Falcons 2000 Soccer Club
(Morwell Falcons)

Full name	Falcons 2000 Soccer Club Inc Former Club Known As: Morwell Falcons Gippsland Falcons (logo above) Eastern Pride
Nickname(s)	Falcons, Falcioni, Morwell Falcons
Founded	2001 as Falcons 2000 Italian Australian Social Club of Gippsland 1961 Name Change to Morwell Falcons 1964 (Via Sponsorship)
Dissolved	2001 as Eastern Pride Gippsland Falcons (1996 to 00) Morwell Falcons (1964 to 1996)
Ground	Latrobe City Stadium Owned by Latrobe City Council
Capacity	12,000 (1,912 Seats) Morwell Falcons Record Attendance: 8,256 - Round 18 1993-94 NSL Season
Chairman	Tony Salvatore
Manager	Adrian Salvatore
League	Latrobe Valley Soccer League
2024	1st
Website	www.falcons2000.com.au
Home colours Away colours

Falcons 2000 Soccer Club (formerly Morwell Falcons, Gippsland Falcons and Eastern Pride) is anAustralian semi-professionalsoccer club based in the regionalVictorian city ofMorwell in Latrobe Valley, Gippsland. The club currently participates in theLatrobe Valley Soccer League, currently rated as a Tier 9 league.

As Morwell Falcons, the club achieved the rare feat of promotion to Tier 1 status in the AustralianNational Soccer League from what is described now as the Tier 9Latrobe Valley Soccer League, via promotions in the Australian Association Football pyramid between 1973 and 1992 when promotion to the highest tier was available.

Originally Founded in 1961 by the localLatrobe Valley Italian-Indigenous Community. Known as Morwell Falcons starting 1964 due to a sponsorship arrangement with Ford Motor Company. The club participated in theLatrobe Valley Soccer League between 1961 and 1973. Then theVictorian State League Football System at all levels between 1974 and 1992. Morwell Falcons were admitted to theNational Soccer League in 1992-93 where it competed until folding afterrelegation in 2000–01. It was re-established as Falcons 2000 SC Inc in 2001. Since its inception the club has played under multiple names. IncludingMorwell Falcons, thenGippsland Falcons SC, before folding under the nameEastern Pride in 2001. The club bears its present nameFalcons 2000 after its financial re-establishment

The Falcons were one of the most successful clubs in theGippsland region of Victoria, Australia. Gippsland is all of South-East Victoria (approximately the same size asSwitzerland), and includes most of around 100 islands in the region and Bass Strait. Morwell Falcons were Champions of theVictorian State League on two occasions, winning the State League Championship and League Finals Cup double in 1984 and 1989, and the StatewideDockerty Cup in 1994.

Morwell Falcons were the only club based in regional Victoria to have participated atNational Soccer League level before the NSL disbanded in 2003–04. The NSL was replaced with theA-League Men in 2005–06, making the new Tier 1 exclusively for licensed teams only, with no promotion and relegation.

Morwell Falcons major difficulty was the location ofLatrobe City Stadium at Crinigan Road, Morwell. The stadium itself was too far distant from Morwell Train Station for any serious attendance by public transport users who would have walked to the stadium from the train station. The club attracted competitive and sustainable attendances relatively speaking compared to other clubs, and had a large local following when in the National Soccer League via people watching the Australian National television coverage, including highlights and live games, onSBS. The club was also featured in the sports sections of the local newspapers. That included the Latrobe Valley Express, delivered free to every household in the Latrobe City Council area (where applicable).

Morwell entered theVictorian State League System in Tier 7 in 1974, after winning theLatrobe Valley Soccer League Championship for the second time in 3 years.

