 | |||
| Full name | Brisbane Strikers Football Club | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Nickname | Strikers | ||
| Founded | 1991 (as Brisbane United) | ||
| Ground | Perry Park | ||
| Capacity | 5,000 | ||
| Chairman | Paolo Ucchino | ||
| Coach | Kevin Aherne-Evans | ||
| League | FQPL | ||
| 2024 | 3rd of 12 | ||
| Website | www | ||
Brisbane Strikers Football Club is an Australian semi-professionalfootball club based inBrisbane,Queensland. Founded in 1991 as Brisbane United, the club competed in theNational Soccer League until the2003–04 season.
Brisbane Strikers currently competes in theFootball Queensland Premier League, with home matches played atPerry Park.[1]
Brisbane's first representation in theNational Soccer League (NSL), then known as the Philips Soccer League (PSL), came in the form ofBrisbane City andBrisbane Lions. Brisbane City won the first two national knockout competitions, by defeatingMarconi in 1977 andWest Adelaide in 1978.
Brisbane Lions won the knockout competition in 1981, also defeating West Adelaide. Brisbane City left the NSL in after the 1986 season and Brisbane Lions after the 1988 season.
The next Brisbane team in the NSL was Brisbane United, which played from 1991 to 1993 coached byMiron Bleiberg. The team wore predominately white, with a blue and gold trim – the official colours of Brisbane.[2] After a troubled time, with small crowds, confronting relegation and with a "disenchanted team", formerAustralian Soccer Federation chairmanIan Brusasco headed a trustee management group to restructure the club.[3] The name was changed to the Brisbane Strikers for the 1993/94 season, with the colours, newly installed coachBruce Stowell and most players retained.[4]Initially the Brisbane Strikers were owned by theQueensland Soccer Federation (QSF), which handed the running of the club to a Trust Management Group composed of Brusasco (also a former president of the QSF),Clem Jones (formerLord Mayor of Brisbane) and leading football official Frank Speare.
Coached by Stowell for three seasons, the Strikers finished fourth in 1995/96 to qualify for their first NSL finals appearance, in which they lost a semi-final playoff over two legs toSydney United.
In the 1996/97 season, the Strikers ditched the white to wear a predominately gold kit, with blue trims, and were led by player-coachFrank Farina. The team finished second on the NSL ladder to Sydney United before going on to beat United in their semi-final to set up a home grand final – against the same team.
During this period, futureFIFAwhistleblowerBonita Mersiades worked for the Strikers as the club's media officer.[5]
At a time when football was struggling for mainstream acceptance and credibility in Australia, NSL Grand Finals– the pinnacle of club football in Australia – generally drew crowds between 12,000 and 25,000. But the 1997 Grand Final, played atLang Park in Brisbane, drew a capacity 40,446 spectators to watch the Strikers beat Sydney United 2–0 with goals by Farina andRod Brown.
This was a watershed moment for football in Australia, but the Strikers struggled the next season, finishing 12th. A significant event in the history of the club occurred in 1998 when the QSF divested itself of its ownership, which passed to the Strikers Football Club Pty Ltd.
Scarcely three years after the club had played its part in Australian club football's proudest moment, it was dealt a savage blow when Soccer Australia, as part of a restructuring of the national competition, refused the Strikers' application for a place in the NSL, citing financial concerns.Canberra Cosmos was also expelled.[6] This left the national league without a representative from the country's third most populous state.
Politicians, supporters and the general public waged a campaign to have the club reinstated to the national league. Then-Queensland premierPeter Beattie said of Soccer Australia officials: "Who the hell do they think they are?" How can you have a national soccer competition without a Queensland team? I mean, it's absolutely ridiculous. Soccer officials must be sensitive to its national obligations."[7]
Public pressure eventually convinced Soccer Australia to reverse its decision and grant the Strikers Football Club Pty Ltd a licence for the 2000/2001 season.
