Sydney Football Club is an Australian 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
)
, nickname =
, 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 ...
. It competes in the country's premier men's competition,
A-League Men
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 ...
, under
licence
A license (or licence) is an official permission or permit to do, use, or own something (as well as the document of that permission or permit).
A license is granted by a party (licensor) to another party (licensee) as an element of an agreeme ...
from
Australian Professional Leagues
The Australian Professional Leagues, commonly abbreviated to the APL, and sometimes referred to as the A-Leagues, are the governing body for the A-League Men, A-League Women, A-League Youth and E-League. Since their formation, they have been most ...
(APL).
The club was founded in 2004 and entered the A-League as one of the eight original teams for the inaugural
2005–06 season.
Sydney is the most successful association football club in
Australian history
The history of Australia is the story of the land and peoples of the continent of Australia.
People first arrived on the Australian mainland by sea from Maritime Southeast Asia between 50,000 and 65,000 years ago, and penetrated to all parts ...
, having won five Championships and four
Premierships in the A-League, as well as one
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 ...
and the
Oceania Champions League
The OFC Champions League, also known as the O-League, is the premier men's club soccer competition in Oceania. It is organised by the OFC, Oceania's football governing body. Beginning as the Oceania Club Championship (1987–2006), it has been ...
in 2005, prior to Australia joining the
Asian Football Confederation
The Asian Football Confederation is the governing body of association football, beach soccer, and futsal in some countries/territories in Asia and Oceania. It has 47 member countries most of which are located in Asia. Australia, formerly in ...
. The club has become a dominant force and consistent performer in recent times within the top-flight, a surge led by managers
Graham Arnold
Graham James Arnold (born 3 August 1963) is an Australian soccer manager and former player. Arnold was appointed to work as an assistant coach of the Australian national soccer team in 2000. After head coach Frank Farina was sacked in 2005, Ar ...
(2014–2018) and
Steve Corica
Stephen Christopher Corica ( born 24 March 1973) is an Australian association football manager and former player. He is the current manager of Australian club Sydney FC.
A technically gifted and skillful attacking midfielder during his playing ...
(2018–present). Since 2015, the club has achieved a top-two finish (thereby winning qualification for the
Asian Champions League
The AFC Champions League (abbreviated as ACL) is an annual continental club football competition organised by the Asian Football Confederation, and contested by Asia's top-division football clubs. It is the most prestigious club competition ...
) in six out of eight seasons, appeared in five A-League Grand Finals and three FFA Cup Finals, and won seven major trophies.
Prior to the
2018–19 season, the club's
home ground
In sports, home is the place and venue identified with a team sport. Most professional teams are named for, and marketed to, particular metropolitan areas; amateur teams may be drawn from a particular region, or from institutions such as sch ...
was
Allianz Stadium in
Moore Park. When the
NSW Government
The Government of New South Wales, also known as the NSW Government, is the Australian state democratic administrative authority of New South Wales. It is currently held by a coalition of the Liberal Party and the National Party. The Governmen ...
announced that the stadium would be redeveloped in the lead up to the
2019 New South Wales state election
The 2019 New South Wales state election was held on Saturday 23 March 2019 to elect the 57th Parliament of New South Wales, including all 93 seats in the Legislative Assembly and 21 of the 42 seats in the Legislative Council. The election was ...
, Sydney FC played its home matches at the neighbouring
Sydney Cricket Ground
The Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG) is a sports stadium in Sydney, Australia. It is used for Test cricket, Test, One Day International and Twenty20 cricket, as well as, Australian rules football and occasionally for rugby league, rugby union and as ...
, along with the suburban
Jubilee Oval
Jubilee Stadium, also known as Kogarah Oval or by its sponsored name Netstrata Jubilee Stadium, is a multipurpose stadium in Carlton, New South Wales, Sydney, Australia. The stadium is mainly used for rugby league and the A-League, and is o ...
and
Leichhardt Oval
Leichhardt Oval is a rugby league and soccer stadium in Lilyfield, New South Wales, Australia. It is currently one of three home grounds for the Wests Tigers National Rugby League (NRL) team, along with Campbelltown Stadium and Western Sydney S ...
grounds. In October 2022, the club returned to the newly built
Allianz Stadium in Moore Park, playing rivals
Melbourne Victory FC
Melbourne Victory Football Club is an Australian professional soccer club based in Melbourne, Victoria. Competing in the country's premier men's competition, the A-League Men, under licence from Australian Professional Leagues (APL), Victory e ...
. The club is currently building a new training and administration facility in
North Ryde
North Ryde is a suburb located in the Northern Sydney region of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. North Ryde is located 15 kilometres north-west of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of the City ...
, known as Sky Park, which is also scheduled for completion in 2022.
As the only A-League team in the city for the first seven years of its existence, the club's fans hail from all across the
Sydney Metropolitan Area
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 Mountains ...
. Sydney's main
supporter group
A supporters' group or supporters' club is an independent fan club or campaign group in sport, mostly association football.
Supporters' groups in continental Europe are generally known as ultras, which derives from the Latin word ultrā, mean ...
is known as 'The Cove', named after the original title given to the colonial settlement of Sydney,
Sydney Cove
Sydney Cove (Eora: ) is a bay on the southern shore of Sydney Harbour, one of several harbours in Port Jackson, on the coast of Sydney, New South Wales. Sydney Cove is a focal point for community celebrations, due to its central Sydney locatio ...
. The club has rivalries with the
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 ...
, named the
Sydney Derby, and
Melbourne Victory
Melbourne Victory Football Club is an Australian professional soccer club based in Melbourne, Victoria. Competing in the country's premier men's competition, the A-League Men, under licence from Australian Professional Leagues (APL), Victory e ...
, known as
The Big Blue
''The Big Blue'' (released in some countries under the French title ''Le Grand Bleu'') is a 1988 film in the French '' Cinéma du look'' visual style, made by French director Luc Besson. It is a heavily fictionalized and dramatized story of ...
.
Alex Brosque
Alex Jason Brosque (; born 12 October 1983) is an Australian former professional footballer who was the captain of A-League club Sydney FC. He played primarily as a striker but played predominantly as a midfielder in central midfield during his ...
is the club's all time top goal scorer, having scored 83 goals.
Rhyan Grant
Rhyan Bert Grant (born 26 February 1991) is an Australian professional football player who plays for A-League club Sydney FC and the Australia national team.
Born in Canowindra, New South Wales, Grant played youth football at the Australi ...
has the most appearances for the club with 285 games.
History
2004–2009: Early years
![Sydney-Galaxy-homebush](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/9e/Sydney-Galaxy-homebush.jpg)
The first steps towards the foundation of Sydney FC were taken in April 2004 when Soccer New South Wales (now
Football NSW
Football NSW is the governing body for soccer in the Australian state of New South Wales, with the exception of the northern regions of NSW (the governing body for which is Northern New South Wales Football). Football NSW is a member of the nat ...
) announced its intention to bid for a licence 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 ...
competition. The bid was lodged with the Australian Soccer Association (now
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 ...
) on 19 July, challenged only by a consortium headed by
Nick Politis
Nicholas George Politis (born 1944) is an Australian businessman and chairman of the Sydney Roosters in the National Rugby League (NRL) competition. Politis is also responsible for the first sponsor on a professional rugby league team's jersey. ...
, known as the "Sydney Blues", for Sydney's place in the 'one team per city' competition. A public row broke out between the two bidders after reports that the ASA were set to vote in favour of Sydney FC, causing Politis to withdraw his support for a team, and leaving Sydney FC as the only candidate remaining.
Sydney FC was officially launched as a member of the new 8-team A-League on 1 November 2004, with a 25% stake in the club held by Soccer NSW, the remainder privately owned.
Walter Bugno was announced as the inaugural chairman of the club. On 11 December 2004, Soccer NSW announced that it would pull out of its involvement with Sydney FC amid concerns over part owner Frank Lowy's autocratic style in establishing the club and lack of consultation with Soccer NSW on key Sydney FC issues. These included the choice of the
Sydney Football Stadium
The Sydney Football Stadium, commercially known as Allianz Stadium and previously Aussie Stadium, was a football stadium in Moore Park, Sydney, Australia. Built in 1988 next to the Sydney Cricket Ground, the stadium was Sydney's premier rect ...
over
Parramatta Stadium
Parramatta Stadium was a sports stadium in Parramatta, New South Wales, Australia, 23 kilometres west of Sydney's central business district. The stadium was the home ground of several western Sydney-based sports teams, at the time of closure t ...
as the team's home ground, and the erosion of Soccer NSW's initial 100 per cent involvement to just 25 per cent.
By February 2005, Sydney FC had filled 16 of its allowed 20 squad positions—attracting
Socceroos
The Australia men's national soccer team represents Australia in international men's soccer. Officially nicknamed the Socceroos, the team is controlled by the governing body for soccer in Australia, Football Australia, which is affiliated with ...
Alvin Ceccoli
Alvin Ceccoli (; born 5 August 1974) is an Australian footballer who played for three A-League clubs (Sydney FC, Central Coast Mariners and Adelaide United) and was capped internationally for Australia.
Club career
Alvin Ceccoli is of Sammarine ...
,
Clint Bolton
Clint Brian Bolton (born 22 August 1975) is an Australian former goalkeeper. He was one of the most experienced goalkeepers in the history of the National Soccer League, which preceded the A-League. He played over 300 games for Brisbane Strik ...
,
Steve Corica
Stephen Christopher Corica ( born 24 March 1973) is an Australian association football manager and former player. He is the current manager of Australian club Sydney FC.
A technically gifted and skillful attacking midfielder during his playing ...
and
David Zdrilic
David Allen Zdrilic ( hr, Zdrilić; born 13 April 1974) is an Australian soccer coach and former player, who is currently the assistant coach of Serie A club Genoa. Zdrilic is also a football presenter on the Special Broadcasting Service (SBS), ...
as well as youth internationals
Justin Pasfield
Justin Pasfield (born 30 May 1985) is an Australian professional goalkeeper who last played for Wollongong Wolves in the National Premier Leagues NSW.