The Falcons were an instant success in the 7th Tier Victorian Provisional League, winning two consecutive Championships in 1974^[1] and 1975,^[2] making it 4 championships in 5 seasons. The team was finally promoted to the Tier 6 Victorian Metropolitan Soccer League Division 4 after a runner-up finish in its third season in the Victorian Provisional League in 1976.^[3]

Morwell Falcons were promoted in the Victorian State League part of the "Pyramid" 5 times in 6 years between 1976 and 1981. The Falcons first 4 seasons (of 5) in the Victorian Metropolitan Football League system produced a worst season finish of 3rd. The Falcons progressed from the Tier 6 Victorian Metropolitan Football League Division 4, to the Tier 3 Victorian Metropolitan Football League Division 1, via 3 Runners-Up promotions in 4 seasons.^[4][5][6]

1981 was the Falcons only season competing in the Victorian Metropolitan Football League Division 1. The team finished 9th, but was promoted to the Tier 2Victorian State League regardless, due to a restructuring of the league system.^[7]

Between 1971 and 1980 the Morwell Falcons finished no lower than 3rd in 10 consecutive seasons in 5 divisions. Results included 9 seasons in the top 2, 4 Championships, and 5 Runners-Up finishes (4 resulting in promotion). It included 3 Championships in a row in 1973-74-75. The team achieved promotion to the next Tier 5 times in 8 season during this period.

The team fared well in its first season at Tier 2 State League level, finishing a very creditable 4th in the League Championship in 1982.^[8] The Falcons went on to finish Runner-Up in theState League Finals Cup in its first season in Tier 2, losing toGreen Gully in the Final.

In its 3rd season in 1984 the Falcons won the League Championship and League (Finals) Cup Double, the teams first State League Championship. It was the first time aLatrobe Valley-Gippsland based team had won the State League Championship sinceYallourn in 1951.^[9]Jim Maclean won the Rothman's Medal for Victorian State League Player of the Year.^[10]
See the only goal in the State League (Finals) Cup Final.
See the presentation to Morwell Falcons.^[11]

The Falcons were offered the opportunity to apply to join the Tier 1National Soccer League, but declined the offer. If Morwell Falcons had entered the NSL for the 1984–85 season, it would have been from "Non-League" (now Tier 9)Latrobe Valley Soccer League to Tier 1National Soccer League via 7 promotions in 12 seasons.

In 1985 the Falcons achieved a Runners-Up finish in both the League Championship and State League (Finals) Cup, following on from the double the previous season. The Falcons qualified for a 3rd State League (Finals) Cup Final in 4 years in 1985. Morwell repeated the successes of 1984 in 1989, again winning the Championship and League (Finals) Cup double.^[12]See an image of the president and manager with the Victorian State League (Finals) Cup Trophy here.

In 1991 the Falcons finished the newly renamed Victorian Premier League Season in 3rd.^[13] WhenAPIA Leichhardt were relegated back to New South Wales State League at the end of the 1991-92 NSL Season due to financial difficulties,^[14] the Falcons were offered promotion to the Tier 1National Soccer League, and accepted. Morwell Falcons finished 8th in the clubs last season in the Tier 2 Victorian State League Winter season in 1992, and moved directly into the 1992-93 NSL Summer Season.^[15]

The promotion to the Tier 1National Soccer League completed a 20-year rise from theLatrobe Valley Soccer League through Tiers 7 to 2 of theVictorian State League, and final promotion to Tier 1, the NSL. Morwell Falcons were in the Tier 2 Victorian State League top division for 11 seasons.

Morwell Falcons were admitted to the thenNational Soccer League for the 1992–93 season, the 4th NSL season with a Summer schedule. It meant that the Falcons had to complete the 26-game 1992 Victorian State League season, then move into the 26-game Summer NSL Season in the same year, after a break of just over six weeks. Morwell Falcons last game in the Victorian Premier League was in Round 26 on Sunday August 23, 1992. The Falcons drew 1–1 withBrunswick Juventus in Morwell.^[16]

The Falcons had previously been offered entry into the National Soccer League during the 1980s, but initially declined. They also had the opportunity to win promotion to the NSL via the 1989 playoffs, however, they lost 5-2 over two legs to West Adelaide.

However, their opportunity in Australia's top flight would come in 1992, when Preston Makedonia pulled out of the competition, at which league officials again offered Morwell the chance to join - an offer that was accepted, despite the short time to prepare for the season.

