97-573: Adelaide City Football Club is a semi-professional soccer club based in Oakden , a north-eastern suburb of Adelaide . The club was a founding member of the now defunct National Soccer League and currently competes in the National Premier Leagues South Australia The club was founded in 1946 by Adelaide's Italian community, who named the club Juventus . Adelaide City were one of 14 founding members of
194-780: A 1–0 over A-League side and reigning AFC Champions League champions, Western Sydney Wanderers , in the round of 32, becoming the first member federation club to defeat an A-League club in the competition. Adelaide City has historically been one of the most prolific producers of players selected for the Australian national team , with the club providing the third most Socceroos of any NSL club behind Marconi and South Melbourne ; notable Adelaide City players who have gone on to represent Australia include John and Ross Aloisi , Aurelio and Tony Vidmar , Sergio Melta , John Perin , Milan Ivanović , Bugsy Nyskohus and Alex Tobin . Former City NSL striker and current coach Damian Mori holds
291-635: A club called Savoia. Supported primarily by members of the city's Italian community, the club was originally called Juventus after the Italian club from 1946 and subsequently renamed Adelaide Juventus in 1960. Bailetti served as chairman for the first 14 years of the club's existence and, after also serving in senior executive roles with the South Australian Soccer Federation, later had the western grandstand of Hindmarsh Stadium named in his honour. Juventus began life in
388-406: A decision that would lead to the side becoming a powerhouse for more than a decade. City reached the finals that season for the first time after finishing third in the southern conference. In a qualifying final, City travelled to Melbourne and beat second-placed Footscray JUST 3–2. They backed up that win by returning to Melbourne and defeating Southern Conference champion Brunswick Juventus 2–0 in
485-522: A finals series that culminated in a grand final . The NSL was Australia's first national sporting league predating the likes of the AFL and NRL. Competition between club sides from different states existed in various forms prior to the formation of the NSL. The petroleum company Ampol sponsored cup competitions in the various states, starting with New South Wales in 1957, with other states following later. Later
582-690: A finals specialist continued to become stronger. A Carl Veart goal gave the Zebras a 1–0 win over Wollongong City at Hindmarsh. Veart then scored twice away from home, including an extra time winner, against Sydney Olympic. Goals from Veart, his fourth of the finals campaign, and rising star Ross Aloisi gave City a 2–0 win over South Melbourne at Olympic Park . A 0–0 draw in the grand final against Melbourne Croatia went City's favour, as they won on penalties to claim their second NSL title. Croatia had lost two grand finals in two years on penalties to rival clubs. Adelaide City narrowly failed to go back-to-back in
679-474: A friendly at Olympic Sports Field, which attracted a crowd of more than 28,000. City remained a mid-table side for the following few seasons. In 1984, the NSL was expanded and split into Northern and Southern conferences. City played in the Southern Conference, alongside clubs from Victoria, South Australia and Queensland. In 1986, the club appointed former player Zoran Matić as its new coach;
776-414: A full-time basis, but still receive some payment. Semi-professionals are not amateur because they receive regular payment from their team, but generally at a considerably lower rate than a full-time professional athlete . As a result, semi-professional players frequently have (or seek) full-time employment elsewhere. A semi-pro player or team could also be one that represents a place of employment that only
873-419: A fullback who was also selected for the Australian national team . The first of many state championships arrived in 1953. This was followed by another five titles before the end of the 1950s including an unprecedented four in-a-row between 1956 and 1959. Between 1953 and 1959, the club won 106 of 127 games and six of seven championships it contested. An additional three South Australian championships were won in
970-601: A hat-trick and won the John Kosmina Medal awarded to the best on ground. Damian Mori, now coach of City, led the club to its third and fourth straight South Australian titles in the 2007 season and 2008 season . The club lost to MetroStars in the 2009 grand final, preventing them from claiming five championships in a row. However, they defeated Adelaide Blue Eagles to win the SA title again in 2010—their fifth in six seasons with Mori as coach. Blue Eagles exacted revenge
1067-413: A national Ampol Cup was conducted which continued throughout the 1960s. From 1962 until 1968 an Australia Cup was held, but its ambition of becoming an FA Cup style knockout competition went unfulfilled. In the 1970s the top sides from Melbourne and Sydney played off in an end of season series, but the tournament did not seem to quite capture the legitimacy and popularity that was hoped for. Plans for
SECTION 10
#17327972425301164-445: A national home and away league went back as far as 1965 for a 1967 start, and were followed up by variations on the theme throughout the 1960s and early 1970s, but faced opposition variously from clubs, who deemed the notion uneconomical, and state federations who feared losing their power. Australia's qualification for the 1974 World Cup led to various discussions in 1975 and 1976, with eventually 14 teams being chosen to participate in