Back on the field, under coachJohn Kosmina, the Strikers finished fourth and qualified for the NSL finals. Eventual premiersSouth Melbourne FC prevailed over the Strikers in their two-legged semi-final.
The next season saw the Strikers struggle again and led to the club parting ways with Kosmina. Despite a host of coaches showing interest in the vacancy, including some from overseas, the Strikers took the step of appointing 28-year-old club captainStuart McLaren as head coach, assisted byLuciano Trani. Together, the two assembled a squad of unsung players from the local leagues and turning them into a team that took the club back to the 2003/04 NSL finals only to lose a memorable semi-final play-off toAdelaide United.
That season was the last for the NSL. A strong reform movement within the game in Australia had seen a new Soccer Australia Board appointed (which would change its name to Football Federation Australia) under the Chairmanship ofFrank Lowy and the new governing body set about creating a new national competition called the A-League.
1996–97 remained the only time a Queensland team had won an Australian national football title, untilBrisbane Roar won the2010–11 A-League title.
The Brisbane Strikers were a prime candidate for the Brisbane position in the newA-League that kicked off in mid-2005.Football Federation Australia boss Frank Lowy was quoted at the time saying that the two Brisbane bids were outstanding[citation needed], but the reality was that only one team would make it.
The A-League decided to go with the Lions bid, who changed their name to the Queensland Roar, whose name changed once more to the presentBrisbane Roar, maintaining their local link to the Lions, and its Dutch ethnic iconography.[8]
Determined to find an outlet to continue their philosophy of developing the talents of Queensland footballers, the Brisbane Strikers joined forces with local Brisbane club North Star to field a team in theBrisbane Premier League. Coached by Bobby Hamilton, the new team qualified for the finals play-off in its first BPL season (2005) before falling toPalm Beach in a semi-final. However, in 2006 the Strikers carried all before them, winning the BPL championship, the Grand Final and the Premier Cup.
Another coaching change saw Craig Collins take on the player-coach role in 2007. It was an "almost" season for the Strikers, which saw them finish runners-up in the championship toRochedale Rovers F.C., before losing a titanic struggle in the Grand Final to the same team by the scoreline of 5–4.
With theQueensland State League due to commence in 2008 as part of Football Federation Australia and Football Queensland's goal of enhancing career pathways across Queensland and providing a platform between the local and national competitions, the Strikers saw a position in the QSL as a natural "fit" with the club's own player development ethos. Its application to join the new state competition was accepted and the club, once again under the coaching of Stuart McLaren, put its best foot forward on playing fields from Brisbane to Townsville in the inaugural QSL season. The Strikers finished second behindSunshine Coast F.C. on the league table before hosting the Grand Final at Perry Park and losing to the same team.
The following (2009) season, McLaren and his squad clinched the QSL championship in the penultimate round of the competition after a tense season-long battle withOlympic FC. In doing so, the Brisbane Strikers became one of the very few football clubs in Australia to have won trophies at local, state and national levels. However, the Strikers lost in a Grand Final once again, going down 1–4 in a boilover result toRedlands United FC, who had finished the season in fourth position on the QSL ladder.
The 2010 and 2011 campaigns took on a familiar path. WithDavid Large taking on the coaching role from the departing McLaren, the club finished both seasons in second position on the league table before going on to host the Grand Finals and losing each one by an identical scoreline, 1–0 to Sunshine Coast FC. The 2012 QSL proved to be a successful season for the club. The Strikers claimed their second QSL championship in five years in emphatic fashion, finishing eight points above second placeFar North Queensland Bulls FC. The Strikers were eliminated in a home semi-final 2–0 toWhitsunday Miners FC.
After 2012 the Strikers competed in theNational Premier Leagues Queensland, run byFootball Queensland, the top tier state-levelassociation football competition inQueensland, replacing theQueensland State League. The conference is a sub division of theNational Premier Leagues. The league consists of teams acrossQueensland.