NSL Round 1

7 October 1992 (1992-10-7)

Morwell Falcons	2-0	Sydney Olympic
Zlatko Markovski Billy Wright	Report

Falcons Park (Latrobe City Stadium),Morwell, Latrobe Valley, Gippsland

Attendance: 3676

Referee: Not Available

The tired looking Falcons finishing 12th in the inaugural season in Tier 1.^[17]

What followed was a disappointing listed finish of 7th in 1993–94. Morwell missed out on Final 6 qualification via a series of bizarre refereeing decisions, which resulted in the Falcons finishing 7th and missing the playoffs.^[18] The new Di Fabrizio stand on the outer side of Falcons Park was opened before the Round 18 home game againstSouth Melbourne.See a short television news feature on the stand opening here. The game drew a record crowd of well over 4 times the number of seats available at the venue of 8,256.^[19] Morwell's season finished with 3 wins in a row, including a 3–2 away win againstMarconi Fairfield inSydney who qualified for the playoffs in 4th, and a 4–3 away win over 1st placedMelbourne Knights atSomers St Stadium, Melbourne. Morwell had the 7th highest average home attendance (of 14 teams) in the league.^[20]

Morwell went on to win the statewideDockerty Cup in 1994 with a win overMelbourne Zebras in the final 2–1. Morwell Falcons became the firstGippsland based team to win the Dockerty Cup since Wonthaggi Magpies in 1931. The Dockerty Cup was open to all teams based in the state of Victoria. As an NSL team the Falcons entered the competition in the Quarter Final stage and had wins overFrankston Pines,South Melbourne, andMelbourne Zebras to win the tournament.^[21]

Quarter Final

18 September 1994 (1994-9-18)

Morwell Falcons	6–1	Frankston Pines
Armstrong 3 Markovski 2 Canosa	Report	Watson

Middle Park,Melbourne

Attendance: Not Available

Referee: John Santa Isabel

Semi Final

22 September 1994 (1994-9-22)

Morwell Falcons	2–1 (a.e.t.)	South Melbourne
Armstrong 35', 109'	Report	Boutsianis 2'

Olympic Park,Melbourne

Attendance: Not Available

Referee: John Fraser.

Final

25 September 1994 (1994-9-25)

Melbourne Zebras	1-2	Morwell Falcons
Karkaletsis 36' (Penalty)	Report	Bothwell 45' Waddell 64' (Penalty)

Olympic Park,Melbourne

Referee: John Santa Isabel

Morwell Falcons:
Jason Dastey, Gary Upton, Claudio Canosa, Steve Douglas, Shaun Parton, Marcus Stergiopoulos, Sonny Sevin, John Waddell, Brian Bothwell,
Carlo Villani, Lachlan Armstrong.
Coach: Bobby McLachlan

Morwell Falcons played in its only National Soccer League Finals Series in 1995. The team had arguably its best season ever, qualifying 4th in the top 6. The league system involved a penalty shootout at the end of every draw. The Falcons lost just 5 games outright (of 24) for the season, finishing with 8 wins and 11 draws (4 penalty shootout wins and 7 penalty shootout losses). Morwell Falcons hosted leg 1 of the NSL Finals Series Elimination Final versus South Melbourne. A large finals crowd at the Crinigan RoadLatrobe City Stadium of 6,565 saw the Falcons play well, but ultimately lose the game 0–1. In the return leg the Falcons lost 5–1 in front of 5,807 in Melbourne atOlympic Park.John Markovski scored the Falcons only goal in an NSL Final in the 66th minute of leg 2. Morwell later won through to the final four of theDockerty Cup for the second consecutive year, losing to South Melbourne in the Semi Finals.