1261-470: A national title in 1978, before City claimed its three titles in the following two decades. Matches between Juventus and Hellas traditionally drew strong crowds, until the latter, then named Adelaide Sharks, withdrew from the NSL and ceased playing senior soccer at any level in 1999. In 2008, West Adelaide revived its senior soccer side and resumed playing in the South Australian league , reigniting
1358-751: A once-great derby. In 2014, the two sides faced off in the Federation Cup final, which City won 4–1. Adelaide City's other great rivals include the Melbourne Knights . The two sides enjoyed their greatest eras in the 1990s and faced off in three grand finals in four seasons. City won two of those finals, both played in Melbourne, while the Croatian-backed Knights defeated Adelaide City for the first time in Adelaide to win
1455-501: A quickly formed replacement of Adelaide City who withdrew just before the start of the final NSL season, was perhaps the sole major highlight of this era, as they put in good performances, but most importantly, registered crowds which had not been seen in Adelaide since the heyday of Adelaide City and West Adelaide. The league in 2003–04 was won by Perth Glory after a 1-0 win against Parramatta Power on 4 April 2004, almost 27 years to
1552-434: A single conference, 14-team competition the following season and City disappointed, backing up its championship season with a 10th-place finish. It would not be until the 1989–90 season, when the NSL switched to summertime, that the Adelaide club returned to the finals series. However, they were eliminated at the first hurdle at home by Sydney Olympic. City enjoyed its finest years during the 1990s. The club finished third in
1649-479: A substantial fan base. Northern Spirit started off with record crowds, and a good debut season reaching the finals, but gradually crowds declined, and financial difficulties along with a controversial takeover by Rangers , did not help matters. They would survive until the end of the NSL, but fold thereafter. Parramatta Power failed to gather much support, placed as it was in the midst of the already crowded western Sydney soccer market, and it too would not last beyond
1746-470: A suburb 12 km north-east of the Adelaide city centre . During its National Soccer League days, City first played games at Olympic Sports Field in the inner-eastern suburb of Kensington, before playing at Hindmarsh Stadium – South Australia's purpose-built soccer stadium. Adelaide City Women is the club's women's team. Adelaide City has traditionally drawn its support from the broader Italian community of Adelaide , South Australia . While based in
1843-587: A two-year stint at the club. Pelosi's goals helped City return to the finals series. The NSL changed its finals format to a round-robin competition played over 10 matches between the top six. Minor round premiers, Olympic Sharks were given a six-point advantage and despite City's valiant finals efforts, they finished two points shy of the Sharks and a berth in the grand final. City's final NSL match saw them beat Northern Spirit 6–0 in front of 3,833 home fans at Hindmarsh Stadium. On 31 August 2003, after 27 seasons in
1940-411: A win, one point for draw, and none for a loss. The exceptions to this were 1979, in which wins by four goals or more were awarded a bonus point, and 1983, in which three points were awarded for a win. From season 1992/93 onwards three points were awarded for a win, except for season 1994/95. In that season, four points were awarded for a win, with games ending in draws, being decided by penalty shootouts at
2037-436: A young Damian Mori , who went on to become one of Australia's greatest ever goalscorers, Brad Hassell and Tony Vidmar . City faced the Melbourne Knights in the grand final at Melbourne's Olympic Park . Mori scored the only goal of the game, giving City their third championship against his former club, which had now lost three grand finals in four seasons. [REDACTED] The Croatian-backed Knights exacted revenge on City
SECTION 20
#17327972425302134-491: Is West Adelaide , a club traditionally backed by Adelaide's Greek community and with whom City contests the Adelaide derby . The Italians and Greeks were among the largest migrant communities of South Australia and were strong supporters of their clubs, then called Juventus and Hellas respectively, when both entered the National Soccer League upon its foundation in 1977. West was the first Adelaide club to win
2231-447: Is prohibitive, semi-pro football is common at the adult levels, in the outdoor or indoor variety , providing an outlet for players who have used up their NCAA eligibility and have no further use for maintaining amateur status. As a sport that normally plays only one game per week, American football is especially suited for semi-pro play and commonly known as "working man's" football; meaning the players have regular jobs and play football on
2328-441: The 1990–91 season, four points behind Melbourne Croatia . In the finals, they faced South Melbourne Hellas away from home, losing 4–2 in Melbourne. City, which had a double chance due to its top three finish, rebounded and beat Marconi-Fairfield 1–0 at home thanks to a 93rd minute Joe Mullen goal. However, in the preliminary final, South Melbourne's Paul Trimboli scored the only goal to break City hearts. South went on to win