In seasons 2013 and 2014 the Strikers finished fourth in the league before being eliminated in the semi-finals by league winners and eventual Grand Final champions inOlympic FC andPalm Beach Sharks respectively.
Season 2015 saw a new coach take the helm inKevin Aherne-Evans and while enjoying a relatively successful campaign it was to prove a frustrating year for the club. With the Strikers equal top of the league but second on goal difference their final game of the season was abandoned due to wet weather and with the governing body,Football Queensland, choosing not to reschedule the match and deem it a goalless draw they were forced to settle for the runners-up position. The disappointment from the last game controversy was further heightened when the Strikers qualified for the Grand Final, only to lose to their league rivalsMoreton Bay United.
The Strikers proved a dominant force in season 2016, finally clinching the club's firstNational Premier Leagues Queensland league title. In 2017Sean Lane took over the coaching duties from the departing Aherne-Evans. The Strikers became the first side to win consecutive league titles in theNational Premier Leagues Queensland era after a gripping battle withGold Coast City FC. Postseason football however continued to be a thorn in the Strikers' side with the team losing their semi-finals in both 2016 and 2017 seasons.
As league winners in 2016 and 2017 the Strikers also qualified for the Australia-wideNational Premier Leagues finals series which sees the winner from each state federation compete in a knockout cup competition to be crowned national champions. After losing at the semi-final stage to eventual championsSydney United 58 in 2016, the Strikers became the first Queensland side to make the Grand Final in 2017 where they hostedNational Premier Leagues Victoria sideHeidelberg United. The Strikers lost that match 2–0 in front of 1105 fans at Perry Park.
The following year, an annual $500,000 bequeathment from the late Dr Jones, which was paid to Strikers, Sport, Recreation and Welfare Association Limited for a decade after his death, ended as per the terms of his will. The club's 2020 financial report, submitted to theAustralian Securities and Investments Commission, noted: "The discontinuation of the above funding subsequent to 30 June 2018 gives rise to a material uncertainty which may cast significant doubt about the ability of the entity to continue as a going concern."[9]
In 2019, the Strikers appointed Salvatore Sottile and Julianna Suranyi, who claimed to be apsychic,[10] to the board. Shortly afterwards, in February 2020, a player development partnership with Spanish clubCD Leganes was announced, with the relationship between Sottile and CD Leganes representative Morris Pagniello cited as the driving force behind the deal.[11] Pagniello was one of about 50 people arrested as part of the 2015"Dirty Soccer" Italian football match-fixing scandal.[12]
For the 2021 season, and without the financial stability of Dr Jones's bequeathment, Strikers chairman Bruce Atterton-Evans announced a new youth-focused policy[13] that saw almost the entire first-team squad depart for rival clubs. The effect was instant, with the Strikers winning just two matches in the 2021 NPL season, ensuring relegation for the first time in the club's history.
Atterton-Evans ceased being a director on 14 October 2021,[14] leaving the Strikers under the control of Sottile, Suranyi and Bosnian-born Brisbane businessman Dino Hasanovic.
Paolo Ucchino replaced Suranyi as chairman on 10 July, 2024.[15]
TheFootball Federation Australia Cup is Australia's national knockout Cup football competition. Since its inception in 2014 Brisbane Strikers has enjoyed some memorable moments in theFFA Cup.
Qualifying through the Brisbane zone for the national Round of 32 in 2014 the Strikers featured in a piece of Australian football history when its tie against Newcastle based clubBroadmeadow Magic became the first live televised game of the new Cup competition. The Strikers won the game 2–1 but were eliminated in the Round of 16 after a 1–0 away loss toAdelaide City FC.
Once again the Strikers made it to the national stage of the FFA Cup in 2015 when the qualified for the Round of 32 from the Brisbane zone. However they suffered a heartbreaking 4–3 extra time defeat toHume City FC.
