams
City
A city is a human settlement of notable size.Goodall, B. (1987) ''The Penguin Dictionary of Human Geography''. London: Penguin.Kuper, A. and Kuper, J., eds (1996) ''The Social Science Encyclopedia''. 2nd edition. London: Routledge. It can be def ...
Association football clubs established in 1939
1939 establishments in Australia
Diaspora sports clubs
Diaspora sports clubs in Australia