2425-451: The 1992–93 season, losing the grand final 1–0 to Marconi after finishing third on the ladder. City had defeated their biggest rivals West Adelaide and South Melbourne to reach the decider. The following season, the Zebras reclaimed their national title. Despite finishing fifth on the table, City was able to reach the grand final by downing powerhouses Sydney United , Marconi and South Melbourne . Its biggest finals performers included
2522-647: The National Soccer League in 1977 and competed concurrently in every edition of the competition before withdrawing a few weeks prior to the beginning of the league's final season . The club is one of Australia's most successful, their first major silverware coming in 1979 when they defeated St George in the NSL Cup final . Under legendary manager Zoran Matić , they won three National Soccer League titles in 1986 , 1992 and 1994 , alongside two further cup wins in 1989 and 1992 . The club also became
2619-594: The Scottish Premiership , with most teams below the second-level Scottish Championship being semi-professional. Historically, English rugby league and rugby union have had one full-time professional division, with semi-professional divisions at the next level down. The second tier of union, the RFU Championship , became fully professional beginning with the 2009–10 season. National Soccer League The National Soccer League ( NSL )
2716-536: The Seven Network in a 10-year contract that was worth $ 2.5 million a year. Seven bought the rights to be one of the flagships of its pay TV sport channel, C7 Sport . It also broadcast a small amount of coverage on its free-to-air network. At one point in 2000, the amount of free-to-air coverage on the NSL was only a one-hour highlights package of the NSL after midnight on Wednesdays. Many believe Channel 7 deliberately refused to air games to kill off interest in
2813-502: The 1960s and three more titles were won in the 1970s up until 1976. The club's original home was Kensington Oval, Adelaide , then known as Olympic Sports Field. During the club's formative years, there were already signs of its potential on the national stage. Adelaide Juventus competed in the inaugural Australia Cup in 1962 , finishing third in the national knockout tournament. Its cup run produced wins over eventual national league rivals, Brisbane Azzurri and Sydney Hakoah , before it
2910-567: The 1990s, City was also known for several seasons as the Zebras . The club's logo bore the Zebras moniker for a few seasons after it was forced to remove the Italian tricolour. City then adopted the name Adelaide City Force for its final four seasons in the NSL. During its time using the Force moniker, City added orange trim to its home strip and also used the colour in its away uniforms. Upon leaving
3007-606: The 1995 championship. The two sides have not played since 2003, when Adelaide City left the NSL. Knights now play in the National Premier Leagues Victoria . During its time in the NSL, City enjoyed hard fought, healthy rivalries with the league's other traditionally big clubs, Greek-backed South Melbourne and Sydney Olympic , Italian-backed Marconi and Croatian-backed Sydney United . Semi-professional sports Semi-professional sports are sports in which athletes are not participating on
Adelaide City FC - Misplaced Pages Continue
3104-541: The Black and Whites in their first ever national league clash, a 0–0 draw against the Brisbane Lions at Olympic Sports Field, watched by 6320 people. City finished fourth in the first ever NSL season, six points behind eventual champion Eastern Suburbs, later renamed Sydney City . One of the main proponents of the NSL concept, City recorded the league's highest average attendance of 7400 in its first season. The club
3201-606: The Knights defeated Adelaide City for the first time in South Australia to claim their first national title. Despite the loss, Matić was again named Coach of the Year. City made the finals in each of the following six seasons but failed to reach another grand final. Its run of 11 consecutive finals series stands as a national record. Damian Mori won the first of his three top goalscorer awards for City in 1996, with 31 goals for
3298-518: The NSL the league was contested by a total of 42 teams; 41 based in Australia and one based in New Zealand . Seasons initially ran during the winter seasons, until 1989 when this was changed to the summer season. In 1984, the league was split into two conferences (Northern and Southern) to introduce more teams into the competition; the league returned to a single division in 1987. The competition
3395-477: The NSL, Adelaide City announced its departure from the national league because of financial difficulties. The club returned to only fielding sides in the South Australian state competition the following year. City competed in the South Australian competitions even while its senior side played in the NSL. However, after its departure from the national league, City's top side enjoyed a successful return to
3492-727: The Olympic Club was accused by a rival club of enticing athletes to jump to its ranks with offers of jobs. An investigation by the Amateur Athletic Union ruled that the Olympics' practice was not actually professionalism but only a "semi" form of it, inventing the term "semi-pro". Although the Amateur Athletic Union did not like the idea very much, it decided that clubs could indeed offer employment without losing their amateur status or compromising