He was part of the Joeys squad for the 2005 FIFA World Youth Championship in the Netherlands ...
,
Mark Milligan
Mark Daniel Milligan (born 4 August 1985) is an Australian former professional footballer. Starting his career as a defender, Milligan has spent much of his later career playing as a midfielder. He is currently a football expert commentary and ...
,
Wade Oostendorp,
Iain Fyfe
Iain Stuart Fyfe (born 3 April 1982) is a retired Australian A-League professional Football (soccer), footballer.
Club career
On completion of his SASI program in 2000, Iain joined hometown National Soccer League, NSL club Adelaide City. Aft ...
and
Jacob Timpano
Jacob Timpano (born 3 January 1986) in Wollongong, Australia) is a former Australian footballer and current head coach of Wollongong Wolves in the National Premier Leagues NSW.
Club career
Timpano previously played for the Wollongong Wolves ...
. German
Pierre Littbarski
Pierre Michael Littbarski (; born 16 April 1960) is a German professional football manager and former player of 1. FC Köln and the West Germany national team. Known for his dribbling abilities, he was mainly used as an attacking midfielder o ...
was signed as head coach, assisted by former
Norwich City
Norwich City Football Club (also known as The Canaries or The Yellows) is an English professional football club based in Norwich, Norfolk. The club competes in the EFL Championship following their relegation from the Premier League in the 20 ...
player
Ian Crook
Ian Stuart Crook (born 18 January 1963) is an English football manager and former professional player.
As a player, he was a midfielder who began his career with Tottenham Hotspur. before making 418 appearances for Norwich City where he notably ...
. Sydney FC played its first ever match against
Manly United FC
Manly United Football Club is an Australian association football, 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, N ...
on 25 March 2005, winning 6–1. Shortly after, Sydney FC set off on a tour to the
United Arab Emirates
The United Arab Emirates (UAE; ar, اَلْإِمَارَات الْعَرَبِيَة الْمُتَحِدَة ), or simply the Emirates ( ar, الِْإمَارَات ), is a country in Western Asia (The Middle East). It is located at th ...
to play against local teams FC Hatta,
Al Ain FC
Al Ain Football Club ( ar, نادي العين لكرة القدم; transliterated: Nady al-'Ayn) or Al Ain FC or simply Al Ain is a professional football club, based in the city of Al Ain, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. It is one of many spo ...
and
Al Jazira, winning all three. Whilst in
Dubai
Dubai (, ; ar, دبي, translit=Dubayy, , ) is the most populous city in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and the capital of the Emirate of Dubai, the most populated of the 7 emirates of the United Arab Emirates.The Government and Politics of ...
, Sydney FC announced that it had agreed to terms with former
Manchester United
Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of City of Salford, Salford to ...
player
Dwight Yorke
Dwight Eversley Yorke CM (born 3 November 1971) is a Trinidadian and Tobagonian former professional footballer and current manager of Australian A-League club Macarthur FC. Throughout his club career, he played for Aston Villa, Manchester Unit ...
as the club's "
marquee player
A marquee player is an athlete who is considered exceptionally popular, skilled, or otherwise outstanding, especially in professional sports. Its name comes from theater marquees, on which the names of the stars of productions in said theater ar ...
"– one paid outside of the $1.5million
salary cap
In professional sports, a salary cap (or wage cap) is an agreement or rule that places a limit on the amount of money that a team can spend on players' salaries. It exists as a per-player limit or a total limit for the team's roster, or both. Sever ...
— for two seasons.
Sydney FC's first competitive match was against
Queensland Roar
Brisbane Roar Football Club is an Australian professional association football, soccer club based in Brisbane, Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland and has won the domestic title on three occasions, as well as holding the longest unbeaten record ...
at
Central Coast Stadium
Central Coast Stadium (known originally as Grahame Park), known commercially as Industree Group Stadium is a sports venue in Gosford, on the Central Coast, New South Wales, Central Coast of New South Wales, Australia. The stadium is home to ...
in
Gosford
Gosford is the city and administrative centre of the Central Coast Council local government area in the heart of the Central Coast region, about north of Sydney and about south of Newcastle. The city centre is situated at the northern extre ...
as part of the
2005 Australian Club World Championship Qualifying Tournament
The 2005 Australian Club World Championship Qualifying Tournament was as association football knock-out competition to determine the Australian entrant into the 2005 OFC Club Championship. The tournament consisted of seven teams, being the teams c ...
. After winning 3–0, Sydney went on to defeat
Perth Glory
Perth Glory Football Club is an Australian professional soccer club based in Perth, Western Australia. It competes in the country's premier men's competition, A-League Men, under licence from Australian Professional Leagues.
Founded in 19 ...
and
Central Coast Mariners
Central Coast Mariners Football Club is an Australian professional soccer club based in Gosford, on the Central Coast of New South Wales. It competes in the A-League Men, under licence from the Australian Professional Leagues (APL). The Ma ...
to qualify for the
2005 Oceania Club Championship
The 2005 OFC Club Championship was the 4th edition of the top-level Oceanic club football tournament organized by the Oceania Football Confederation (OFC), and the 1st since 2001. The tournament was held in Papeete, Tahiti. The preliminary rounds ...
, held in
Tahiti
Tahiti (; Tahitian ; ; previously also known as Otaheite) is the largest island of the Windward group of the Society Islands in French Polynesia. It is located in the central part of the Pacific Ocean and the nearest major landmass is Austr ...
. Despite an early scare against New Zealand club
Auckland City FC
Auckland City Football Club is a New Zealand professional football club based in the suburb of Sandringham in Auckland, New Zealand. They currently compete in the Northern League (New Zealand), Northern League. Auckland City have established the ...
, Sydney FC won all of its matches and qualified for the
2005 FIFA Club World Championship
The 2005 FIFA Club World Championship (officially known as the FIFA Club World Championship Toyota Cup Japan 2005 for sponsorship reasons) was the second FIFA Club World Championship, a football competition organised by FIFA for the champion cl ...
in
Japan
Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...
. The start of the
2005 A-League Pre-Season Challenge Cup
The 2005 A-League Pre-Season Challenge Cup was played in the lead up to the inaugural ( 2005-06) A-League season. It was won by the Central Coast Mariners
Central Coast Mariners Football Club is an Australian professional association f ...
marked Sydney FC's first match at
Allianz Stadium, as well as
Dwight Yorke
Dwight Eversley Yorke CM (born 3 November 1971) is a Trinidadian and Tobagonian former professional footballer and current manager of Australian A-League club Macarthur FC. Throughout his club career, he played for Aston Villa, Manchester Unit ...
's first appearance for the club. Yorke scored the first goal of Sydney FC's 3–1 win which stretched its unbeaten run to 9 competitive matches (15 including
friendlies
An exhibition game (also known as a friendly, a scrimmage, a demonstration, a preseason game, a warmup match, or a preparation match, depending at least in part on the sport) is a sporting event whose prize money and impact on the player's or ...
). Upon reaching the semi-finals, Sydney's unbeaten run finally ended at 11 with Perth Glory
midfielder
A midfielder is an outfield position in association football.
Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in that case known as defensive midfielders. As central midfielders often go across boundarie ...
Nick Ward scoring in injury time to inflict the new club's first ever loss.
![Sydney-Queensland-2008](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c0/Sydney-Queensland-2008.jpg)
Sydney FC's first season was ultimately a success. Finishing second behind
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 ...
they went on to defeat
Central Coast Mariners
Central Coast Mariners Football Club is an Australian professional soccer club based in Gosford, on the Central Coast of New South Wales. It competes in the A-League Men, under licence from the Australian Professional Leagues (APL). The Ma ...
1–0 in the
2006 A-League Grand Final
The 2006 A-League Grand Final, the first edition of the A-League grand final was played between Sydney FC and Central Coast Mariners to decide the champion of the 2005–06 season. The Grand Final took place at Aussie Stadium in Sydney on 5 Mar ...
with
Steve Corica
Stephen Christopher Corica ( born 24 March 1973) is an Australian association football manager and former player. He is the current manager of Australian club Sydney FC.
A technically gifted and skillful attacking midfielder during his playing ...
scoring in the second half of the game. However, the club's success wouldn't last long, with German manager
Pierre Littbarski
Pierre Michael Littbarski (; born 16 April 1960) is a German professional football manager and former player of 1. FC Köln and the West Germany national team. Known for his dribbling abilities, he was mainly used as an attacking midfielder o ...
leaving the club after refusing to accept a lower salary and inaugural marquee player
Dwight Yorke
Dwight Eversley Yorke CM (born 3 November 1971) is a Trinidadian and Tobagonian former professional footballer and current manager of Australian A-League club Macarthur FC. Throughout his club career, he played for Aston Villa, Manchester Unit ...
being signed by
Premier League
The Premier League (legal name: The Football Association Premier League Limited) is the highest level of the men's English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Foo ...
club
Sunderland
Sunderland () is a port city in Tyne and Wear, England. It is the City of Sunderland's administrative centre and in the Historic counties of England, historic county of County of Durham, Durham. The city is from Newcastle-upon-Tyne and is on t ...
. Former
English international Terry Butcher
Terry Ian Butcher (born 28 December 1958) is an English football manager and former player. He works as an academy coach for Ipswich Town.
During his playing career as a defender, Butcher captained the England national team, winning 77 caps ...
was signed as Sydney FC's new coach for
2006–07. However it was regarded as an overall failure, with Sydney playing poorly despite the signing of
Alex Brosque
Alex Jason Brosque (; born 12 October 1983) is an Australian former professional footballer who was the captain of A-League club Sydney FC. He played primarily as a striker but played predominantly as a midfielder in central midfield during his ...
and
Benito Carbone
Benito Carbone (born 14 August 1971) is an Italian football manager and former professional player. He played as a forward, winger or midfielder.
