Nunawading City Football Club is an Australian semi-professional

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 ...

club based in Forest Hill, a suburb of

Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...

Victoria Victoria most commonly refers to: * Victoria (Australia), a state of the Commonwealth of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, provincial capital of British Columbia, Canada * Victoria (mythology), Roman goddess of Victory * Victoria, Seychelle ...

. Founded in 1971, the club currently competes in the

NPL Victoria 3 The National Premier Leagues Victoria 3, commonly referred to as NPL Victoria 3, is a semi-professional soccer league in Victoria, Australia. The league is the third-highest in the Victorian league system, behind NPL Victoria and NPL Victoria 2, ...

History

Recent History

In the 2014 season, Nunawading finished in bottom place of the

Victorian State League Division 2 State League 2 is a semi-professional association football league in Victoria (Australia), Victoria, Australia. Sitting at level 5 of the Victorian league system, below the three NPL Victoria divisions, it forms part of the fifth tier of the over ...

South-East, amassing seven points in 22 games. However due to

Football Federation Victoria Football Victoria is the state governing body for soccer in Victoria, Australia. It is affiliated with Football Australia, the sport's national governing body. History Football Victoria began operation in 1884 under the name Anglo Australian ...

ranking Nunawading as one of the states elite junior clubs, they were given a licence to participate in the

National Premier Leagues Victoria 2 The National Premier Leagues Victoria 2, commonly referred to as NPL Victoria 2, is a semi-professional soccer league in Victoria, Australia. The league is the second-highest in the Victorian league system, behind the National Premier Leagues Vict ...

for 2015, the second tier of football in the state. \Midway through 2014, Nunawading City youth player, Jake Brimmer was scouted by

Liverpool FC Liverpool Football Club is a professional football club based in Liverpool, England. The club competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football. Founded in 1892, the club joined the Football League the following year and has p ...

, Liverpool scout Barry Hunter spotted him playing for the Victorian National Training Centre squad in July 2013. In 2015, after 20 consecutive losses, City earned its first point in the NPL2 competition on 18 July 2015, in a 0–0 draw away from home against Whittlesea Ranges. The point would prove to be the only point Nunawading earned that season, finishing the season in bottom place with a −95 goal difference, but were not relegated due to no relegation existing from NPL2 for 2014–2016. In May 2016, Nunawading striker Emile Damey was selected in the squad for

Liberia Liberia (), officially the Republic of Liberia, is a country on the West African coast. It is bordered by Sierra Leone to Liberia–Sierra Leone border, its northwest, Guinea to its north, Ivory Coast to its east, and the Atlantic Ocean ...

ahead of Africa Cup of Nations qualification matches. Nunawading City got their first win in NPL2 when it defeated Murray United 3–1 at Mahoneys Reserve on 22 May 2016. The win was City's only points for the 2016 season, finishing again in bottom place with a −92 goal difference. Nuna signed a number of ex-

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 ...

players for the 2017 season, including Mitch Cooper, Patrick Gerhardt,

James Brown James Joseph Brown (May 3, 1933 – December 25, 2006) was an American singer, dancer, musician, record producer and bandleader. The central progenitor of funk music and a major figure of 20th century music, he is often referred to by the honor ...

and Jason Trifiro. Cooper scored a total of 21 goals for Nunawading, who avoided relegation in 2017 with a 9th placed finished, four points above

Richmond SC Richmond Soccer Club is an Australian soccer club from Richmond, Victoria, an inner eastern suburb of Melbourne, Australia. Richmond compete in the Victorian State League Division 1 South-East competition, the third tier of football in Victor ...

. With Gerhardt, Trifiro, Jagajeet Shrestha and Cooper departing at seasons end, in October 2017, it was announced Nuna had signed NPL Victoria Gold Medal winner

Massimo Murdocca Massimo Murdocca (born 2 September 1984) is an Australian professional Association football, soccer player who plays as a Right midfielder, right or central midfielder for National Premier Leagues club Nunawading City FC. Club career Before jo ...

for 2018. In 2018, Nuna signed A-League veteran

Fahid Ben Khalfallah Fahid Ben Khalfallah ( ar, فهيد بن خلف الله; born 9 October 1982) is a retired professional footballer who last played for and was head coach of Australian side Nunawading City. Born in France, he represented the Tunisia national ...

. Additionally former

Western Sydney Wanderers Western Sydney Wanderers Football Club (colloquially known as Western Sydney, or simply as Wanderers) is an Australian professional soccer club based in the Western Sydney region of Sydney, New South Wales. It competes in the country's premier ...

midfielder

Tahj Minniecon Tahj James Rodney Minniecon is an Indigenous Australian soccer player who most recently played for Davao Aguilas FC in Philippines Football League in 2018. Early life Tahj James Rodney Minniecon grew up in Brisbane and went to Cavendish Road ...

joined the club. Ben Khalfallah scored his first goal in Nunawadings third victory for the season against Melbourne City. Nuna finished the season in bottom place in NPL2, suffering relegation from the

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 ...

system. Khalfallah was appointed the senior head coach for the 2019

Victorian State League Division 1 State League 1 is a semi-professional association football league in Victoria, Australia. Sitting at level 4 of the Victorian league system, below the three NPL Victoria divisions, it forms part of the fifth tier of the overall Australian league ...

season.

First team Squad

References

External links

Official club website
{{AUS fb state Vic Soccer clubs in Melbourne Victorian State League teams Sport in the City of Whitehorse Association football clubs established in 1971 1971 establishments in Australia