3589-464: The United States, where college ice hockey dominates at that age group; the junior leagues in the United States generally operate as fully amateur teams to maintain the players' eligibility to play in college. Lower-end minor leagues and more obscure sports often operate at a semi-professional level due to cost concerns. Because the cost of running a fully professional American football team
3686-404: The athlete. In North America, semi-professional athletes and teams were far more common in the early and mid-20th century than they are today. Large blue-collar employers such as factories and shipyards often fielded baseball and basketball teams, with players receiving full-time salaries comparable to other employees. In theory, such players split their work week between athletic training and
3783-603: The attendant scholarships , in maintaining amateur status (unlike the Amateur Athletic Union, the NCAA forbade any sort of compensation outside of scholarships, including job offers tied to their playing, until 2020). Eligibility for participation in the Olympics in some sports is still dependent upon maintaining a purely amateur status (although far less so than was previously the case), and such athletes may be supported by government money, business sponsorships, and other systems. At
3880-479: The banning of ethnic flags, changes which were begrudgingly agreed to by the clubs, though in the terraces the fans generally continued to chant the old names. Marconi , South Melbourne , Adelaide City and the Melbourne Knights were the dominant sides of this era, with numerous titles and grand final appearances between them. Stars such as Mark Viduka , Mark Bresciano , Vince Grella , Tony Popovic and Mark Schwarzer debuted in this decade and would later form
3977-404: The bidding process and 1 team for 1 city rule. The first competition began on 26 August 2005, ending the long recess and killing off the NSL and its 24-year history. The competition structure changed many times throughout the NSL's history. From its inception in 1977 until 1983, it was simply a matter of first past the post. However a compromise format was devised between the traditional first past
Adelaide City FC - Misplaced Pages Continue
4074-629: The black and white of Port Adelaide took precedence. Juventus thus first wore a navy blue strip with a white "J" before finally being permitted to wear black and white stripes from 1949. When the NSL was formed in 1977, Adelaide City's badge included the Italian tricolour, as well as its now iconic kangaroo and zebra symbol. The tricolour remained until 1996, when governing body Soccer Australia introduced controversial policies requiring clubs to remove all traces of their ethnic heritage from names and symbols. Former Soccer Australia chairman David Hill threatened clubs with expulsion if they refused. During
4171-583: The club renamed itself Adelaide City and became a founding member of the inaugural NSL competition; Australia's first national league of any football code. The team was captained by Frank Lister, who was later inducted into the South Australian Soccer Hall of Fame in 2004. The club's inaugural NSL coach was Edmund Kreft. Roger Romanowicz, Ron Fraser, Fred Yung, Zoran Matić , Lister, John Perin , David Leane, Sergio Melta , Brian Northcote, John Nyskohus and Gary Marocchi started for
4268-412: The club's other highlights from the first NSL season was a 10–3 win over Victorian club Mooroolbark . The game remains the only time an Australian club side has scored 10 goals in a national league match. The second NSL season was less successful for City. They finished 10th in a 14-team competition and drew a crucial game at the end of the season that allowed their biggest rivals, West Adelaide, to claim
4365-479: The competition's most geographically northern sides, Brisbane Lions and Brisbane City were in the latter grouping. This period saw South Melbourne become the first Victorian team to win the league, followed by Brunswick Juventus , and Adelaide City , all Southern conference sides. At the end of the 1986 season, the system was scrapped, and about half the teams were dumped back to their respective state leagues. The criteria used to decide who stayed and who went
4462-523: The core of the Australian Golden generation. From 1996 onwards the league attempted to revitalise the competition and attempt to hook into the mainstream support by finally introducing a team from Western Australia, in the form of Perth Glory , as well as other new entities which promised to deliver mainstream support, as well as being fully professional outfits as opposed to the majority of clubs and players who were only semi-professional. Among
4559-469: The day that the national competition began. Nik Mrdja had the honour of scoring the last goal in the NSL, a 98th minute golden goal to seal the championship for Perth. After this, national competition went into recess for a year and a half. In November 2004, 8 teams, including 5 from the now defunct NSL, formed the A-League , the revamped national competition whilst many were denied the opportunity due to
4656-438: The deadlock by joining the competition, bringing three other Victorian sides with it, making the national league a reality. The first seven seasons of the league would be dominated by Sydney clubs, with Sydney City winning four titles, and only West Adelaide being able to wrest the title from New South Wales . West secured the 1978 championship after scoring a late equaliser in an Adelaide derby against Adelaide City in
