Sydney FC
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| Sydney FC | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Full name | Sydney Football Club | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Nickname(s) | Bling FC | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Founded | 2004 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Ground | Aussie Stadium, Sydney |
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| Capacity | 41,159 (soon 45,500) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Chairman |  George Perry |
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| Manager | Branko Culina (interim) |
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| League | A-League | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2006–07 | 4th (final) 4th (league) |
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Sydney Football Club, founded in 2004, is an Australian football (soccer) club based in Sydney and competes in Australia's premier competition, the A-League. Sydney FC won the inaugural A-League Championship in 2005–06 by defeating the Central Coast Mariners 1-0 in the Grand Final. After winning the 2004–05 Oceania Club Championship, Sydney FC competed in and finished fifth (of six teams) in the 2005 FIFA Club World Championship in December 2005. As A-League Champions, Sydney FC is also competing in the 2007 AFC Champions League.
Its home ground is Aussie Stadium, a 45,500 seat multi-use venue[1] in the suburb of Moore Park. Sydney FC quickly gained a reputation as the "glamour club" of the new competition,[2] due to the club's high-profile personnel, including investor and actor Anthony LaPaglia, ex-Manchester United star Dwight Yorke as the team's first "marquee player" and 1990 FIFA World Cup winner Pierre Littbarski as manager in the first season. This tag was occasionaly replaced by "Budget FC" in their second season though, as the club sold Yorke and were unable to replace him due to financial constraints.[3]
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[edit] History
[edit] Foundation
The first steps towards the foundation of Sydney FC were taken in April 2004 when Soccer New South Wales announced their intention to bid for a license in the new Australian football competition.[4] The bid was lodged with the Australian Soccer Association (now Football Federation Australia)on July 19, challenged only by a consortium headed by Nick Politis, known as the "Sydney Blues",[5] for Sydney's place in the 'one team per city' competition.[6] A public row broke out between the two bidders after reports that the ASA were set to vote in favour of Sydney FC,[7] causing Politis to withdraw his support for a team,[8] and leaving Sydney FC as the only candidate remaining.
Sydney was officially launched as a member of the new 8-team A-League on November 1, 2004, with a 25% stake in the club held by Soccer NSW, the remainder privately owned.[9] Walter Bugno was announced as the inaugural chairman of the club.
By February 2005, Sydney had filled 16 of their allowed 20 squad positions – attracting Socceroos Clint Bolton, Steve Corica and David Zdrilic as well as youth internationals Justin Pasfield, Mark Milligan, Wade Oostendorp, Iain Fyfe and Jacob Timpano.[10] German Pierre Littbarski was signed as Head Coach, to be assisted by former Norwich City player Ian Crook. Sydney FC played its first ever match against Manly United FC on March 25, 2005, winning 6-1.[11] Shortly after, Sydney set off on a tour to the United Arab Emirates to play matches against local teams FC Hatta, Al Ain FC and Al Jazira, winning all three.[12][13][14] Whilst in Dubai, Sydney FC announced that they had agreed to terms with former Manchester United player Dwight Yorke to join Sydney as their "marquee player" – one paid outside of the $1.5 million salary cap – for two seasons.[15]
[edit] Pre-League
Sydney FC's first competitive match was held against Queensland Roar at Central Coast Stadium in Gosford as part of an Australian qualifying tournament to enter the 2005 Oceania Club Championship. After winning the match 3-0, Sydney went on to defeat Perth Glory and the Central Coast Mariners to win their first piece of silverware and qualify for the Oceania Club Championship, to be held in Tahiti. Despite an early scare against New Zealand club Auckland City FC,[16] Sydney won all of their matches in the competition and qualified for the 2005 FIFA Club World Championship in Japan. The start of the 2005 Pre-Season Cup marked Sydney FC's first match at Aussie Stadium, as well as Dwight Yorke's first appearance for the club – Yorke scoring the first goal of Sydney's 3-1 win which stretched their unbeaten run to 9 competitive matches (15 including friendlies). Upon reaching the semi-finals, Sydney's unbeaten run finally ended at 11 with Perth Glory midfielder Nick Ward scoring in injury time to inflict the new club's first ever loss.[17]
[edit] International Competition
In December 2005, Sydney FC competed in the 2005 FIFA Club World Championship as the Oceania Football Confederation's entry to the tournament following their 2004-05 Oceania Club Championships success in June. On December 12, in front of a crowd of over 28,000 at Japan's Toyota Stadium, Sydney FC narrowly lost to Costa Rican champions Deportivo Saprissa 1-0, denying the club a semi–final match against European champion Liverpool. Four days later, Sydney FC defeated the African "Club of the Century" Al-Ahly 2–1 to finish the competition in fifth place.
