Sydney FC

Sydney Football Club
Full name Sydney Football Club[1][2]
Nickname(s) The Sky Blues, Harbour City Originals
Short name SYD
Founded 1 November 2004 (1 November 2004)
Ground Allianz Stadium
Ground Capacity 45,500
Owner David Traktovenko
Chairman Scott Barlow
Head Coach Graham Arnold
League A-League
2016–17 A-League, 1st
Website Club website
Active departments of
Sydney FC
Football (Men's) Football Youth (Men's) Football (Women's)

Sydney Football Club /ˈsɪdni/, commonly known as Sydney FC, is an Australian professional soccer club based in Sydney, New South Wales. It competes in the country's premier competition, the A-League, under licence from Football Federation Australia.[3] The club has won three A-League Championships (in 2006, 2010 and 2017) and two Premierships (2009–10 and 2016–17) and is the only A-League club to have won the OFC Champions League (in 2005). Since 2006, A-League teams have competed in the AFC Champions League. Sydney FC have participated in the group stage of the AFC Champions League three times, previously; in 2007, 2011 and 2016, qualifying for the knock-out phase of the tournament once and will return to the Asian Champions League in 2018. Having won titles in the W-League and in the National Youth League Sydney hold the distinction of being the only club to have won the A-League alongside its two affiliated competitions.

The club's home ground is Allianz Stadium, a 45,500 seat multi-use venue in the suburb of Moore Park.[4] As the only A-League team in the city for the first seven years of its existence, the club's fans hail from all across the Sydney Metropolitan Area. Since its establishment, Sydney FC has had a reputation for signing high-profile players.[5] Notable players who have represented the club include Dwight Yorke, Juninho Paulista, John Aloisi, Brett Emerton, Lucas Neill, Marc Janko, Filip Holosko, Milos Ninkovic, and Alessandro Del Piero.

History

Foundation

Sydney FC playing the Los Angeles Galaxy at ANZ Stadium during 2007.

The first steps towards the foundation of Sydney FC taken in April 2004 when Soccer New South Wales (now Football NSW) announced its intention to bid for a licence in the new A-League competition.[6] The bid was lodged with the Australian Soccer Association (now Football Federation Australia) on 19 July, challenged only by a consortium headed by Nick Politis, known as the "Sydney Blues",[7] for Sydney's place in the 'one team per city' competition.[8] A public row broke out between the two bidders after reports that the ASA were set to vote in favour of Sydney FC,[9] causing Politis to withdraw his support for a team,[10] and leaving Sydney FC as the only candidate remaining.

Sydney FC was officially launched as a member of the new 8-team A-League on 1 November 2004, with a 25% stake in the club held by Soccer NSW, the remainder privately owned.[11] Walter Bugno was announced as the inaugural chairman of the club. On 11 December 2004, Soccer NSW announced that it would pull out of its involvement with Sydney FC amid concerns over part owner Frank Lowy's autocratic style in establishing the club and lack of consultation with Soccer NSW on key Sydney FC issues. These included the choice of the Sydney Football Stadium over Parramatta Stadium as the team's home ground, and the erosion of Soccer NSW's initial 100 per cent involvement to just 25 per cent.[12]

By February 2005, Sydney FC had filled 16 of its allowed 20 squad positions—attracting Socceroos Alvin Ceccoli, Clint Bolton, Steve Corica and David Zdrilic as well as youth internationals Justin Pasfield, Mark Milligan, Wade Oostendorp, Iain Fyfe and Jacob Timpano.[13] 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 25 March 2005, winning 6–1.[14] Shortly after, Sydney FC 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.[15][16][17] Whilst in Dubai, Sydney FC announced that it had agreed to terms with former Manchester United player Dwight Yorke as the club's "marquee player"– one paid outside of the $1.5million salary cap— for two seasons.[18]

Early years

Sydney FC's first competitive match was 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 qualify for the Oceania Club Championship, to be held in Tahiti. Despite an early scare against New Zealand club Auckland City FC,[19] Sydney FC won all of its matches in the competition and qualified for the 2005 FIFA Club World Championship in Japan. The start of the 2005 A-League Pre-Season Challenge Cup marked Sydney FC's first match at Allianz Stadium, as well as Dwight Yorke's first appearance for the club. Yorke scored the first goal of Sydney FC's 3–1 win which stretched its 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.[20]