4753-435: The employees are allowed to play on. In this case, it is considered semi-pro because their employer pays them, but for their regular job, not for playing on the company's team. The semi-professional status is not universal throughout the world and depends on each country's labour code and each sports organization's specific regulations. The San Francisco Olympic Club fielded an American football team in 1890. That year,
4850-671: The end of the NSL. Perth Glory became the most successful of the new mainstream entrants. High crowds and good performances throughout the NSL's last decade made Perth Glory for many observers the benchmark and role model for all future entrants to the Australian top-flight. A then record grand final crowd of 40,000 people saw the Brisbane Strikers become the first Queensland side to win the title in season 1996/97, but it never resulted in Brisbane gaining much bigger crowds in
4947-480: The end of the game. The winner of the shootout received two points, the loser one point. Successful NSL clubs gained qualification into the continental competition, the Oceania Club Championship , although the competition only occurred in 1987 , 1999 and 2001 . In addition to the main league competition, the NSL also held a knock-out cup competition between 1977 and the 1997 season known as
SECTION 50
#17327972425305044-445: The final round of the season. The competition at this stage was a simple first past the post. A post season finals series was played during this era but was considered more of an exhibition series rather than a legitimate game to decide the national champion, although some confusion still exists on this matter particularly amongst some Heidelberg supporters who consider the 1980 'final' as a legitimate decider. Shrinking crowds led to
5141-418: The first Australian representative to win a continental title, when they defeated Mount Wellington on penalties in the 1987 Oceania Club Championship final. City are also the most successful club in South Australian competitions, winning 19 first division titles and 18 Federation Cups , including five in a row from 1969 until 1973. The club reached the quarter-finals of the inaugural FFA Cup , which included
5238-434: The first ever Oceania Club Championship in 1987 . In reality, the tournament was a one-off game for City, which faced off against 1986 New Zealand National Soccer League winners University-Mount Wellington . In front of 3500 fans at Hindmarsh Stadium, City beat UniMount on penalties after a 1–1 draw, Mullen having scored the home side's goal. The Oceania championship would not be held again until 1999. The NSL returned to
5335-525: The first time. The club's first championship captain Bugsy Nyskohus also became the first player to play 300 NSL games. Remarkably, City's first championship side included nine home-grown South Australians in Nyskohus, Paul Shillabeer, Alex Tobin , Charlie Villani , Adrian Santrac , Sergio Melta , Aurelio Vidmar , Steve Maxwell and Joe Mullen . Championship glory qualified City to play in
5432-436: The following season, edging them out by one point to top the table after the regular season. City then beat Knights over two legs in the semi-finals to secure a home grand final. Knights beat their rivals South Melbourne to qualify for the grand final. The patch pit that season's two top goalscorers against one another, the Knights' Mark Viduka having scored 18 goals and City's Damian Mori 17. In front of more than 16,000 fans,
5529-410: The following seasons than they were accustomed to. South Melbourne FC under Ange Postecoglou won back-to-back titles in the late 1990s, and by also winning the 1999 Oceania Club Championship , earning the right to play in the 2000 FIFA Club World Championship , where it put in some respectable performances against sides such as Manchester United and a tidy sum in prize money. Wollongong Wolves became
5626-528: The following year, defeating City on penalties in the grand final. City also lost the 2012 grand final to MetroStars. In 2014, City won the Federation Cup defeating old NSL rivals West Adelaide 4–1 in the final at Hindmarsh Stadium . On 12 August that year, Adelaide City played Western Sydney Wanderers in the round of 32 of the 2014 FFA Cup . The Wanderers team featured players such as Nikolai Topor-Stanley , Ante Čović and Tomi Jurić and were overwhelming favourites to progress. With 15 minutes left, and
5723-497: The grand final on penalties against arch-rivals Melbourne Croatia. City's season was recognised with individual awards to its star defender, Milan Ivanović , who was named NSL Player of the Year after arriving from Yugoslav giants Red Star Belgrade , and Coach of the Year Zoran Matić . The following season saw City win its second championship. While the club finished fourth after the home-and-away rounds, its reputation as
5820-432: The inaugural season of the national league. The transition from state-based leagues to a national competition was not all smooth. The Victorian Soccer Federation was reluctant for its big clubs to be involved and it appeared the dream of Alex Pongrass of St George and Frank Lowy of Hakoah Sydney for a nationwide club competition would not evolve. Little-known Mooroolbark from Melbourne's outer eastern suburbs broke