On November 22, 2006, Sydney FC and Adelaide United were chosen to be the first clubs to represent the A-League and Australia in the AFC Champions League, where on March 7, 2007, Sydney FC finished their maiden game in this competition with an away 2-1 win over Shanghai Shenhua.
[edit] League 2005-06
Sydney FC entered the inaugural A-League season as heavy favourites for the title,[18] and hosted their first league match against Melbourne Victory on August 28, 2005. This event drew a then-record crowd for a regular season match in Australia. The stated figure was 25,208, though this is likely to be an underestimation of the true crowd size as the number of people who 'walked up' to the game meant that ticket sellers at the gate were unable to cope. For only the second time in the history of the SCG Trust (the operators of Aussie Stadium), the gates were opened twenty minutes after the game had started, permitting around two–thousand fans to enter for free.[19]
At the conclusion of the twenty–one game regular season, Sydney FC finished in second place, seven points behind Adelaide United. However, in the Major Semi–Final they defeated Adelaide 4–3 on aggregate, ensuring a home Grand Final which produced a sell–out crowd of 41,689 (above the stated capacity of Aussie Stadium) against the Central Coast Mariners on March 5, 2006. Sydney won the match 1–0 after Dwight Yorke set up Steve Corica for the deciding goal.
After the first season, coach Pierre Littbarski left the club following a dispute over his contract which involved a significant pay cut from his reported $700,000 first year salary. [20] [21] He was replaced by former England international and Motherwell manager Terry Butcher on May 17, 2006. [22] During the 2006 off-season, Sydney FC recruited Ruben Zadkovich (previously on a short-term contract with Sydney FC), Alex Brosque (Queensland Roar) and Jeremy Brockie (New Zealand Knights).
[edit] League 2006-07
The second season of the Hyundai A-league ("dubbed Version 2.0") was ultimately an unsuccessful and disappointing season for the defending champions. The club's administration had spent far more than it had earnt over the course of the past two years, and subsequent budget cutbacks included the sale of marquee forward Dwight Yorke, a significantly reduced advertising campaign, and the loss of German coach Pierre Littbarski. The team's displays on the field were widely reported by Australian sports media to have ranged from showing glimpses of strong form to marked disappointment[23], and no real challenge for the premiership was mounted.
The off-field administration of the club came under equally heavy criticism. There were disruptions and disagreements within the club's controlling board, and disruptions in the dressing room involving several senior players and coach Terry Butcher. Amongst many other unfortunate events, the club was fined AU$129,000 and three competition points for an alleged salary cap breach involving David Zdrillic[24]. The Sydney FC squad also suffered through remarkably bad fortune with regards to injuries; at one point, only thirteen players were fit & available on the team sheet, including regular second-choice keeper Justin Pasfield. All of this amounted to disappointing attendances, ugly displays of football from what were previously regarded as a good team to watch and relatively poor performances.
Eventually, Sydney progressed to the finals series only by way of a hard fought draw against the Queensland Roar in the final match of the regular season[25]. The Newcastle Jets were drawn as the team's initial play-off opponents in the final series, and they ultimately defeated Sydney FC 3-2 over the course of two (home and away) legs.