He also represented Italy under-21s eight times during his playing career.
Club career
Torino
C ...
as a Guest player. Sydney also had 3 points deducted during the season, after it was found that they had breached the
Salary cap
In professional sports, a salary cap (or wage cap) is an agreement or rule that places a limit on the amount of money that a team can spend on players' salaries. It exists as a per-player limit or a total limit for the team's roster, or both. Sever ...
, involving player
David Zdrillic
David Allen Zdrilic ( hr, Zdrilić; born 13 April 1974) is an Australian soccer coach and former player, who is currently the assistant coach of Serie A club Genoa. Zdrilic is also a football presenter on the Special Broadcasting Service (SBS), ...
. Despite the off field problems, Sydney managed to scrape into the finals series, however they lost in the
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 ...
to
Newcastle Jets
Newcastle United Jets Football Club, commonly known as Newcastle Jets, is an Australian professional soccer club based in Newcastle, New South Wales. It competes in the country's premier competition, the A-League, under licence from The Australia ...
. Although Butcher led the club into the finals, Sydney fans were unhappy with his tactics. In the end Butcher and Sydney FC went their separate ways at the end of the season.
Sydney FC would go on to sign
Branko Čulina
Branko Culina (; born 1 October 1957 in Zadar, Socialist Republic of Croatia, FPR Yugoslavia) is a football (soccer) coach and former player. He previously managed Sydney FC and the Newcastle Jets in the A-League.
Club career
Culina was born in ...
for its
2007 Asian Champions League campaign, where they finished second in the group, one point behind ultimate champions and
J-League
The , known as the for sponsorship reasons, is the top level of the system. Founded in 1992, it is one of the most successful leagues in Asian club football. Contested by 18 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the J2 ...
heavyweights
Urawa Red Diamonds
, colloquially Urawa Reds (浦和レッズ), also known as Mitsubishi Urawa Football Club from April 1992 to January 1996, is a professional football club in the city of Saitama, part of the Greater Tokyo Area in Japan. The club plays in the J ...
. Despite the ACL success, Sydney FC's start to the
2007–08 season was poor, and the club sacked him, replacing him with former
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 ...
manager
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 ...
.
Sydney FC played well for the rest of the season but were knocked out in the finals by
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 ...
. Kosmina couldn't repeat the success of the previous season, replacing
Brazilian international Juninho with
Socceroos
The Australia men's national soccer team represents Australia in international men's soccer. Officially nicknamed the Socceroos, the team is controlled by the governing body for soccer in Australia, Football Australia, which is affiliated with ...
hero
John Aloisi
John Aloisi () (born 5 February 1976) is an Australian former soccer player and current head coach of A-League club Western United. In a professional career that spanned 20 seasons, with league totals of 459 games and 127 goals, he was the first ...
on a million dollar contract.
The club also unveiled
Newcastle Jets
Newcastle United Jets Football Club, commonly known as Newcastle Jets, is an Australian professional soccer club based in Newcastle, New South Wales. It competes in the country's premier competition, the A-League, under licence from The Australia ...
championship winners Mark Bridge
Mark Robert Bridge (born 7 November 1985) is an Australian professional football (soccer) player who plays as a striker for NPL club Mounties Wanderers.
Bridge is the Western Sydney Wanderers' first ever goalscorer, earning himself the nickn ...
and
Stuart Musialik as well as
Socceroo
The Australia men's national soccer team represents Australia in international men's soccer. Officially nicknamed the Socceroos, the team is controlled by the governing body for soccer in Australia, Football Australia, which is affiliated with ...
Simon Colosimo
Simon Colosimo (born 8 January 1979) is an Australian former soccer player who played as a centre back and defensive midfielder.
He spent two years playing in Europe with spells in the Premier League with Manchester City and in the Belgian Fir ...
for the
2008–09 season.
The season did not live up to expectations even with these key signings. Aloisi didn't perform very well during the season and came under heavy fire. So too did manager Kosmina, whose tactics were seen as controversial. His relationship with the media often became angry and frustrated which didn't help causes. Many players fell out of favour with the coach, including
Steve Corica
Stephen Christopher Corica ( born 24 March 1973) is an Australian association football manager and former player. He is the current manager of Australian club Sydney FC.
A technically gifted and skillful attacking midfielder during his playing ...
and
Clint Bolton
Clint Brian Bolton (born 22 August 1975) is an Australian former goalkeeper. He was one of the most experienced goalkeepers in the history of the National Soccer League, which preceded the A-League. He played over 300 games for Brisbane Strik ...
.
For the first time in the club's history, they failed to make the play-offs. As a result Kosmina was fired when
Russian
Russian(s) refers to anything related to Russia, including:
*Russians (, ''russkiye''), an ethnic group of the East Slavic peoples, primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries
*Rossiyane (), Russian language term for all citizens and peo ...
billionaire David Traktovenko became owner in March 2009.
2009–2012: Lavicka tenure
The fresh change at the club was about to bear fruit, when Sydney announced they had signed Czech Republic manager
Vítězslav Lavička
Vítězslav Lavička (; born 30 April 1963) is a Czech football manager and former player.
Playing career
As a player, Lavička played for several Czech clubs, including Škoda Plzeň, RH Cheb and Sparta Prague. He played one season towards ...
.
Lavicka completely changed the structure of the club, and for its first time turning it into a serious, European style football club. He kept faith in
Steve Corica
Stephen Christopher Corica ( born 24 March 1973) is an Australian association football manager and former player. He is the current manager of Australian club Sydney FC.
A technically gifted and skillful attacking midfielder during his playing ...
and
John Aloisi
John Aloisi () (born 5 February 1976) is an Australian former soccer player and current head coach of A-League club Western United. In a professional career that spanned 20 seasons, with league totals of 459 games and 127 goals, he was the first ...
and several others who had threatened to walk out, and as a result, Sydney FC won its first premiership. Sydney made it to the Grand Final of the fifth season of the A-League after defeating Wellington Phoenix in the preliminary final. The Grand Final was played against
Melbourne Victory
Melbourne Victory Football Club is an Australian professional soccer club based in Melbourne, Victoria. Competing in the country's premier men's competition, the A-League Men, under licence from Australian Professional Leagues (APL), Victory e ...
at
Etihad Stadium
The City of Manchester Stadium in Manchester, England, also known as the Etihad Stadium for sponsorship reasons, is the home of Premier League club Manchester City F.C., with a domestic football capacity of 53,400, making it the 6th-largest ...
in
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 ...
. Sydney took the lead after 61 minutes through a
Mark Bridge
Mark Robert Bridge (born 7 November 1985) is an Australian professional football (soccer) player who plays as a striker for NPL club Mounties Wanderers.
Bridge is the Western Sydney Wanderers' first ever goalscorer, earning himself the nickn ...
header, just seconds after Melbourne had a goal disallowed for offside. Melbourne equalised through
Adrian Leijer
Adrian Leijer (born 25 March 1986) is an Australian footballer who plays as a centre back.
Leijer played on one occasion for Australia and made over 100 appearances for Melbourne Victory in the A-League.
Club career Early years
Leijer was born ...
in the 81st minute, and the game went to a
penalty shootout
The penalty shootout is a method of determining a winner in sports matches that would have otherwise been drawn or tied. The rules for penalty shootouts vary between sports and even different competitions; however, the usual form is similar to pen ...
with no goals scored in extra time. Melbourne skipper
Kevin Muscat
Kevin Vincent Muscat (born 7 August 1973) is an Australian former association football player and the current manager of Yokohama F. Marinos. As a player, he represented the Australia national team at international level winning 46 caps and sco ...
missed his penalty, with his shot hitting the post. Sydney FC won the Grand Final 4–2 on penalties which handed the club its second Hyundai A-League Championship.
![Sydney FC V Gold Coast United](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/6b/Sydney_FC_V_Gold_Coast_United.JPG)
Sydney FC's title defence did not go smoothly. The club lost key players from its championship-winning side including
Steve Corica
Stephen Christopher Corica ( born 24 March 1973) is an Australian association football manager and former player. He is the current manager of Australian club Sydney FC.
A technically gifted and skillful attacking midfielder during his playing ...
(retired),
Karol Kisel
Karol Kisel (born 15 March 1977) is Slovak football agent and retired footballer.
Club career
He previously played for Lokomotíva Košice, Ozeta Dukla Trenčín, Bohemians Praha, Sparta Prague and FC Slovan Liberec.
Sydney FC
In early 2 ...
(return to Europe),
Simon Colosimo
Simon Colosimo (born 8 January 1979) is an Australian former soccer player who played as a centre back and defensive midfielder.
He spent two years playing in Europe with spells in the Premier League with Manchester City and in the Belgian Fir ...
,
John Aloisi
John Aloisi () (born 5 February 1976) is an Australian former soccer player and current head coach of A-League club Western United. In a professional career that spanned 20 seasons, with league totals of 459 games and 127 goals, he was the first ...
, and
Clint Bolton
Clint Brian Bolton (born 22 August 1975) is an Australian former goalkeeper. He was one of the most experienced goalkeepers in the history of the National Soccer League, which preceded the A-League. He played over 300 games for Brisbane Strik ...
(all Melbourne Heart). The club however picked up the services of former
Socceroo
The Australia men's national soccer team represents Australia in international men's soccer. Officially nicknamed the Socceroos, the team is controlled by the governing body for soccer in Australia, Football Australia, which is affiliated with ...
Nick Carle
Nicholas Alberto Carle (born 23 November 1981 in Sydney, Australia) is an Australian retired football (soccer) attacking midfielder who played for Sydney Olympic, Troyes AC, Marconi Stallions, Newcastle Jets, Gençlerbirliği, Bristol City, Cr ...
from his stint in England with
Crystal Palace
Crystal Palace may refer to:
Places Canada
* Crystal Palace Complex (Dieppe), a former amusement park now a shopping complex in Dieppe, New Brunswick
* Crystal Palace Barracks, London, Ontario
* Crystal Palace (Montreal), an exhibition building
* ...