5917-489: The league also dispensed with finals for the 1987 season, reverting to first past the post. Many considered this an ill-considered move, as it robbed the league of its most high-profile games. Finals were re-introduced from 1988, and were to remain until the league's demise. The 1989 season would be the last to be played in winter. This period saw a re-emergence of New South Wales dominance with all titles, minor premierships and runners-up being from that state. Attempts to shift
SECTION 60
#17327972425306014-410: The league fell into even further decline which led to its eventual demise at the end of the 2003–04 season. Highlights were few and far between, but Sydney Olympic re-emerged as a genuine leading club for the first time in a decade, winning its second title, and Perth Glory went on to win the last two titles of the NSL, after previously having lost two grand finals. The birth of Adelaide United , as
6111-601: The league from the switch was not enough for some clubs to remain in the league, with many clubs being relegated or being demoted back to the state leagues, including former champions Brunswick Juventus , St George and APIA Leichhardt , as well as once upon a time contenders in Heidelberg and Preston . This coincided with a renewed push by soccer authorities to force clubs to market themselves to mainstream Australia, as opposed to their own mostly migrant fan bases. These policies included name and logo changes, as well as
6208-564: The league that was flourishing in the 90s. In 2002, C7 Sport closed after the Seven Network lost the Australian Football League (AFL) rights and pay TV networks stopped carrying the channel. The next year, Seven severed its contract in the last week of Soccer Australia's existence. This left the NSL with no TV coverage at all until SBS picked up the rights soon after. The consequent lack of sponsorship meant
6305-419: The league towards a summer season went back into the early 1980s, but only came to pass for the 1989/90 season. The rationale for this change was simple. The league would avoid being marginalised in the media during the peak of the Australian Football League and Australian Rugby League seasons, as well as providing better playing surfaces and spectator comfort owing to the better weather. The impetus given to
6402-418: The national competition, City ceased to be known as the Force and reverted to its traditional Juve or Black and Whites nicknames and traditional colour scheme. The club's current logo features a kangaroo and a zebra, paying homage to its Australian and Italian heritage, along with three stars representing each of its national championships. The club plays its home games at Adelaide City Park in Oakden ,
6499-554: The new clubs at this time were the Collingwood Warriors , Carlton , Northern Spirit (GHFA Spirit as of 2004) and Parramatta Power , as well as New Zealand's first professional team, the Football Kingz . These clubs would have varying degrees of success on and off the field. Collingwood Warriors barely managed to last a season, while Carlton reached the grand final in its debut year, but was unable to attract
6596-590: The normal duties of the company's employees, though highly competitive teams often evolved into "sponsored" squads which trained for sports full-time and only nominally worked in the factory. The National Industrial Basketball League evolved out of these company-branded basketball teams. By the 1940s, baseball split off into separate truly amateur softball teams, sometimes sponsored by employers, and an expanded system of fully professionalized minor leagues whose lower ranks included many former industrial players. There are many benefits, such as collegiate eligibility and
6693-449: The north-eastern suburbs, its lengthy history as a National Soccer League side means it has supporters based right across the city. For six seasons, it was Adelaide's only representative at national level. Not since their induction into the NSL in 2003 & subsequent A-League Men competition has Adelaide United ever faced against City in professional competition. That all changed, when
6790-580: The only side from regional Australia to win the league, with their back-to-back titles in 1999–2000 and 2000–01. The 1999–2000 Grand Final against Perth Glory at Subiaco Oval in Perth saw a record attendance of 43,242, overtaking the 1997 figure in Brisbane and a record that would remain until the 2007 A-League Grand Final in Melbourne . The cancellation of the 2001 FIFA Club World Championship however
6887-497: The playoffs. In season 1992/93, the league increased the finalists to six. This system was used for the rest of the league's duration, except for season 2002/03 when the top six sides played a further series of home and away games against each other, with the top two playing off in the Grand Final. The NSL also used a variety of point systems throughout its history. From 1977 until season 1991/92, teams were awarded two points for
6984-556: The post and the Australian system of finals. In 1978, 1979 (two-legged Grand Final), 1980 and 1982 a finals series was conducted but the winner of the Grand Final did not determine who won the title. From 1984 until 1986, the league introduced more teams split into two conferences (1984 – Australian Conference, New South Wales / Australian Capital Territory clubs and National Conference, Victoria , South Australia , Queensland; 1985 and 1986 – Northern Conference, New South Wales / Australian Capital Territory clubs and Southern Conference for