Leg 1

15 April 1995 (1995-4-15)

19:00 approx

Morwell Falcons	0–1	South Melbourne Hellas
	Report	Kelic 60'

Latrobe City Stadium (Falcons Park),Morwell,Latrobe Valley,Gippsland

Attendance: 6,565

Referee: Gerry Connolly

Leg 2

23 April 1995 (1995-4-23)

15:00 approx

South Melbourne Hellas	5–1	Morwell Falcons
Trimboli 12' Petersen 30' Muscat 45' Kelic 59' Polak 64'	Report	Markovski 66'

Olympic Park,Melbourne

Attendance: 5,807

Referee: Eugene Brazzale

South Melbourne Won 6–1 on aggregate.^[22]

Morwell Falcons finished no higher than 10th in all of the seasons between 1995–96 to 2000–01, not qualifying for the NSL finals series again after 1994–95. The team name changed to Gippsland, then again to "Eastern Pride" for the 2000–01 season.Morwell Falcons final win in the NSL was under the nameEastern Pride in Round 25, 2000–01. A 2–1 win over Parramatta Power on 31/03/2001. The club forfeited its last four matches of the season, all marked as a 0–3 loss. The team was stripped of its 20 competitions points for regulations breaches by league administration. The club was relegated from the NSL after finishing 15th (of 16) in 2000-01 and subsequently folded. The club was re-established in 2001 as Falcons 2000 and rejoined the rated Tier 9Latrobe Valley Soccer League.

The National Soccer League was replaced with theA-League Men in 2005–06, making the new Tier 1 exclusively for licensed teams only with no promotion and relegation from the State League "pyramids". The new Tier 1 was established before restructuring that included Australia (including theSocceroos) transferring fromOceania Football Confederation to theAsian Football Confederation before qualifying for the 2010FIFA World Cup began.

Some would argue that the Morwell Falcons - 1971 through to the 1994-5Dockerty Cup win and Tier 1National Soccer League Finals Series participation - is Australia's only "football purists" historical example of promotion from "non-league" to Tier 1 in Australia's Association Football history.

``Approximate equivalent tier relevant to the formation of the NSL in 1977 and the current structure.
↑ Promoted: To a Higher Tier or NSL Finals
↓ Relegated from the NSL and Disbanded, Re-Formed as Falcons 2000 in the Latrobe Valley Soccer League (Tier IX)

• 
  Eastern Pride Logo
• 
  Gippsland Falcons Logo

The club was formed in 1961 by Italian migrants as theItalian Australian Social Club of Gippsland (IASCO), and initially played in the Latrobe Valley Soccer League.^[23]

In 1964, the club changed its name toMorwell Falcons as a result of a sponsorship arrangement with theFord Motor Company.^[24] Morwell joined the wider ranks of the Victorian leagues in 1974, and quickly rose up the divisions reaching theVictorian State League in 1982, and winning the title in 1984 under the tutelage of famed Irish coach and ex-Fulham iconJimmy Dunne.

This allowed them to apply for the NSL's Southern Conference, but the club declined the offer.^[23] It was that same year that Jim McLean was the named as the Victorian Premier League Player of the Year (known as the Rothmans Medal at the time).

Despite the triumph in 1984, heartbreak would follow in 1985 as the slow-starting Falcons finished the season with a sensational flourish to win seven of their last eight matches - including a 1–0 victory over eventual league championsCroydon City. Despite the barnstorming run, Croydon - now with Falcons' 1984 league champion Billy Whiteside in goal - held their nerve to claim the league title with a 5–1 away win over Maribyrnong Polonia on the final day of the season.

Dunne left the club in 1986 and the club moved on to Scottish coach Bobby McLachlan, who stayed for eight years.

In 1989, Morwell won its second Victorian championship, pipping Brunswick Juventus to the title by a solitary point. The Falcons were placed in a two leg playoff for a spot in the National Soccer League/ However, the Falcons failed to progress to the top flight after losing 5–2 on aggregate against South Australian championsWest Adelaide.^[23]

The club eventually joined the NSL's ranks in season 1992/93.^[23] Morwell won the statewideDockerty Cup in 1994, after entering the competition as an NSL team in the Quarter Final Stage. The Falcons qualified for the NSL finals once in season 1994/95 after finishing fourth. The club thereafter always found itself in the bottom half of the table, and late in season 2000/01 the club was relegated and subsequently folded.^[25]