. This wasn't enough to steer the team in the right direction. The club was winless for the first ten rounds of the competition. Sydney FC managed to pick up a few points over the next few rounds but another five-game losing streak ensured they would not qualify for the finals competition, finishing ninth. The third season under Lavicka began with the major signing of
Blackburn Rovers
Blackburn Rovers Football Club is a professional football club, based in Blackburn, Lancashire, England, which competes in the , the second tier of the English football league system. They have played home matches at Ewood Park since 1890. T ...
player
Brett Emerton
Brett Michael Emerton (born 22 February 1979) is an Australian former professional footballer who played for Sydney Olympic, Sydney FC, Feyenoord Rotterdam, Blackburn Rovers and the Australia national team. Able to play as a wide midfielder or ...
on a three-year deal. The signing was significant in that Emerton became the first player to directly exchange the
FA Premier League
The Premier League (legal name: The Football Association Premier League Limited) is the highest level of the men's English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Foo ...
for the A-League by terminating his Rovers contract one year early. The season however, only provided minimal success as the club scraped through to the finals series with a 3–2 win over
Newcastle Jets
Newcastle United Jets Football Club, commonly known as Newcastle Jets, is an Australian professional soccer club based in Newcastle, New South Wales. It competes in the country's premier competition, the A-League, under licence from The Australia ...
in the final round of the regular season. Before the end of the season the club announced that head coach Lavicka's contract would not be renewed for the following season.
2012–2014: Farina reign
![Del Piero, Sydney FC-Newcastle Jets](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d5/Del_Piero%2C_Sydney_FC-Newcastle_Jets.jpg)
The
2012–13 season was one of high drama. There was a new head coach
Ian Crook
Ian Stuart Crook (born 18 January 1963) is an English football manager and former professional player.
As a player, he was a midfielder who began his career with Tottenham Hotspur. before making 418 appearances for Norwich City where he notably ...
and a high turnover of players in the off season. The expectations changed from a year of rebuilding to title contenders when the club acquired the services of international superstar
Alessandro Del Piero
Alessandro Del Piero (; born 9 November 1974) is an Italian former professional footballer who mainly played as a deep-lying forward, although he was capable of playing in several offensive positions. Since 2015, he has worked as a pundit fo ...
. He signed on for $2 million per year and became the highest-paid player ever in the A-League.
After only six weeks into the regular season Sydney were forced to find a new coach with the shock resignation of Crook. He cited the role was "a constant burden" and was adversely affecting his health.
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 ...
was confirmed as Crook's successor for the season two games into
Steve Corica
Stephen Christopher Corica ( born 24 March 1973) is an Australian association football manager and former player. He is the current manager of Australian club Sydney FC.
A technically gifted and skillful attacking midfielder during his playing ...
's interim spell. During the January transfer window, Farina bolstered his defensive stocks with Socceroos captain
Lucas Neill
Lucas Edward Neill (born 9 March 1978) is an Australian former soccer player. Neill played as a defender, often playing as a centre back as well as a full-back. Neill spent almost 15 years of his career playing in England. He represented Austr ...
and Brazilian
Tiago Calvano
Tiago Coelho Branco Calvano (born 19 May 1981), sometimes known as just Tiago, is a former Brazilian footballer.
Career
Calvano is a defender with Italian citizenship who made 13 Campeonato Brasileiro Série A appearances for Botafogo befor ...
joining the team. The pair made nil significant impact and with a 3–1 loss away from home to
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 ...
, Sydney were unable to pick up a vital point that would have seen them play in the finals, finishing seventh.
For the
2013–14 pre season, the club became the first club in A-League history to tour in Europe, as Sydney toured in
Venice
Venice ( ; it, Venezia ; vec, Venesia or ) is a city in northeastern Italy and the capital of the Veneto Regions of Italy, region. It is built on a group of 118 small islands that are separated by canals and linked by over 400 ...
, Italy, where the club played against Del Piero's first professional club,
Padova
Padua ( ; it, Padova ; vec, Pàdova) is a city and ''comune'' in Veneto, northern Italy. Padua is on the river Bacchiglione, west of Venice. It is the capital of the province of Padua. It is also the economic and communications hub of the ...
,
Udinese Calcio
Udinese Calcio, commonly referred to as Udinese, is a professional Football in Italy, Italian association football, football club based in Udine, Friuli-Venezia Giulia, that currently plays in Serie A. It was founded on 30 November 1896 as a ...
,
Vicenza Calcio
L.R. Vicenza, commonly referred to as Vicenza, is an Football in Italy, Italian football club based in Vicenza, Veneto. Founded in 1902 as Associazione del Calcio in Vicenza, they became Lanerossi Vicenza in 1953, then Vicenza Calcio from 1990 ...
,
A.S. Cittadella
Associazione Sportiva Cittadella, commonly known as Cittadella, is an Italian professional football club based in the city of Cittadella, Veneto, currently playing in .
The team was founded in 1973 and play their home games at the Stadio Pier ...
,
Venezia
Venice ( ; it, Venezia ; vec, Venesia or ) is a city in northeastern Italy and the capital of the Veneto region. It is built on a group of 118 small islands that are separated by canals and linked by over 400 bridges. The islan ...
and
Reggiana.
Sydney won half of these six games however upon returning home lost five consecutive friendly games in the lead up to the season proper. Two-thirds of the way into the season and with Sydney FC only accumulating 4 points from 8 games, fans began to express concerns over the vision for the club. Banners at the club's home game against Adelaide included sentiments like "We want Farina gone."
There was also a mass exodus from the club's active supporter group, The Cove.
The club then held a fan forum to receive questions and communicate the direction of the club.
During the last nine rounds, Sydney FC only lost two games making the finals. The club lost to
Melbourne Victory
Melbourne Victory Football Club is an Australian professional soccer club based in Melbourne, Victoria. Competing in the country's premier men's competition, the A-League Men, under licence from Australian Professional Leagues (APL), Victory e ...
in the first week of the finals. This marked the end of the
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 ...
reign.
2014–2018: Arnold era
On 8 May 2014, Sydney FC announced its new head coach for the
2014–15 A-League
The 2014–15 A-League was the 38th season of top-flight soccer in Australia, and the 10th season of the A-League since its establishment in 2004. Brisbane Roar were both the defending A-League Premiers and Champions. The regular season commenc ...
season. With retirements to
Brett Emerton
Brett Michael Emerton (born 22 February 1979) is an Australian former professional footballer who played for Sydney Olympic, Sydney FC, Feyenoord Rotterdam, Blackburn Rovers and the Australia national team. Able to play as a wide midfielder or ...
in January and
Terry McFlynn
Terence Martin "Terry" McFlynn (born 27 March 1981) is a retired footballer from Northern Ireland who is most well known for playing for the A-League club Sydney FC. He is currently serving as the W-League and Academy manager for Perth Glory FC. ...
, and the contract expirations of marquee player
Alessandro Del Piero
Alessandro Del Piero (; born 9 November 1974) is an Italian former professional footballer who mainly played as a deep-lying forward, although he was capable of playing in several offensive positions. Since 2015, he has worked as a pundit fo ...
, foreign player
Ranko Despotović and former
Socceroo
The Australia men's national soccer team represents Australia in international men's soccer. Officially nicknamed the Socceroos, the team is controlled by the governing body for soccer in Australia, Football Australia, which is affiliated with ...
Richard Garcia
Richard Garcia (born 4 September 1981) is an Australian association football manager and former player. He is currently an assistant coach for Australia's U23 team, having previously managed A-League Men's side Perth Glory.
As a player, Garc ...
, there was a lot of experience to be filled by the club. Arnold announced his first signing on 12 May 2014, acquiring the services of his former
Mariner
A sailor, seaman, mariner, or seafarer is a person who works aboard a watercraft as part of its crew, and may work in any one of a number of different fields that are related to the operation and maintenance of a ship.
The profession of the s ...
winger
Bernie Ibini-Isei
Bernie Alpha Ibini-Isei (born 12 September 1992), also known simply as Bernie Ibini, is a professional soccer player who plays as a winger and a forward. Born in Nigeria, he represented Australia internationally.
Early life
Bernie Ibini-Isei ...
. Sydney FC then announced signings of prolific A-League goalscorer
Shane Smeltz
Shane Edward Smeltz (born 29 September 1981) is a New Zealand Australian footballer. He plays as a striker for Guiseley AFC in the Northern Premier League, the 7th tier of English football.
Smeltz had spent much of his early career playing i ...
and Socceroo
Alex Brosque
Alex Jason Brosque (; born 12 October 1983) is an Australian former professional footballer who was the captain of A-League club Sydney FC. He played primarily as a striker but played predominantly as a midfielder in central midfield during his ...
. After months of searching Arnold found his new marquee man in
Austria national football team
The Austria national football team (german: Österreichische Fußballnationalmannschaft) represents Austria in men's international football competition and it is controlled by the Austrian Football Association (German: Österreichischer Fußba ...
captain
Marc Janko
Marc Janko (born 25 June 1983) is an Austrian former professional footballer who played as a striker. Janko was a successful goal-scorer, particularly during his time at Austrian Bundesliga club Red Bull Salzburg, where he scored 75 league goa ...
. On 8 October 2014, Brosque was announced as captain for the 2014–15 A-League season, alongside vice-captains
Sasa Ognenovski
Sasa Ognenovski ( mk, Саша Огненовски, Saša Ognenovski; born 3 April 1979) is an Australian soccer player who played as a central defender, who represented the Australia national team on 22 occasions, and who last played for Sy ...
and
Nikola Petković.