Sydney FC's first season was ultimately a success. Finishing second on the ladder behind Adelaide United they went on to defeat Central Coast Mariners 1–0 in the 2006 A-League Grand Final with Steve Corica scoring in the second half. However the club's success wouldn't last long, with German manager Pierre Littbarski leaving the club due to being forced to accept a lower pay cheque[21] and inaugural marquee player Dwight Yorke being signed by Premier League club Sunderland.[22] Former English international Terry Butcher was signed as Sydney FC's new coach for 2006–07.[23] However it was regarded as an overall failure, with Sydney playing poor football despite the signing of Alex Brosque and Benito Carbone as a Guest player. Sydney also had 3 points deducted during the season, after it was found that they had breached the Salary cap, involving player David Zdrillic.[24] Despite the off field problems, Sydney managed to scrape into the finals series, however they lost in the semi final to Newcastle Jets. Although Butcher lead the club into the finals, Sydney fans were unhappy with his tactics. In the end Butcher and Sydney FC went their separate ways at the end of the season.[25] Sydney FC would go on to sign Branko Čulina for its 2007 Asian Champions League campaign, where they finished second in the group, one point behind ultimate champions and J-League heavyweights Urawa Red Diamonds. Despite the ACL success, Sydney FC's start to the 2007–08 season was poor, and the club sacked him, replacing him with former Adelaide United manager John Kosmina.[26] Sydney FC played well for the rest of the season but were knocked out in the finals by Brisbane Roar. Kosmina couldn't repeat the success of the previous season, replacing Brazilian international Juninho with Socceroos hero John Aloisi on a million dollar contract.[27] The club also unveiled Newcastle Jets championship winners Mark Bridge and Stuart Musialik as well as Socceroo Simon Colosimo for the 2008–09 season.[27][28] The season did not live up to expectations even with these key signings. Aloisi didn't perform very well during the season and came under heavy fire. So too did manager Kosmina, whose tactics were seen as controversial. His relationship with the media often became angry and frustrated which didn't help causes. Many players fell out of favour with the coach, including Steve Corica and Clint Bolton.[29] For the first time in the club's history, they failed to make the play-offs. As a result Kosmina was fired when the new ownership of Russian billionaire David Traktovenko took over in March 2009.

Lavicka tenure

The fresh change at the club was about to bear fruit, when Sydney announced they had signed Czech Republic manager Vítězslav Lavička.[30] Lavicka completely changed the structure of the club, and for its first time turning it into a serious, European style football club. He kept faith in Steve Corica and John Aloisi and several others who had threatened to walk out on the club, and as a result, Sydney FC won its first premiership in the club's history. Sydney made it to the Grand Final of the fifth season of the A-League after defeating Wellington Phoenix in the preliminary final. The Grand Final was played against Melbourne Victory at Etihad Stadium in Melbourne. Sydney took the lead after 61 minutes through a Mark Bridge header, just seconds after Melbourne had a goal disallowed for offside. Melbourne equalised through Adrian Leijer in the 81st minute, and the game went on to a penalty shootout with no goals scored in extra time. Melbourne skipper Kevin Muscat missed his penalty, with his shot hitting the post. Sydney FC won the Grand Final 4–2 on penalties which handed the club its second Hyundai A-League Championship.

