South Coast United Soccer Club (formerly known as South Coast Croatia Soccer Club) is a semi-professional Australian
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 from the city of
Wollongong, New South Wales
Wollongong ( ), colloquially referred to as The Gong, is a city located in the Illawarra region of New South Wales, Australia. The name is believed to originate from the Dharawal language, meaning either 'five islands/clouds', 'ground near wate ...
. The club was founded in 1984 by Wollongong's
Croatian Australian
Croatian Australians are Australian citizens of Croatian ancestry. Croatia has been a source of migrants to Australia, particularly in the 1960s and 1970s. In 2021, 200,000 persons resident in Australia (0.6%) identified themselves as having ...
community. The club plays in the
Illawarra Premier League
The Illawarra Premier League is a regional Australian semi-professional association football league, comprising teams from the Illawarra, and South Coast regions of New South Wales. The competition is run under the Football South Coast body, an a ...
.
History
Founded in 1984 by Croatian migrants as South Coast Croatia Soccer Club, the high point in the club's history came in 1987 when the club won its only Illawarra Premier League Championship.
South Coast Croatia were forced to change their name to South Coast United for the 1994 season a very unpopular move by Soccer Australia.
South Coast United were previously in the Illawarra Conference League, or Division 1 as it was previously known. In 2004, United were minor premiers of the Illawarra Conference League, and gained promotion to the Illawarra Premier League, but lost the Grand Final to Helensburgh 4–1.
South Coast United known as (Wollongong Croatia) is a regular participant of the
Australian-Croatian Soccer Tournament
The Australian-Croatian Soccer Tournament is a tournament run by the Croatian Soccer Federation of Australia and New Zealand, an organisation founded in 1974. The inspiration for the tournament came from the successful Croatian-North American So ...
although never having won the tournament in Division 1 the club has won Division 2 and Masters Titles with the most recent examples being 2011 at Edensor Park and 2014 at Ian Mclennan Park, respectively.
The club hosted the
Australian-Croatian Soccer Tournament
The Australian-Croatian Soccer Tournament is a tournament run by the Croatian Soccer Federation of Australia and New Zealand, an organisation founded in 1974. The inspiration for the tournament came from the successful Croatian-North American So ...
in 1994 and 2014
South Coast United formed a junior club under their name and were brought into the FSC junior football competition in 2016.
Rivalries
Albion Park White Eagles
The club has maintained a heated rivalry with the predominantly Serbian backed Albion Park White Eagles/Wollongong Serbia the clubs rivalry dates back to 1985 when Wollongong Serbia were founded with the rivalry based around political tensions between the two nationalities, breakout of the
Croatian War of Independence
The Croatian War of Independence was fought from 1991 to 1995 between Croat forces loyal to the Government of Croatia—which had declared independence from the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (SFRY)—and the Serb-controlled Yugosl ...
in the 1990's added more fuel to the flame for players and supporters alike.
Cringila Lions
South Coast United/Croatia have always had a friendly rivalry with the Macedonian backed
Cringila Lions FC
Cringila Lions FC is an Australian soccer club based in Cringila, New South Wales. The team currently participates in the Illawarra Premier League
The Illawarra Premier League is a regional Australian semi-professional association football leag ...
as both clubs used to be powerhouses in the
Illawarra Premier League
The Illawarra Premier League is a regional Australian semi-professional association football league, comprising teams from the Illawarra, and South Coast regions of New South Wales. The competition is run under the Football South Coast body, an a ...
over the years many players have swapped between the clubs including Zvonko Usljebrka and Brian & Tom Butkovic
Supporters
The club has a predominantly
Croatian Australian
Croatian Australians are Australian citizens of Croatian ancestry. Croatia has been a source of migrants to Australia, particularly in the 1960s and 1970s. In 2021, 200,000 persons resident in Australia (0.6%) identified themselves as having ...
fan base as the club was founded by Croatian migrants.
Achievements
Home ground
South Coast United have played out of Ian McLennan Park since their inception in 1984. For a majority of the 2018 season, United played out of Dandaloo Oval due to the redevelopment of Ian McLennan Park which included the laying of a synthetic pitch. South Coast United now have the best facilities in the Illawarra region with the only synthetic field in the area.
Notable former players
*
Cho Byung-Kuk
Cho Byung-kuk (; born July 1, 1981) is a South Korean international football player current assistant coach of Indonesia.
Career
Cho began his professional career in 2002 with K-League club Suwon Samsung Bluewings. He moved to Chunnam Dragon ...
*
Mile Jedinak
Michael John "Mile" Jedinak (; ; born 3 August 1984) is an Australian former professional footballer who served as the captain of the Australia national team. He is currently the Loan Player Development Coach at Aston Villa.
Jedinak was born ...
*
Brendon Santalab
Brendon James Santalab ( hr, Šantalab; born 9 September 1982) is an Australian professional football player who plays as a striker for Victorian State League Division 1 side FC Strathmore.
Club career
Santalab originally started out as an a ...
Divisional history
See also
*
List of Croatian soccer clubs in Australia
The Croatian community of Australia has played an important part in the history of Australian soccer. Countless clubs have been formed over the years in every state and territory, except for the Northern Territory. At present there are 31 act ...
*
Australian-Croatian Soccer Tournament
The Australian-Croatian Soccer Tournament is a tournament run by the Croatian Soccer Federation of Australia and New Zealand, an organisation founded in 1974. The inspiration for the tournament came from the successful Croatian-North American So ...
References
{{reflist
http://socceraust.co.uk/
Croatian sports clubs in Australia
Soccer clubs in Wollongong
Illawarra Premier League
1984 establishments in Australia
Association football clubs established in 1984
South Coast (New South Wales)