Virtus Soccer Club
 | |||
| Full name | Virtus Soccer Club | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Nickname(s) | Northern Demons | ||
| Founded | 1951 | ||
| Ground | Byrne Park | ||
| Capacity | 6000 | ||
| Chairman | Tory Annese | ||
| Manager | Domenic Musci | ||
| League | FFSA State League | ||
| 2011 | State League, 4th | ||
| |||
Virtus Soccer Club, known as Northern Demons are a soccer club from Port Pirie, South Australia. Northern Demons play in the South Australian State League. Their home ground is Byrne Park. Aside from their senior teams, the club currently have three sides in the Junior Premier League which play in the U/12 u/14 and u/15 Divisions. Their cross-town rivals are the Savoy Soccer Club, known as Port Pirie City, who play in the Adelaide Amateur League.
History
The Virtus Soccer Club was founded in 1951 by a group of players who could not get a regular game of football in Port Pirie. The club currently plays in the SASF State League under the name of Northern Demons.
The club played its first game in 1952 and their first win was against a team called Rangers who they beat 2-1..
The name Virtus came about when Domenic Lobasso nominated the name for consideration as it was the name of his old club in Egypt. The name was adopted and has become very recognised in Port Pirie and throughout South Australia.
In 1955 the club purchased a soccer ground in Port Pirie and named it Byrne Park after Roger Byrne - the captain of Manchester United who was killed in the infamous Manchester United team plane crash.
The club won its first championship in 1957 and has gone on to win much silverware over the years. Just none since the move to the state league, oh and that year that we got put in the premier league and then relegated down in the first year.
In 1960 members of the club committee designed and then laid the foundations for the new clubrooms. The clubrooms took over five years of mainly voluntary labour to complete. The new facility was officially opened by the Lord Mayor Harry Welsh on 25 June 1965.
In 1963 the club joined the Mid North Association but rejoined the Norther Areas Soccer Association in 1968.
In 1976 the club decided to upgrade its bar and clubrooms facilities which were completed in time to hold the club's silver jubilee celebrations in 1977.
Virtus utilised Globe Oval as their home ground in 1978/79 whilst the renovations were taking place at Byrne Park. The renovations included moving the pitch 50 m, new change rooms and installation of an automatic watering system. Byrne Park was reopened in 1980.
In 1997 the club received a State grant with Council support to develop a modern lighting system. Two years later in 1999 the club entered the SASF State League competition.
When the club entered the SASF State League they adopted the new playing name of Northern Demons and are now playing a major role in local football. With high match day attendances and superb facilities the cub is highly regarded in the South Australian soccer community.
The Northern Demons had a 1988 20 year premiership reunion on 19 July 2008 at the Virtus clubrooms.
Also in the 1988 premiership season the Demons were undefeated under coach George Hadges and the captain of that year Tony Introna scored a record 28 goals. That record still has not been beaten.
The Demons also won another premiership in 1991, once again undefeated under coach George Hadges.
In 2004 the club won its first Football Federation SA silverware with the Under 19's beating Playford Patriots in the SASF U/19's Premier League Grand Final. In 2009 this success was repeated with the U/19's team again taking out the State League Premiership, beating Enfield City in a penalty shoot-out.
Players of Note
High profile players to have represented the club:
Jose Iriarte
Milan Ivanovic
Current Senior Squad
Note: Flags indicate national team as has been defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
|
Club honours
NASA League Champions: 1957, 1961, 1985, 1988 & 1991
MNSA League Champions: 1963, 1965 & 1966
MNSA Premier League Grand Finalist: 1993
NASA Minor Premier & Grand Finalist: 1994
NASA Cup Winners: 1958, 1959, 1967, 1994 & 1997
MNSA Cup Winners: 1966
NASA League Cup Winners: 1988, 1993 & 1997
Adelaide City Intercity Cup Winners: 1992 & 1993
SASF Premier League U/19 Premiers: 2004
FFSA State League U/19 Premiers: 2009
External links
| ||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||