Sydney FC's title defence did not go smoothly. The club lost key players from its championship-winning side including Steve Corica (retired),[31] Karol Kisel (return to Europe),[32] Simon Colosimo,[33] John Aloisi,[34] and Clint Bolton[35] (all Melbourne Heart). The club however picked up the services of former Socceroo Nick Carle from his stint in England with Crystal Palace. This wasn't enough to steer the team in the right direction. The club was winless for the first ten rounds of the competition. Sydney FC managed to pick up a few points over the next few rounds but another five game losing streak ensured they would not qualify for the finals competition, finishing ninth. The third season under Lavicka began with the major signing of Blackburn Rovers player Brett Emerton to a three year deal.[36] The signing was significant in that Emerton became the first player to directly exchange the FA Premier League for the A-League by terminating his Rovers contract one year early.[37] The season however, only provided minimal success as the club scraped through to the finals series with a 3–2 win over Newcastle Jets in the final round of the regular season. Before the end of the season the club announced that head coach Lavicka's contract would not be renewed for the following season.[38][39]

Farina reign

Sydney FC playing against the Newcastle Jets on October 2012.
"This is huge for Sydney FC, huge for the A-League and huge for Australian football [sic]. We feel honoured that Alessandro has decided to play for Sydney FC and we share his excitement that a move to Sydney FC will create a lasting legacy for football in this country."

—Sydney FC Chairman Scott Barlow, The Sydney Morning Herald

The 2012–13 season was one of high drama. There was a new appointment of head coach Ian Crook[40] and a high turnover of players in the off season. The expectations changed from a year of rebuilding to title contenders when the club acquired the services of international superstar Alessandro Del Piero.[41][42] He signed on for $2 million per year and became the highest-paid footballer to ever play in the A-League.[43]

After only six weeks into the regular season Sydney were forced to find a new coach with the shock resignation of Crook. He cited the role was "a constant burden" and was adversely affecting his health.[44][45] Frank Farina was confirmed as Crook's successor for the season two games into Steve Corica's interim spell.[46] During the January transfer window, Farina bolstered his defensive stocks with Socceroos captain Lucas Neill[47][48] and Brazilian Tiago Calvano[49] joining the team. The pair made nil significant impact and with a 3–1 loss away from home to Brisbane Roar, Sydney were unable to pick up a vital point that would have seen them play finals football, finishing seventh.

For the 2013–14 pre season, the club became the first club in A-League history to tour in Europe, as Sydney toured in Venice, Italy where the club played against Del Piero's first professional club, Padova, Udinese Calcio, Vicenza Calcio, A.S. Cittadella, Venezia and Reggiana.[50][51] Sydney won half of these six games however upon returning home lost five consecutive friendly games in the lead up to the season proper. Two-thirds of the way into the season and with Sydney FC only accumulating 4 points from 8 games, fans began to express concerns over the vision for the club. Banners at the club's home game against Adelaide included sentiments like "We want Farina gone."[52] There was also a mass exodus from the club's active supporter group, The Cove.[53] The club then held a fan forum to receive questions and communicate the direction of the club.[54] During the last nine rounds, Sydney FC only lost two games making the finals. The club lost to Melbourne Victory in the first week of the finals. This marked the end of the Frank Farina reign.[55][56]

Arnold era

On 8 May 2014, Sydney FC announced its new head coach for the 2014–15 A-League season.[57] With retirements to Brett Emerton in January[58] and Terry McFlynn,[59] and the contract expiration's of marquee player Alessandro Del Piero,[60] foreign player Ranko Despotovic and former Socceroo Richard Garcia, there was a lot of experience to be filled by the club. Arnold announced his first signing on 12 May 2014, acquiring the services of his former Mariner winger Bernie Ibini-Isei.[61] Sydney FC then announced signings of prolific A-League goalscorer Shane Smeltz and Socceroo Alex Brosque.[62] After months of searching Arnold found his new marquee man in Austrian national football team captain Marc Janko.[63] On 8 October 2014, Brosque was announced as the captain of Sydney FC for the 2014–15 A-League season, alongside vice-captains Saša Ognenovski and Nikola Petković.[64] Sydney FC's season began with the highly anticipated match-up against the newly re-branded Melbourne City FC and guest superstar David Villa. Whilst not starting the game, Villa came on early in the second half to claim the equalising goal, the result ending 1–1. Sydney FC continued on an eight-game undefeated streak that ended when Perth Glory came from behind to score two goals in the final seven minutes to claim victory at Allianz Stadium.[65] The following week saw another thrilling Big Blue in Melbourne ending 3–3.[66] Sydney FC struggled for form as they moved closer to the January break for the AFC Asian Cup,[67] not scoring in four consecutive matches. During this break, Sydney FC were able to bolster their stocks, signing Senegalese internationals Mickael Tavares and Jacques Faty as injury replacement players.[68] Upon resumption, Sydney FC posted 19 (out of a possible 21) points in the next seven rounds. Whilst slipping up twice at home to Melbourne City and Adelaide United (with scores of 0–1 in both games) during the final six rounds, Sydney FC managed to win all four other games away from home to finish second on the ladder with 50 points for the season. By the end of the regular season, Sydney FC had broken many records including a record club home season attendance (41,213 vs. Western Sydney Wanderers FC) and a league record number of away games undefeated in a season, as well as becoming the first club to score three or more goals in five consecutive games.[69] Marquee Marc Janko also set his own A-League record for most consecutive goalscoring appearances with seven.[69] After having the first week of the finals off, Sydney FC met Adelaide in the semi-finals at home. A brace from Alex Brosque set Sydney up for a 4–1 win.[70] Ultimately, Sydney FC were outplayed in the 2015 A-League Grand Final, defeated by Melbourne Victory 3–0 at AAMI Park.[71]