The2016 FFA Cup saw Brisbane Strikers qualify for the third successive time, this time drawingDarwinNorZone Premier League sideShamrock Rovers Darwin FC in the Round of 32.[16] On 27 July 2016, the Strikers ran out 6–0 winners over Rovers Darwin in front of 1358 people atDarwin Football Stadium.[17] In the Round of 16, Brisbane drewA-League sideMelbourne City FC.[18] In front of 3571 people at Perry Park, the Strikers' biggest crowd since their exit from the NSL, twoBruno Fornaroli penalties saw the A-League side progress, despite the Strikers taking the lead through Greig Henslee. The match also markedTim Cahill's first game since arriving back in Australia, joining Melbourne City.[19]
The Strikers next qualified for the Round of 32 in the2019 FFA Cup, where they metWellington Phoenix at Perry Park on 7 August. In front of 1612 fans, the Strikers went 2–0 ahead through goals toHiroki Omori and Andy Pengelly, before Wellington scored twice to equalise. The Strikers held on in extra time, thanks largely to goalkeeper Bon Scott, who saved an extra time penalty. Scott continued his heroics in the penalty shoot-out, which the Strikers won 4–3.[20]
The Strikers qualified for the quarter-finals for the very first time on 29 August 2019, when they defeatedManly United 1–0 in front of 1240 spectators at Perry Park[21] and drawingMoreland Zebras in the next round.
The Strikers defeated the Zebras 3–2 in front of 1915 at Perry Park on 18 September 2019,[22] to become the first Queensland side to qualify for the FFA Cup semi finals, setting up a match withMelbourne City. They lost that match at Perry Park 1–5,[23] in front of a post-NSL club record crowd of 3706.
The Strikers announced in May 2017 that the club would once again put in a bid to join the A-League,[24] with the club making the announcement on the 20th anniversary of its NSL grand final win.
Central to the Strikers bid was the club's plans for a 15,694-seat boutique stadium atPerry Park.
However, the club pulled out of the race when the bid's financial backers pulled their support. The debacle led to criticism from fans about the club's direction and the "inertia" of the bid.[25]
Later, it emerged that the Strikers had approachedBrisbane City, another Brisbane club vying for A-League admission, about consolidating their bids. Brisbane City knocked back that approach.[26] City subsequently withdrew its own bid.[27]
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined underFIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
|
|
| Position | Name |
|---|---|
| Head Coach | Kevin Aherne-Evans |
| Assistant Coach | Daniel Carew |
| Assistant Coach | Nicholas Robinson |
| Goalkeeping coach | Steve O'Connor |
| Technical Advisor | Frank Farina |
| U/23 coach | Breeze Ligthart |
Active players inbold.
* Craig Moore never played a match for the Strikers, but was a registered player when he trained with the club ahead of the2010 FIFA World Cup.[28]
| Coach | Years |
|---|---|
 Miron Bleiberg | 1991–1994 |
 Bruce Stowell | 1994–1996 |
 Frank Farina | 1996–1998 |
| John Kosmina | 1998–2003 |
| 2020–2021 | |
| Stuart McLaren | 2003–2004 |
| 2008–2010 | |
 Bobby Hamilton | 2005–2006 |
| Craig Collins | 2007 |
| David Large | 2010–2013 |
| 2018 | |
| Chay Hews | 2014 |
 Kevin A'Herne-Evans | 2015–2016 |
| 2024–present | |
| Sean Lane | 2017 |
| Owen Baker | 2019–2020 |
 Vedran Becirbegovic | 2021–2022 |
| Bojan Vilic | 2022 |
 André Meyer | 2022–2023 |
| Jade North | 2023 |
| Daniel Carew | 2024 |
| Preceded by | NSL Champions 1996/97 | Succeeded by |
| 2024–25 clubs |
| ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 clubs |
| ||||||||
| Regional association zones | |||||||||
| Cup competition | |||||||||
| Former teams |
| ||||||||
| Former competitions |
| ||||||||
| League seasons |
| ||||||||