Sydney FC's season began with the highly anticipated match-up against the newly re-branded
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 Profession ...
and guest superstar
David Villa
David Villa Sánchez (; born 3 December 1981) is a Spanish retired professional footballer who played as a striker. Villa is regarded by pundits as one of the best forwards of his generation, and one of the best Spanish strikers of all time. ...
. Whilst not starting the game, Villa came on early in the second half to claim the equalising goal, the result ending 1–1. Sydney FC continued on an eight-game undefeated streak that ended when
Perth Glory FC
Perth Glory Football Club is an Australian professional soccer club based in Perth, Western Australia. It competes in the country's premier men's competition, A-League Men, under licence from Australian Professional Leagues.
Founded in 199 ...
came from behind to score two goals in the final seven minutes to claim victory at Allianz Stadium. The following week saw another thrilling
Big Blue in
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 ...
ending 3–3. Sydney FC struggled for form as they moved closer to the January break for the
AFC Asian Cup
The AFC Asian Cup is the primary association football competition contested by the senior men's national teams of the members of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), determining the continental champion of Asia. It is the second oldest cont ...
, not scoring in four consecutive matches. During this break, Sydney FC were able to bolster their stocks, signing
Senegalese internationals Mickaël Tavares
Mickaël Zidro Tavares (born 25 October 1982) is a Senegalese association football, footballer who plays as a Midfielder#Defensive midfielder, defensive midfielder for French lower-league side US Sénart-Moissy, Sénart-Moissy. He has 25 caps fo ...
and
Jacques Faty
Jacques Faty (born 25 February 1984) is a former professional footballer who played as a central defender. Born in France, he represented Senegal at international level.
Club career
Rennes
Born in Villeneuve-Saint-Georges, Val-de-Marne, Faty w ...
as injury replacement players. Upon resumption, Sydney FC posted 19 (out of a possible 21) points in the next seven rounds. Whilst slipping up twice at home to Melbourne City and
Adelaide United FC
Adelaide United Football Club is a professional soccer club based in Adelaide, South Australia, Australia. The club participates in the A-League Men under licence from Australian Professional Leagues (APL). The club was founded in 2003 to f ...
(with scores of 0–1 in both games) during the final six rounds, Sydney FC managed to win all four other games away from home to finish second on the ladder with 50 points for the season. By the end of the regular season, Sydney FC had broken many records including a record club home season attendance (41,213 vs.
Western Sydney Wanderers FC
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 premie ...
) and a league record number of away games undefeated in a season, as well as becoming the first club to score three or more goals in five consecutive games.
Marquee Marc Janko also set his own A-League record for most consecutive goalscoring appearances with seven.
After having the first week of the finals off, Sydney FC met
Adelaide
Adelaide ( ) is the capital city of South Australia, the state's largest city and the fifth-most populous city in Australia. "Adelaide" may refer to either Greater Adelaide (including the Adelaide Hills) or the Adelaide city centre. The dem ...
in the semi-finals at home. A brace from
Alex Brosque
Alex Jason Brosque (; born 12 October 1983) is an Australian former professional footballer who was the captain of A-League club Sydney FC. He played primarily as a striker but played predominantly as a midfielder in central midfield during his ...
set Sydney up for a 4–1 win. Ultimately, Sydney FC were outplayed in the
2015 A-League Grand Final
The 2015 A-League Grand Final was the tenth A-League Grand Final, and was played on 17 May 2015, at AAMI Park to determine the 2014–15 A-League Champion. The match was contested by the two winning semi-finalists and Big Blue rivals, Melbourne ...
, defeated by
Melbourne Victory FC
Melbourne Victory Football Club is an Australian professional soccer club based in Melbourne, Victoria. Competing in the country's premier men's competition, the A-League Men, under licence from Australian Professional Leagues (APL), Victory e ...
3–0 at
Melbourne Rectangular Stadium
The Melbourne Rectangular Stadium, known as AAMI Park for sponsorship reasons, is an outdoor sports stadium on the site of Edwin Flack Field in the Sports and Entertainment Precinct in the Melbourne central business district.
When completed ...
.
The following season was significantly less successful, finishing seventh in the league despite the star power of marquee
Filip Hološko
Filip Hološko (; born 17 January 1984) is a Slovak former professional footballer who played as a forward or winger.
Club career
Beşiktaş
At the mid of 2007–08 season, he was transferred to Beşiktaş JK in exchange of the forward Burak ...
, and Serbian playmaker
Miloš Ninković
Miloš Ninković ( sr-Cyrl, Милош Нинковић; born 25 December 1984) is a Serbian footballer who currently plays for A-League club Western Sydney Wanderers.
Club career
Čukarički
At a young age Ninković joined FK Čukarički's you ...
. However, Arnold coached the Sky Blues through a tough Asian Champions League group, finishing first and defeating defending champions
Guangzhou Evergrande
Guangzhou Football Club, formerly known as Guangzhou Evergrande Taobao Football Club, is a professional Chinese football club that participates in the Chinese Super League under the license of the Chinese Football Association. The team is based ...
2–1 at Allianz. Sydney progressed to the knockout stages for the first time, losing on away goals to Chinese side
Shandong Luneng
Shandong Taishan Football Club () is a professional football club that currently participates in the Chinese Super League under licence from the Chinese Football Association (CFA). The team is based in Jinan, Shandong and their home stadium is th ...
with
Hao Junmin
Hao Junmin (; born 24 March 1987) is a Chinese professional footballer who plays for Chinese Super League club Guangzhou F.C. and the China national team.
Club career
Hao Junmin started his football career with Tianjin Teda when he made his ...
scoring a 90th minute equaliser to finish the Sky Blues continental hopes.
Arnold reformed Sydney for the 2016–17 season, beginning with the signings of
Socceroos
The Australia men's national soccer team represents Australia in international men's soccer. Officially nicknamed the Socceroos, the team is controlled by the governing body for soccer in Australia, Football Australia, which is affiliated with ...
centreback
Alex Wilkinson
Alexander William Wilkinson (born 13 August 1984) is an Australian international football (soccer) player who plays as a central defender and is the captain for Sydney FC in the A-League.
Wilkinson was born in Sydney and made his senior debut f ...
, and leftback
Michael Zullo
Michael Zullo (born 11 September 1988) is an Australian professional footballer who last played as a left-back for Sydney FC of the A-League.
Club career
After being signed by the former Brisbane Roar coach Frank Farina on a two-year contract, ...
both from
Melbourne City.
Joshua Brillante
Joshua Brillante (born 25 March 1993) is an Australian professional footballer who plays as a defensive midfielder for Australian A-league club Melbourne Victory. He was named captain of Melbourne Victory ahead of the 2021/22 season. Brillante ...
joined the Sky Blues on a three-year deal, keeping him at the Harbour City until 2019. The goalkeeping ranks were soon bolstered by the signing of
Danny Vukovic
Daniel Vukovic ( ; born 27 March 1985) is an Australian professional soccer player who plays as a goalkeeper for Central Coast Mariners in the A-League and the Australia national team. Vukovic is the holder of several A-League records: he has ...
, the A-League's most capped player who also held a record A-League clean sheet tally.
Bernie Ibini-Isei
Bernie Alpha Ibini-Isei (born 12 September 1992), also known simply as Bernie Ibini, is a professional soccer player who plays as a winger and a forward. Born in Nigeria, he represented Australia internationally.
Early life
Bernie Ibini-Isei ...
also rejoined the club on loan from
Club Brugge KV
(), known simply as Club Brugge (in English also: ''Club Bruges''), is a Belgian professional football club based in Bruges, Belgium. It was founded in 1891 and its home ground is the Jan Breydel Stadium, which has a capacity of 29,062. , following a horrific leg injury. The biggest signing however was that of Brazilian striker
Bobô on a one-year marquee deal, rejoining his former
Beşiktaş
Beşiktaş () is a district and municipality of Istanbul, Turkey, located on the European shore of the Bosphorus strait. It is bordered on the north by Sarıyer and Şişli, on the west by Kağıthane and Şişli, on the south by Beyoğlu, and ...
teammate Filip Holosko. The season started with a 4–0 win over rivals Western Sydney in the
Sydney Derby with new striker Bobô scoring on debut. They went on a six-game winning streak from this, conceding one goal. The club also reached the
2016 FFA Cup Final
The 2016 FFA Cup Final was the 3rd final of the premier association football knockout cup competition in Australia. The match was held on 30 November 2016 at AAMI Park. Melbourne Victory were the defending champions, but were defeated 2–0 by ...
for the first time, losing to Melbourne City 1–0, in a highly controversial match.
This did not affect the momentum however, with Arnold's men going 19 games unbeaten before losing to arch rivals Western Sydney Wanderers in the
Sydney Derby. Despite this setback, Sydney FC marched on yet again, winning the Premier's Plate with four games to spare and breaking numerous A-League records, including: most competition points, most wins in a season, fewest goals conceded, most clean sheets and best goal difference. Marquee striker Bobô ended the regular season as top scorer with 15 goals, narrowly missing
Marc Janko
Marc Janko (born 25 June 1983) is an Austrian former professional footballer who played as a striker. Janko was a successful goal-scorer, particularly during his time at Austrian Bundesliga club Red Bull Salzburg, where he scored 75 league goa ...
's record of 16. The club qualified for the
2018 AFC Champions League
The 2018 AFC Champions League was the 37th edition of Asia's premier club football tournament organized by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), and the 16th under the current AFC Champions League title.
Kashima Antlers won the title for the f ...
after finishing first, which was their fourth Asian Champions League campaign.
They finished the season as double winners – winning the
2017 A-League Grand Final
The 2017 A-League Grand Final was the twelfth A-League Grand Final, and was played on 7 May 2017, at Sydney Football Stadium, Allianz Stadium in Sydney. The match was contested between Sydney FC and Melbourne Victory FC, Melbourne Victory who f ...