7081-546: The radical move of introducing more teams (mainly from Victoria and New South Wales ) and splitting the league into two conferences, with the winner of each division to play-off in an end of year two legged final. For season 1984 the 'Australian' Conference had competing teams from New South Wales and the ACT , whilst the 'National' Conference consisted of Victorian, South Australian and Queensland clubs. For 1985 and 1986 this reverted to 'Northern' and 'Southern' Conferences. Strangely,
7178-527: The record for the most goals scored in the national domestic league with 240 – 131 of which were scored in City colours. Tobin holds the record for playing the most senior games in Australian domestic competition with 522, including 436 for City. The club was founded in a back room of the Bailetti sports store on Hindley Street , Adelaide by the shop's owner Mario Bailetti and a small group of former members of
7275-405: The rest) with 12 teams in each. The top five in each division would qualify for the playoffs, with the winner of each of the divisional playoffs playing off in a two-legged Grand Final. In 1987, the league dumped 11 teams, scrapped the split divisions, and the championship system reverted to first past the post. In 1988 the league re-introduced a finals system, with the top five sides qualifying for
7372-564: The round of 16, not before being eliminated by Bentleigh Greens in a 2–1 extra-time loss. City returned to the South Australian National Premier Leagues grand final in 2016 but, despite having topped the regular season table, lost to Campbelltown City and failed to claim its first South Australian championship since 2011. 17 February 2018 was a memorable day in the club history when city rivals South Adelaide were defeated with 10–0. Adelaide City
7469-407: The same time, professional sports have become such a massive and remunerative business that even many low-level feeder teams can afford to have fully professional athletes. In Canada, semi-professionalism is prevalent in junior ice hockey , in which the top level players (most of whom are teenagers still in, or just out of, high school) are paid at a semi-professional level. This is not the case in
7566-469: The scores tied at 0–0, City midfielder Thomas Love went on a solo run, beating several players and scored the winning goal for Adelaide City. The victory was a massive result for the club who were the first semi-professional side to defeat an A-League side in what was the first ever season of the FFA Cup. Adelaide managed to progress to the quarter-finals of the tournament, beating Brisbane Strikers 1–0 in
7663-481: The season. His goalscoring efforts also saw him named Player of the Year. The club rebranded itself as the Adelaide Force going into the 2000–01 season, in an effort to promote themselves beyond Adelaide's Italian community, from where they had drawn their traditional support. City missed the finals in their first season as the Force and finished second-last the following year, their worst ever NSL season. It
7760-462: The second division of South Australian soccer, winning promotion at its first attempt. However, Juventus was relegated straight back to the second tier in 1947, where it remained for another two years. In 1949, Juventus was promoted again and it has remained at the highest level of South Australian soccer ever since, save for several seasons during the club's National Soccer League stint. Early star players included Italian post-war migrant Fulvio Pagani,
7857-533: The semi-finals. The Southern final pit City against Footscray JUST again and the club won its third straight finals clash away from home, 2–1. City then faced Northern Conference champion, Sydney Olympic , at Hindmarsh Stadium in the first leg of the NSL grand final. Despite losing 1–0 in front of 12,232 home fans, City travelled to Sydney the following week and defeated the Greek community-backed Olympic 3–1 at Parramatta Stadium to be crowned Australian champions for
7954-594: The short summer seasons and low salaries require players to hold jobs in the offseason to make ends meet. There are several hundred semi-professional football teams at non-League level. The bottom division of the English Football League (the fourth tier of the English football league system ) has traditionally been the cut-off point between professional ("full-time") and semi-professional ("part-time") in English football . However, many teams in
8051-681: The state leagues. In 2005, the club won the Premier League grand final, despite finishing seven points shy of the North Eastern MetroStars during the regular season. Adelaide City completed the treble in 2006 winning three trophies, the pre-season Errea Cup, the 2006 FFSA Super League (a rebranded SA Premier League) and the FFSA Adelaide United Cup. City met Raiders in the Errea Cup final in what
8148-514: The title. That final round match, played at Hindmarsh Stadium , attracted a crowd of 16,251. The club reached the final of the NSL Cup in 1978 but lost to the Lions in Brisbane. The following year, City won its first national level silverware, defeating St George Budapest 3–1 in front of 9554 fans at Olympic Sports Field. In 1979, City also faced a New York Cosmos side featuring Dutch star Johan Neeskens and German legend Franz Beckenbauer in