[edit] League 2007-08
After the disappointment of the previous season, Terry Butcher was removed from his post as manager of Sydney FC[26]. His sacking came as rumours of discontent among senior players surfaced with Sasho Petrovski publicly voicing his disapproval. On February 13, 2007 former Soccer New South Wales technical director Branko Culina was announced as the interim replacement. The ex-Sydney United coach will be in charge of the revamped 21 man squad for the AFC Champions League 2007 games against Indonesia's Persik Kediri, Japan's Urawa Reds and China's Shanghai Shenhua[27].
Sydney FC were successful in their first-round match against Shanghai Shenhua, defeating the Chinese champions 2-1. That result was followed up with an impressive 2-2 draw against Japanese super-club Urawa Reds in front of 21,010 - a bigger home crowd than had attended any of the last season's regular matches[28].
[edit] Stadium
- Main article: Aussie Stadium
Sydney FC play their home matches at Aussie Stadium (formerly called Sydney Football Stadium). Chosen for its easy access, with shuttle buses running from nearby Central Station on match days, it has been the venue for several Australian international matches (notably the 1993 World Cup Qualifier against Argentina). The stadium's capacity is stated at 41,159, though the attendance of the A-League grand final exceeded this number by over 500. Aussie Stadium is currently being renovated to expand the capacity to 45,500.
Media reports during the 2006 off-season suggested that the club was considering moving its home games to Telstra Stadium due to the cost of operating at Aussie Stadium, reported at $110,000 per game. [29] However, Aussie Stadium remains Sydney FC's home venue.
[edit] Supporters
In the inaugural A-League season Sydney FC averaged an attendance of 19,647 (16,668 during the regular season) which was, at that time, a record for an association football club in an Australian national league.
The most vocal supporters sit at the northern end, around Bay 23 of Aussie Stadium, and are known as "The Cove". The term came from the original name given to the settlement of Sydney — Sydney Cove. This settlement was located on the piece of land that is now the Circular Quay ferry terminal. Most Cove members attend every home match while a smaller group travel around the country to support the team at away matches. They sing football/Sydney FC chants, wear club colours (sky blue in particular), wave banners and flags and generally try to help lift the team and demonstrate fervent support. Some members make unofficial Cove merchandise such as scarves, flags, banners, patches and clothing to distribute or sell.
On July 7, 2006, Australian rock singer Jimmy Barnes recorded a club song entitled 'Sydney FC For Me' with 25 members of The Cove singing back-up vocals.[30]. It was released prior to the start of the 2006–07 season
[edit] Players
[edit] Current squad
First team
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[edit] Notable former players
See also: List of Sydney F.C. players
[edit] Managers
- 2007 (interim) Branko Culina
- 2006-2007
Terry Butcher - 2005-2006
Pierre Littbarski
[edit] Achievements
- A-League Championship: 1
- A-league Finals Appearances: 2
- Asian Champions League Appearances: 1
- Club World Championship Appearances: 1
[edit] Records
[edit] Club
- Record victory: 9–2 (vs Sobou FC – Oceania Club Championship, June 2, 2005)
- Record defeat: 0–5 (vs Melbourne Victory – A-League, October 16, 2005)
- Undefeated streak: 11 matches (May 7, 2005 – August 6, 2005)[31]
- A-League Regular Season Attendance: 25,557 (vs Adelaide United – February 3, 2006)[32]
- A-League Finals Series Attendance: 41,689 (vs Central Coast Mariners – March 5, 2006)[33]
- Record Average Regular Season Attendance: 16,710 (A-League 2005-06)
- Record Season Total Attendance: 183,803 (A-League 2005-06)
[edit] Player
- Most appearances:
- All competitions: Clint Bolton and Iain Fyfe – 66
- A-League: Clint Bolton – 47
- Most goals:
- All competitions: Sasho Petrovski – 26
- A-League: Sasho Petrovski – 15
- Record transfer fee received: £200,000 for Dwight Yorke from Sunderland A.F.C.[34]
- Other transfer fee received: $90,000 Sasho Petrovski from Central Coast Mariners.[35]
[edit] References
- ^ Australian Stadiums: Aussie Stadium. Austadiums. Retrieved on December 22, 2006.