4–2 (1–1 AET) on penalties against Melbourne Victory at their former home ground, Allianz Stadium. The winning penalty was scored by
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 ...
list
Miloš Ninković
Miloš Ninković ( sr-Cyrl, Милош Нинковић; born 25 December 1984) is a Serbian footballer who currently plays for A-League club Western Sydney Wanderers.
Club career
Čukarički
At a young age Ninković joined FK Čukarički's you ...
who re-signed for a following year the next day, before also being named player of the year for the third time at the club's awards night.
The Sky Blues went on a successful FFA Cup run in
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 ...
, starting with an 8–0 thumping of Northern Territory amateur side
Darwin Rovers FC, with Bobô scoring a club record equalling 4 goals in the match. The following round they played NPL2 side
Canterbury Bankstown FC, winning 3–0 in a fairly scrappy match, with goals from Carney, Bobô, and a debut goal from new signing
Adrian Mierzejewski
Adrian Mierzejewski (; born 6 November 1986) is a Polish professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Chinese Super League club Henan Songshan Longmen.
Club career
Early career
Born in Olsztyn, Mierzejewski began his career at local ...
in injury time to put them through to the quarter finals. Sydney drew
Melbourne City, marking the third battle between the two in the cup. An early goal from
Jordy Buijs
Jordy Buijs () (born 28 December 1988, in Ridderkerk) is a Dutch professional footballer who plays as a centre back for Fagiano Okayama. He can also play as a midfielder.
Buijs is a player with a great ability to read the game and who is stead ...
put Sydney up 1–0, before a second half goal from captain
Alex Brosque
Alex Jason Brosque (; born 12 October 1983) is an Australian former professional footballer who was the captain of A-League club Sydney FC. He played primarily as a striker but played predominantly as a midfielder in central midfield during his ...
sealed the win at
Leichhardt Oval
Leichhardt Oval is a rugby league and soccer stadium in Lilyfield, New South Wales, Australia. It is currently one of three home grounds for the Wests Tigers National Rugby League (NRL) team, along with Campbelltown Stadium and Western Sydney S ...
. In the semi-finals, they faced yet another Melbourne side, with a trip to
Lakeside Stadium
Lakeside Stadium is an Australian sports arena in the South Melbourne suburb of Albert Park, Victoria, Albert Park. Comprising an athletics track and soccer stadium, it currently serves as the home ground and administrative base for association ...
to play
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 ...
booked. The Sky Blues ran out 5–1 winners, with a brace from Bobô sealing their date with destiny in the
2017 FFA Cup Final
The 2017 FFA Cup Final was the 4th final of the premier association football knockout cup competition in Australia. The match was held at Allianz Stadium, as determined by Football Federation Australia (FFA), making it the first FFA Cup Final h ...
to play
Adelaide United FC
Adelaide United Football Club is a professional soccer club based in Adelaide, South Australia, Australia. The club participates in the A-League Men under licence from Australian Professional Leagues (APL). The club was founded in 2003 to f ...
. The final was played at
Sydney Football Stadium
The Sydney Football Stadium, commercially known as Allianz Stadium and previously Aussie Stadium, was a football stadium in Moore Park, Sydney, Australia. Built in 1988 next to the Sydney Cricket Ground, the stadium was Sydney's premier rect ...
, only the second time it had hosted an FFA Cup match. The Harbour City Originals opened the scoring on 20 minutes, as Milos Ninkovic latched onto a through ball, before sliding past a defender and poking a shot past goalkeeper
Paul Izzo
Paul David Izzo (born 6 January 1995) is an Australian professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper
In many team sports which involve scoring goals, the goalkeeper (sometimes termed goaltender, netminder, GK, goalie or keeper) is a des ...
. The slender one-goal lead only had them in front until an equaliser by
Nikola Mileusnic
Nikola Mileusnic (born 17 July 1993) is an Australian football player who plays attacking midfielder for A-League Men club Brisbane Roar. He previously played for Danish Superliga club Randers and A-League Men club Adelaide United. He is one ...
got Adelaide back into the game. The game was forced into extra time, before Bobô scored a header on 111 minutes to win 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 ...
for Sydney FC.
The 2017—18 season proved to be successful after the FFA Cup win, with the Sky Blues becoming the first ever club to win back-to-back premierships in the A-League era, and the first in Australian national league history since
Melbourne Knights FC
Melbourne Knights Football Club is an Australian professional soccer club based in the suburb of Sunshine North, Melbourne. The club currently competes in the National Premier Leagues Victoria, the second-tier of the Australian soccer league ...
.
With Graham Arnold being chosen to take over the Australian national team coaching role after the 2018 World Cup, his time at the club ended when his team were defeated 3–2 by Melbourne Victory, after extra time in a semi-final of the A-League finals series of 2017/18.
2018–present: Corica era
Steve Corica became the ninth permanent head coach of Sydney FC when his tenure was officially announced on 16 May 2018.
The announcement followed his ongoing thirteen year involvement with the club, signing on as a player in the inaugural 2005/06 season. After his retirement in 2010, Corica served his time as staff member for the club in various roles of assistant coach, youth team coach and the caretaker first team coach for two games in 2012.
The off-season would prove be a crucial first test for Corica in terms of recruitment for some key positions. It had already been announced that key players from prior seasons including Dutch defender
Jordy Buijs
Jordy Buijs () (born 28 December 1988, in Ridderkerk) is a Dutch professional footballer who plays as a centre back for Fagiano Okayama. He can also play as a midfielder.
Buijs is a player with a great ability to read the game and who is stead ...
, former Socceroos
Luke Wilkshire
Luke Wilkshire (born 2 October 1981) is an Australian football coach and a former player.
Born in Wollongong, Wilkshire played youth football for Albion Park, Wollongong Wolves ,and the Australian Institute of Sport before making his profession ...
,
David Carney
David Raymond Carney (born 30 November 1983) is an Australian former association football midfielder and who is incoming coach for 2023 season NPL NSW side Wollongong Wolves FC.
Born in Sydney, he began his playing career with the New South Wa ...
and
Matt Simon
Matthew Blake Simon (born 22 January 1986) is a retired Australian international football (soccer) player who played as a striker. Simon attended St Edward's College, East Gosford, where he was influenced to play soccer.
Simon started his s ...
had all left the club as well as youth product
Anthony Kalik
Anthony Kalik (born 5 November 1997) is an Australian professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Hajduk Split.
Born in Sydney, Kalik played youth football at Manly United FC and was then offered a 2 year scholarship at the Australia ...
returning to Europe as his loan deal expired. After the re-signing of current captain and club legend
Brosque within the first week of Corica's tenure things appeared to be going well for Corica. On 7 July 2018, after weeks of speculation, the club officially confirmed the exit of
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 ...
ist
Adrian Mierzejewski
Adrian Mierzejewski (; born 6 November 1986) is a Polish professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Chinese Super League club Henan Songshan Longmen.
Club career
Early career
Born in Olsztyn, Mierzejewski began his career at local ...
and the newly re-signed
Golden Boot winner, Bobô, leaving big holes to fill in attack. In the following weeks after
Bobô and
Adrian Mierzejewski
Adrian Mierzejewski (; born 6 November 1986) is a Polish professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Chinese Super League club Henan Songshan Longmen.
Club career
Early career
Born in Olsztyn, Mierzejewski began his career at local ...
closed the door on their times at Sydney, the club announced the signings of former
English Premier League
The Premier League (legal name: The Football Association Premier League Limited) is the highest level of the men's English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Fo ...
star
Adam Le Fondre
Glenville Adam James Le Fondre (born 2 December 1986), known as Adam Le Fondre, is an English professional footballer who plays as a striker for Sydney FC in the A-League.
He previously played for his hometown club Stockport County as well a ...
and on loan from
Ajax
Ajax may refer to:
Greek mythology and tragedy
* Ajax the Great, a Greek mythological hero, son of King Telamon and Periboea
* Ajax the Lesser, a Greek mythological hero, son of Oileus, the king of Locris
* ''Ajax'' (play), by the ancient Greek ...
,
Siem de Jong
Siem Stefan de Jong (; born 28 January 1989) is a Dutch professional footballer who plays for Eerste Divisie club De Graafschap as an attacking midfielder or striker.
Playing in the youth academies of De Graafschap and Ajax, he made his pro ...
. Fellow Dutchman
Jop van der Linden
Jop van der Linden (born 17 July 1990) is a retired Dutch professional footballer who played as a centre back for Vitesse, AGOVV Apeldoorn, Helmond Sport, Go Ahead Eagles, AZ, Willem II, and Sydney FC
Sydney Football Club is an Austral ...
was also revealed to be joining Sydney FC on a one year deal.
On 7 April 2021, Sydney FC became the first
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 ...
club to record 200 wins with a 1–0 win over
Perth Glory.
On 22 July 2022, Sydney FC secured the signing of
Elvis Kamsoba
Elvis Kamsoba (born 27 June 1996) is a Burundian professional footballer who plays as a winger for Sepahan and the Burundi national football team. from rivals Melbourne Victory.
Colours and badge
The primary club colour of Sydney FC is
sky blue
Sky blue is a shade of light blue comparable to that of a clear daytime sky. The term (as "sky blew") is attested from 1681. A 1585 translation of Nicolas de Nicolay's 1576 ''Les navigations, peregrinations et voyages faicts en la Turquie'' in ...
, which represents the
state colour of
New South Wales
)
, nickname =
, 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 ...
. The secondary club colour is
navy blue
Navy blue is a very dark shade of the color blue.
Navy blue got its name from the dark blue (contrasted with naval white) worn by officers in the Royal Navy since 1748 and subsequently adopted by other navies around the world. When this color n ...
, with additional contrasting colours of
orange
Orange most often refers to:
*Orange (fruit), the fruit of the tree species '' Citrus'' × ''sinensis''
** Orange blossom, its fragrant flower
*Orange (colour), from the color of an orange, occurs between red and yellow in the visible spectrum
* ...
and
white
White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White on ...