While the club officially disbanded in 2001,Falcons 2000^[26] were created as an offshoot club, and currently compete in theLatrobe Valley Soccer League.^[27]

Whiteside

Clarke

Bruns

Higham

Train

McLean

Bingham

O'Callaghan

Aythersych

Moore

Stirton

1984 Victorian Champions Starting XI

Despite finishing fourth in their first year in the Victorian State Men's League in 1982, the Falcons slipped to the 10th in 1983 - although expectations for the 1984 season were boosted for Latrobe Valley-based club when they recruited some key players, including Northern Irish youth international Gerry Clark, Irish striker Stephen Moore and dynamic Englishman Russell Athersych.

While Clark went on to become something of an icon in Gippsland football in later life, coaching numerous local clubs, Moore's prowess in front of goal in 1984 - scoring 17 goals in 26 games - proved why he was considered the league's best strikers.

The Falcons won just one of their first five games but a 5-0 thumping of Knox City in round six ignited their season and they then claimed victory in six of their next seven matches to climb to the top of the league.

A series of powerful victories - including a 6–0 thrashing of Knox City and a 4-0 hammering of St Albans - meant the Falcons were in the box seat to claim the highest honour in Victorian football, with the signing of Doveton striker Iain Stirton after round 14 proving to be an inspired choice after he was relegated to the Doveton bench by coach Hammy McMeechan. Stirton had an extraordinary impact, netting 10 goals in his first seven games for Morwell and adding another to finish with 11 for the season.

Leading the league by two points, the Falcons needed only a draw in their final match against Albion Rovers to claim the title. A 0–0 draw at Selwyn Reserve inAlbion ensured the Falcons would win their first ever state championship.

The Falcons then went on to win the post-season State League Cup, defeating Fawkner 9–8 on penalties in the semi-final before claiming a 1–0 victory overMaribyrnong Polonia in the final.

Reynolds

O'Donnell

Bruns

Cassar

Nelson

Bingham

Doyle

McBride

Byrne

Basara

Wright

1989 Victorian Champions Starting XI

The Falcons entered the 1989 Victorian State League having finished the 1988 season in 10th position, 11 points behind league championsHeidelberg United - who were subsequently promoted to theNational Soccer League.

The second and third placed teams of 1988 -St Albans andCroydon City - were widely expected to contend for the 1989 title but the Falcons shocked the football world to soar back into contention for the league title, largely thanks to the goals of Darko Basara (11 goals) and New Zealand international New Zealand internationalBilly Wright (eight goals) - with Northern Irish import Ron Manley proving an astute mid-season pick-up, grabbing six goals in 13 games. Popular captain Jim McBride also hit six goals in 28 games and club veteran Sean Byrne - who did not miss a game all season - added five of his own.

After a critical slip up by equal-first placedBrunswick Juventus on the penultimate day of the season, losing 2–1 toNorthcote City, the Falcons moved a point clear heading into the final round thanks to a crucial 0–0 draw at home toFrankston Pines.

Holding to their league lead by a point, the Falcons needed only a win againstRingwood City in the final game of the season to ensure they would be crowned champions for the second time.

In one of the Falcons' finest ever displays, Manley began the rout in the 13th minute before Roy Walsh doubled the Falcons' advantage just before half-time. Wright all but sealed the championship with his effort two minutes after the break before captain Jim McBride sent the capacity crowd at North Crinigan Reserve into a frenzy by making it 4–0 in the final minute.

In October, Morwell had a barnstormingDockerty Cup run, highlighted by a 2–0 victory over NSL clubFootscray JUST - who fielded a star-studded team including Socceroos' trioMehmet Durakovic,Oscar Crino andJoe Palatsides - in the quarter-finals at Heidelberg. However, the Falcons ran out of steam in the semi-finals, losing 5–0 to eventual runner-upAltona Gate.

• Association football clubs established in 1961
• National Soccer League (Australia) clubs
• 1961 establishments in Australia
• Italian-Australian backed sports clubs of Victoria (state)
• Morwell, Victoria

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