8245-422: The top levels, as finances depend on promotion and relegation both of parent male teams and of the female teams themselves. Full professionalism for women is still in the planning stages; top female players often depend on other sources of income (such as coaching and physical training), and many attend university or college while playing. In Scottish football , semi-professional teams compete at all levels below
8342-538: The top non-League competition, the National League , have become "full-time" professional clubs in an effort to achieve League status. Many former League clubs also remain as fully professional teams following relegation to the lower leagues at least for as long as they retain a large enough average attendance to generate the income needed to pay the players. Women's football in England is semi-professional at
8439-486: The two teams played against each other in the Round of 16 of the 2022 Australia Cup at ServiceFM Stadium in front of a crowd of 3,327. Both teams played out a 2-2 draw after extra-time with the game going to a penalty shoot-out. United eventually won 4-1 on penalties, with two saves by Joe Gauci preventing City's Jai King & Zak Waters from converting their shots into the back of the net. The club's greatest rival
8536-538: The weekends. In the 20th century the term "semi-pro football league" refer to higher level amateur leagues, though the players do not get paid, the leagues and the games are run in a somewhat professional manner. The National Lacrosse League , whose teams also typically play only one game per week, pays a salary that is enough to be considered fully professional, but players also are able to pursue outside employment to supplement their income. The lowest levels of organized baseball are also effectively semi-professional, as
8633-406: Was a major blow to the league as clubs which had seen a way of making a substantial amount of much needed money. After the 2001 FIFA Club World Championship was cancelled, the NSL was in great turmoil. High-profile Australian players began to leave the NSL due to more enticing offers from overseas leagues. In 1998, Soccer Australia sold the television rights for the NSL and Socceroos matches to
8730-467: Was a rematch of the previous season's Grand Final. City breezed through winning 5–0. In the Super League, City fought off tough competition for the majority of the year and ended the season three games clear on top of the table with a healthy goal difference. City then went on to win the FFSA Adelaide United Cup with a comprehensive 4–1 victory over Adelaide Blue Eagles . Striker Jonathan Negus scored
8827-417: Was also responsible for bringing one of the new league's star recruits to Australian shores in former Celtic striker Dixie Deans , who topped the goalscoring charts in the inaugural NSL season with 16 goals. The Scottish international signed on a $ 25,000 contract and scored his first goal for the club in a 4–1 derby win over West Adelaide in front of 12,000 fans. Deans remained with City until 1980. One of
8924-402: Was based 50% on the 1986 playing record, 40% on past playing record, and 10% on crowd support. The result was that only one team from outside Sydney and Melbourne, reigning champions Adelaide City, was retained. The revamped league suffered a major setback early on when Sydney City pulled out of the competition after just one round into the new season. Apart from returning to a single division,
9021-487: Was denied a place in the final courtesy of a 3–0 loss to St George Budapest in front of 5000 spectators at Hindmarsh Stadium . Juventus reached the semi-finals of the Australia Cup again in 1963 , this time having its final hopes dashed by eventual champion Port Melbourne Slavia . The club competed in all but the last edition of the tournament in 1968 but never again progressed beyond the quarter-finals. In 1977,
9118-689: Was founded as Juventus in 1946. To this day, it retains the Juventus , or Juve nickname. Its traditional playing strip harks back to the Italian club's black and white stripes. Because of this iconic design, City have also been known as the Black and Whites . The club's initial attempt to don the famous black and white stripes of Italian club Juventus were thwarted when the South Australian Soccer Federation ruled that there could only be one black and white team per league and
9215-611: Was known by various names through sponsorships; these names included the Philips Soccer League , the Quit National Soccer League , Olympic Airways Soccer League , Coca-Cola Soccer League , the Ericsson Cup and the A-League . From the league's inaugural season to its demise in 2004, a total of 13 clubs were crowned champions through either a system of first past the post or
9312-465: Was the club's first season without star striker Mori, who signed for Perth Glory after he received an offer to become a full-time professional. Mori remained with the West Australian club until the NSL folded in 2004, after which he returned to City. Going into the 2002–03 season, which was to be their last in the NSL, City recruited Italian striker Claudio Pelosi who had previously spent
9409-625: Was the top-level soccer league in Australia, run by Soccer Australia and later the Australian Soccer Association . The NSL, the A-League 's predecessor, spanned 28 seasons from its inception in 1977 until its demise in 2004, when it was succeeded by the A-League competition run by Football Federation Australia , the successor to the Australian Soccer Association. During the history of
#529470