, however the colour orange does not feature in the club's 2017 redesign of the crest.
The current Sydney FC badge was released on 17 May 2017 and is a reworking of a design submitted by the club's supporter group, The Cove. The crest features the
Sydney Opera House
The Sydney Opera House is a multi-venue performing arts centre in Sydney. Located on the foreshore of Sydney Harbour, it is widely regarded as one of the world's most famous and distinctive buildings and a masterpiece of 20th-century architec ...
in white pictured in front of a sky-blue backdrop on top of a navy blue base featuring the
Commonwealth Star
The Commonwealth Star (also known as the Federation Star, the Seven Point Star, or the Star of Federation) is a seven-pointed star symbolising the Federation of Australia which came into force on 1 January 1901.
Six points of the Star represent ...
. The Opera House represents an iconic landmark of
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 ...
, the sky-blue represents the club's primary colour and the state colour of
New South Wales
)
, nickname =
, 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 ...
, and the
Commonwealth Star
The Commonwealth Star (also known as the Federation Star, the Seven Point Star, or the Star of Federation) is a seven-pointed star symbolising the Federation of Australia which came into force on 1 January 1901.
Six points of the Star represent ...
, also found on the
Australian Flag
The flag of Australia, also known as the Australian Blue Ensign, is based on the British Blue Ensign—a blue field with the Union Jack in the upper hoist quarter—augmented with a large white seven-pointed star (the Commonwealth Star) and a r ...
, is a symbol representing the
Federation of Australia
The Federation of Australia was the process by which the six separate British self-governing colonies of Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria, Tasmania, South Australia (which also governed what is now the Northern Territory), and Western A ...
.
The initial Sydney FC badge was created and used since the club's founding in 2004. It featured a soccer ball set centrally in a stylised crest shape. Above the ball was the shape of three shells of the
Sydney Opera House
The Sydney Opera House is a multi-venue performing arts centre in Sydney. Located on the foreshore of Sydney Harbour, it is widely regarded as one of the world's most famous and distinctive buildings and a masterpiece of 20th-century architec ...
, and below that was the
Commonwealth Star
The Commonwealth Star (also known as the Federation Star, the Seven Point Star, or the Star of Federation) is a seven-pointed star symbolising the Federation of Australia which came into force on 1 January 1901.
Six points of the Star represent ...
.
There is a silver star atop the badge with the numeral five written inside it, representing the number of championships the club has won.
Stadiums
Sydney FC plays its home matches at two stadiums,
Leichhardt Oval
Leichhardt Oval is a rugby league and soccer stadium in Lilyfield, New South Wales, Australia. It is currently one of three home grounds for the Wests Tigers National Rugby League (NRL) team, along with Campbelltown Stadium and Western Sydney S ...
and
Jubilee Oval
Jubilee Stadium, also known as Kogarah Oval or by its sponsored name Netstrata Jubilee Stadium, is a multipurpose stadium in Carlton, New South Wales, Sydney, Australia. The stadium is mainly used for rugby league and the A-League, and is o ...
. Their largest stadium, the
Sydney Cricket Ground
The Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG) is a sports stadium in Sydney, Australia. It is used for Test cricket, Test, One Day International and Twenty20 cricket, as well as, Australian rules football and occasionally for rugby league, rugby union and as ...
located in Moore Park was used in its first season after the demolition of
Sydney Sports Ground
The Sydney Sports Ground No. 1 was a Stadium and Dirt track racing venue in Sydney, New South Wales. The ground was located where the car park of the Sydney Football Stadium (SFS) currently sits. The ground had two main grandstands and was surro ...
, next to the club's future home, the
Sydney Football Stadium
The Sydney Football Stadium, commercially known as Allianz Stadium and previously Aussie Stadium, was a football stadium in Moore Park, Sydney, Australia. Built in 1988 next to the Sydney Cricket Ground, the stadium was Sydney's premier rect ...
. With a capacity of 46,000, it was used for the club's major fixtures during their time away from their traditional home, although this was eventually abandoned. It was opened in 1848 to be used mainly for oval sports, such as
cricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of eleven players on a field at the centre of which is a pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two bails balanced on three stumps. The batting side scores runs by striki ...
. The original
Sydney Football Stadium
The Sydney Football Stadium, commercially known as Allianz Stadium and previously Aussie Stadium, was a football stadium in Moore Park, Sydney, Australia. Built in 1988 next to the Sydney Cricket Ground, the stadium was Sydney's premier rect ...
was built in 1988 to be the premium "rectangular field" for
rugby league
Rugby league football, commonly known as just rugby league and sometimes football, footy, rugby or league, is a full-contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular field measuring 68 metres (75 yards) wide and 112 ...
matches. It was also used for
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 ...
and
rugby union
Rugby union, commonly known simply as rugby, is a close-contact team sport that originated at Rugby School in the first half of the 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand. In its m ...
for major matches and domestic competition. The stadium is now in the process of being knocked down and rebuilt into a boutique, world class venue.
It has been the venue for
Australian international matches (notably
World Cup Qualifier against
Argentina
Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the second-largest country in South America after Brazil, th ...
in 1993). The stadium's capacity was stated at 41,159 prior to renovations in 2007, although the attendance of the 2006 A-League grand final exceeded this number by over 500. The currently stated capacity is 45,500.
Sydney FC have played matches at other Sydney venues.
Parramatta Stadium
Parramatta Stadium was a sports stadium in Parramatta, New South Wales, Australia, 23 kilometres west of Sydney's central business district. The stadium was the home ground of several western Sydney-based sports teams, at the time of closure t ...
in western Sydney was the venue for an
AFC Champions League
The AFC Champions League (abbreviated as ACL) is an annual continental club football competition organised by the Asian Football Confederation, and contested by Asia's top-division football clubs. It is the most prestigious club competition ...
match against
Indonesia
Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania between the Indian and Pacific oceans. It consists of over 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, Java, Sulawesi, and parts of Borneo and New Guine ...
n football side
Persik Kediri
Persatuan Sepak Bola Indonesia Kediri or Indonesian Football Association of Kediri ''(abbreviated Persik Kediri)'' is an Indonesian professional association football, football club based in Kediri (city), Kediri, East East Java, Java, Indones ...
in April 2007 when the SFS was unavailable due to an
NRL
The National Rugby League (NRL) is an Australasian rugby league club competition which contains clubs from New South Wales, Queensland, Victoria, the Australian Capital Territory and New Zealand. The NRL formed in 1998 as a joint partnership ...
match being played there. A friendly match against
Los Angeles Galaxy
LA Galaxy, also known as the Los Angeles Galaxy, are an American professional soccer club based in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. The Galaxy competes in Major League Soccer (MLS), as a member of the Western Conference. The club began play ...
was played at
ANZ Stadium
ANZ may refer to:
People
* Anz (musician), a British DJ and electronic musician
Banks
* ANZ (bank), Australia and New Zealand Banking Group Limited, the fourth-largest bank in Australia
** ANZ Bank New Zealand, the largest bank in New Zealand
...
in November 2007 due to its greater capacity, and drew a crowd of 80,295. However, as of 2012 these districts are now represented in the A-League so such a move would be unnecessary. In December 2011, Sydney played a (2–0 winning) match at
Kogarah Oval
Jubilee Stadium, also known as Kogarah Oval or by its sponsored name Netstrata Jubilee Stadium, is a multipurpose stadium in Carlton, New South Wales, Sydney, Australia. The stadium is mainly used for rugby league and the A-League, and is one ...
against
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 ...
, as the SFS was unavailable due to concerts being held at the ground that weekend. Sydney FC played at one of their temporary home grounds,
Leichhardt Oval
Leichhardt Oval is a rugby league and soccer stadium in Lilyfield, New South Wales, Australia. It is currently one of three home grounds for the Wests Tigers National Rugby League (NRL) team, along with Campbelltown Stadium and Western Sydney S ...
, in September 2017 against
Melbourne City 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 ...
, winning 2–0.
On 17 May 2017, the club and SCG Trust agreed to a ten-year extension of the lease.
Training ground
Sydney FC's primary training ground is at
Macquarie University
Macquarie University ( ) is a public research university based in Sydney, Australia, in the suburb of Macquarie Park. Founded in 1964 by the New South Wales Government, it was the third university to be established in the metropolitan area of S ...
in
North Ryde
North Ryde is a suburb located in the Northern Sydney region of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. North Ryde is located 15 kilometres north-west of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of the City ...
They also have use of the
sports and aquatic centre for post match recovery sessions. Occasionally Sydney FC have been seen after home games having recovery sessions at local beaches such as
Coogee Beach Coogee Beach may refer to:
*Coogee, New South Wales, beach in Sydney, NSW, Australia
*Coogee, Western Australia
Coogee is a southern coastal suburb of Perth, Western Australia, located within the City of Cockburn.
History
The suburb takes its ...
,
Bondi Beach
Bondi Beach is a popular beach and the name of the surrounding suburb in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. Bondi Beach is located east of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of Waverley Council, in the Easter ...
, and
Maroubra.
Sponsorship
Supporters
![Sydneyfc cove](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/31/Sydneyfc_cove.jpg)
As they were the only A-League team from Sydney until 2012, Sydney FC used to draw support from most of Sydney (much has been reclaimed by Western Sydney Wanderers, since their introduction in 2012), and as a result is one of the most heavily supported clubs in the Eastern Sydney region. The largest and main supporter group of Sydney FC is known as "
The Cove",
and were originally located at the Paddington (northern) end of Allianz Stadium in bays 22–26. The name came from the original name given to the colonial settlement of Sydney—
Sydney Cove
Sydney Cove (Eora: ) is a bay on the southern shore of Sydney Harbour, one of several harbours in Port Jackson, on the coast of Sydney, New South Wales. Sydney Cove is a focal point for community celebrations, due to its central Sydney locatio ...
.