- ^ Sydney FC emerging as new league's glamour club. The Sydney Morning Herald (October 27, 2004). Retrieved on December 22, 2006.
- ^ Budget FC closes door on Benito. Fox Sports (November 7, 2006). Retrieved on December 22, 2006.
- ^ Soccer NSW announces bid for new national league. Soccer NSW (April 7, 2004). Retrieved on December 23, 2006.
- ^ Kewell major player behind Sydney team: report. The Sydney Morning Herald (September 9, 2004). Retrieved on December 23, 2006.
- ^ Smith, Peter (July 21, 2004). ASA delighted with number of bids for new league. Football Federation Australia. Retrieved on December 23, 2006.
- ^ ASA picks Soccer NSW. The World Game (September 10, 2004). Retrieved on December 23, 2006.
- ^ Hall, Matthew (October 10, 2004). Harry now a Central figure. The Sun Herald. Retrieved on December 23, 2006.
- ^ Birth of Sydney FC is a magical moment (November 1, 2004). Retrieved on December 23, 2006.
- ^ Sydney FC squad list (February 23, 2005). Retrieved on December 23, 2006.
- ^ Sydney FC starts with emphatic 6-1 win over Manly (April 6, 2005). Retrieved on December 23, 2006.
- ^ Petrovski and Carney score twice in Sydney's 7-1 win (April 12, 2005). Retrieved on December 23, 2006.
- ^ Talay's lone goal gives Sydney 1-0 win in Dubai (April 20, 2005). Retrieved on December 23, 2006.
- ^ Zdrilic goal gives Sydney 1-0 win over Al Jazira (April 20, 2005). Retrieved on December 23, 2006.
- ^ Yorke completes trifecta for Sydney FC. The Sydney Morning Herald (April 18, 2005). Retrieved on December 23, 2006.
- ^ Steve Corica wonder goal gives Sydney a 3-2 win (June 2, 2005). Retrieved on December 23, 2006.
- ^ Ward comes off bench to seal Perth win (August 14, 2005). Retrieved on December 23, 2006.
- ^ Sydney FC installed as favourites (August 10, 2005). Retrieved on December 23, 2006.
- ^ "Sydney FC urge fans to pre purchase tickets", August 29, 2005.
- ^ "Littbarski commits to Sydney", April 13, 2006.
- ^ "Littbarski quits, blasting club 'lies'", May 4, 2006.
- ^ "Butcher named as boss of Sydney", May 17, 2006.
- ^ "Sydney FC Butchers Opportunity", 3 February 2007.
- ^ "FC Won't Appeal Salary Cap Sentence", 4 January 2007.
- ^ "Sydney through to play-offs", 21 January 2007.
- ^ http://www.sydneyfc.com/default.aspx?s=newsdisplay&id=6994&pageid=489
- ^ http://www.sydneyfc.com/default.aspx?s=newsdisplay&id=7018&pageid=489
- ^ Template error: argument title is required.
- ^ "Sydney FC look further afield for a new home", April 22, 2006.
- ^ "Barnesy and The Cove record Sydney FC club song", July 7, 2006.
- ^ Roar dominates but unable to break Sydney unbeaten run (August 6, 2005). Retrieved on December 22, 2006. – nb: The 17 matches quoted includes friendly matches, which are not included in this record
- ^ Sydney FC vs Adelaide United FC (February 3, 2006). Retrieved on December 22, 2006.
- ^ Sydney FC vs Central Coast Mariners FC (March 5, 2006). Retrieved on December 22, 2006.
- ^ Transfers in August 2006. Football Squads. Retrieved on December 22, 2006.
- ^ "Mariners snap up Sasho", AAP, 2007-02-19. Retrieved on 2007-02-19.
[edit] External links
- Official Sydney FC website
- Official A-League website
- Sydney FC Unofficial Supporters' site including forum
- Sydney FC Club Song Jimmy Barnes - Sydney FC for me (Video)
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