Cove members attend every home match and also travel as a group around the country to support the team at away matches. As a vocal group, The Cove demonstrates its support by singing
football chant
A football chant or terrace chant is form of vocalisation performed by supporters of association football, typically during football matches. Football chanting is an expression of collective identity, most often used by fans to express their p ...
s, wearing club colours, standing up, waving flags and holding banners. On 7 July 2006, Australian rock singer
Jimmy Barnes
James Dixon "Jimmy" Barnes (née Swan; born 28 April 1956) is a Scottish-born Australian rock singer. His career, both as a solo performer and as the lead vocalist with the rock band Cold Chisel, has made him one of the most popular and best-s ...
recorded a club song entitled 'Sydney FC for Me' with 25 members of The Cove singing back-up vocals. It was released prior to the start of the
2006–07 season.
The Cove was directly involved the creation of the modern Sydney FC badge, with them putting forward designs and ideas which carried over to the finished product.
Rivalries
*
Melbourne Victory
Melbourne Victory Football Club is an Australian professional soccer club based in Melbourne, Victoria. Competing in the country's premier men's competition, the A-League Men, under licence from Australian Professional Leagues (APL), Victory e ...
– ''
The Big Blue
''The Big Blue'' (released in some countries under the French title ''Le Grand Bleu'') is a 1988 film in the French '' Cinéma du look'' visual style, made by French director Luc Besson. It is a heavily fictionalized and dramatized story of ...
'' – The clash between Australia's two largest cities is perhaps the most historic rivalry in the league, with games between the two clubs often getting physical. Sydney and Melbourne have been rivals on many fronts for over a century.
*
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 ...
– ''
The Sydney Derby'' – With the introduction of the
Wanderers into the competition, Sydney FC now contest a true local derby for the first time. The two teams played their first match on 20 October 2012 at the then Wanderers' home ground,
Parramatta Stadium
Parramatta Stadium was a sports stadium in Parramatta, New South Wales, Australia, 23 kilometres west of Sydney's central business district. The stadium was the home ground of several western Sydney-based sports teams, at the time of closure t ...
. Sydney FC won the match 1–0 in front of a near-capacity crowd of 19,126 fans. On 15 December 2012 in the following derby, the Wanderers defeated Sydney FC 2–0 away from home; the two teams went on to draw 1–1 at the Wanderers' home ground during their third encounter. On 9 December 2017, Sydney FC had their largest Derby win with a 0–5 win over the Wanderers at ANZ Stadium, Sydney FC lead the head-to-head count with 13 Derby wins compared to the Wanderers' 7, with the clubs drawing 9. Sydney FC have scored 45 Derby goals while the Wanderers have scored 28.
Statistics and records
Rhyan Grant
Rhyan Bert Grant (born 26 February 1991) is an Australian professional football player who plays for A-League club Sydney FC and the Australia national team.
Born in Canowindra, New South Wales, Grant played youth football at the Australi ...
holds the record for Sydney FC appearances, having played 288 first-team matches between 2008 to 2022. The record for a goalkeeper is held by
Andrew Redmayne
Andrew James Redmayne (born 13 January 1989) is an Australian professional soccer player who plays as a goalkeeper for Sydney FC in the A-League and the Australia men's national team.
Redmayne was born in Gosford and played youth football w ...
, with 172 appearances.
The club's all-time top goalscorer in all competitions is
Alex Brosque
Alex Jason Brosque (; born 12 October 1983) is an Australian former professional footballer who was the captain of A-League club Sydney FC. He played primarily as a striker but played predominantly as a midfielder in central midfield during his ...
with 83 goals.
Bobô has scored the second most goals for the club with 71 and whilst striker
Adam Le Fondre
Glenville Adam James Le Fondre (born 2 December 1986), known as Adam Le Fondre, is an English professional footballer who plays as a striker for Sydney FC in the A-League.
He previously played for his hometown club Stockport County as well a ...
is third with 63 goals.
Sydney FC's highest home attendance for a league match was 41,213, recorded on 18 October 2014 at the Sydney Football Stadium against the
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 ...
in the
Sydney Derby. The highest home attendance in any fixture is 80,295 recorded on 27 November 2007 for a
friendly match against
LA Galaxy
LA Galaxy, also known as the Los Angeles Galaxy, are an American professional soccer club based in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. The Galaxy competes in Major League Soccer (MLS), as a member of the Western Conference. The club began pl ...
at
Stadium Australia
Stadium Australia, currently known as Accor Stadium for sponsorship purposes, is a multi-purpose stadium located in the Sydney Olympic Park, in Sydney, Australia. The stadium, which in Australia is sometimes referred to as Sydney Olympic Stad ...
.
Players
First-team squad
Youth
Players to have featured in a first-team matchday squad for Sydney FC
Former players
Academy
On 21 December 2009, Sydney FC established an academy to develop young players. The main goal of the academy was stated as to produce better players by providing technical and tactical knowledge, as well as to identify potential new talent that could represent Sydney in the National Youth League and A League in future. This began a continued commitment from Sydney to invest in and develop junior talent for the benefit of grassroots soccer. The initial 26 players were drawn from the NSW State League clubs and consisted of players aged 14–18 years old. They started training with the academy at
Macquarie University
Macquarie University ( ) is a public research university based in Sydney, Australia, in the suburb of Macquarie Park. Founded in 1964 by the New South Wales Government, it was the third university to be established in the metropolitan area of S ...
.
Captains
''Captains by Years (2005–present)'' A-League games only.
Managers
The club's current manager is
Steve Corica
Stephen Christopher Corica ( born 24 March 1973) is an Australian association football manager and former player. He is the current manager of Australian club Sydney FC.
A technically gifted and skillful attacking midfielder during his playing ...
. The club's previous manager was
Graham Arnold
Graham James Arnold (born 3 August 1963) is an Australian soccer manager and former player. Arnold was appointed to work as an assistant coach of the Australian national soccer team in 2000. After head coach Frank Farina was sacked in 2005, Ar ...
, the longest-serving manager, who managed from August 2014 to 2018. There have been nine permanent and one
caretaker manager
In association footballing terms, a caretaker manager or interim manager is somebody who takes temporary charge of the management of a football team, usually when the regular Manager (association football), manager is dismissed or leaves for a ...
of Sydney FC since the appointment of the first professional manager,
Pierre Littbarski
Pierre Michael Littbarski (; born 16 April 1960) is a German professional football manager and former player of 1. FC Köln and the West Germany national team. Known for his dribbling abilities, he was mainly used as an attacking midfielder o ...
in 2005.
Coaching staff
Corporate hierarchy
Club awards
Hall of Fame
On 16 March 2015, Sydney FC inducted eight members into its inaugural Hall of Fame at the club's 10-year anniversary lunch.
Additional inductees are added to the hall of fame at the annual end of season Sky Blue Ball.
Team of the Decade
In April 2015, Sydney FC also announced its Team of the Decade at the annual end of season awards night, the Sky Blue Ball.
End of Season Awards
;Notes
AFC Club ranking
Honours
Domestic
*
A-League Men
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 ...
Premiership
:Winners (4) :
2009–10,
2016–17,
2017–18,
2019–20 (record)
:Runners-up (4):
2005–06,
2014–15,
2018–19,
2020–21
The dash is a punctuation mark consisting of a long horizontal line. It is similar in appearance to the hyphen but is longer and sometimes higher from the baseline. The most common versions are the endash , generally longer than the hyphen b ...
*
A-League Men
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 ...
Championship
:Winners (5) :
2006
File:2006 Events Collage V1.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2006 Winter Olympics open in Turin; Twitter is founded and launched by Jack Dorsey; The Nintendo Wii is released; Montenegro 2006 Montenegrin independence referendum, votes to declare ...
,
2010
File:2010 Events Collage New.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2010 Chile earthquake was one of the strongest recorded in history; The Eruption of Eyjafjallajökull in Iceland disrupts air travel in Europe; A scene from the opening ceremony of ...
,
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 ...
,
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 ...
,
2020
2020 was heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to global Social impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, social and Economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, economic disruption, mass cancellations and postponements of events, COVID- ...
(record)
:Runners-up (2):
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 ...
,
2021
File:2021 collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: the James Webb Space Telescope was launched in 2021; Protesters in Yangon, Myanmar following the 2021 Myanmar coup d'état, coup d'état; A civil demonstration against the October–November 2021 ...
*
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 Austra ...
:Winners (1):
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 ...
:Runners-up (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 ...
,
2018
File:2018 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2018 Winter Olympics opening ceremony in PyeongChang, South Korea; Protests erupt following the Assassination of Jamal Khashoggi; March for Our Lives protests take place across the United ...
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Australian Club World Championship Qualifying Tournament
:Winners (1):
2005
File:2005 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: Hurricane Katrina in the Gulf of Mexico; the Funeral of Pope John Paul II is held in Vatican City; "Me at the zoo", the first video ever to be uploaded to YouTube; Eris was discovered in ...
Continental
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OFC Champions League
The OFC Champions League, also known as the O-League, is the premier men's club soccer competition in Oceania. It is organised by the OFC, Oceania's football governing body. Beginning as the Oceania Club Championship (1987–2006), it has been ...
:Winners (1):
2005
File:2005 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: Hurricane Katrina in the Gulf of Mexico; the Funeral of Pope John Paul II is held in Vatican City; "Me at the zoo", the first video ever to be uploaded to YouTube; Eris was discovered in ...
Other
International record
See also
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List of Sydney FC seasons
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Sydney FC in international competition
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Sydney FC W-League
Sydney Football Club Women is an Australian women's football club based in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. It competes in the A-League Women, the top tier of women's football in Australia. The club is directly affiliated with Sydney FC.
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References
External links
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{{A-League
{{E-League
{{Association football in New South Wales
{{Sydney sports teams
{{OFC Champions League winners
A-League Men teams
Association football clubs established in 2004
Soccer clubs in Sydney
2004 establishments in Australia
OFC Champions League winning clubs