The following season was significantly less successful, finishing seventh in the league despite the star power of marquee Filip Holosko, and Serbian playmaker Milos Ninkovic. However, Arnold coached the Sky Blues through a tough Asian Champions League group, finishing first and defeating defending champions Guangzhou Evergrande 2-1 at Allianz. Sydney progressed to the knockout stages for the first time, losing on away goals to Chinese side Shandong Luneng with Hao Junmin scoring a 90th minute equaliser to finish the Sky Blues continental hopes.

Arnold reformed Sydney for the 2016–17 season, beginning with the signings of Socceroos centreback Alex Wilkinson,[72] and leftback Michael Zullo[73] both from Melbourne City. Joshua Brillante joined the Sky Blues on a three-year deal, keeping him at the Harbour City until 2019.[74] The goalkeeping ranks were soon bolstered by the signing of Danny Vukovic, the A-League's most capped player who also held a record A-League clean sheet tally. Bernie Ibini also rejoined the club on loan from Club Brugge, following a horrific leg injury. The biggest signing however was that of Brazilian striker Bobô on a one-year marquee deal,[75] rejoining his former Besiktas teammate Filip Holosko. The season started with a 4-0 win over rivals Western Sydney in the Sydney Derby with new striker Bobô scoring on debut. They went on a six-game winning streak from this, conceding on one goal. The club also reached the 2016 FFA Cup Final for the first time, losing to Melbourne City 1-0, in a highly controversial match.[76]

This did not affect the momentum however, with Arnold's men going 19 games unbeaten before losing to Western Sydney in the Sydney Derby. They marched on yet again, winning the Premier's Plate with four rounds to go and breaking numerous A-League records, including: most competition points, most wins in a season, fewest goals conceded, most clean sheets and best goal difference.[77] Marquee striker Bobô ended the regular season as top scorer with 15 goals, narrowly missing Marc Janko's record of 16. The club qualified for the 2018 AFC Champions League after finishing first, which will be their fourth Asian Champions League campaign.

They finished the season as double winners - winning the 2017 A-League Grand Final 4-2 (1-1 AET) on penalties against Melbourne Victory at Allianz Stadium. The winning penalty was scored by Johnny Warren medallist Milos Ninkovic who re-signed for a following year the next day,[78] before also being named player of the year three times at the club awards night.[79]

Colours and badge

Original logo.

The primary club colour of Sydney FC is sky blue, which represents the state colour of New South Wales. The secondary club colour is navy blue, with additional contrasting colours of orange and white, however the colour orange does not feature in the club's 2017 redesign of the crest.

The current Sydney FC badge was released on May 17, 2017, and is a reworking of a design submitted by the club's supporter group, The Cove. The crest features the Sydney Opera House in white pictured in front of a sky-blue backdrop on top of a navy blue base featuring the Commonwealth Star. The Opera House represents an iconic landmark of Sydney, the sky-blue represents the club's primary colour and the state colour of New South Wales, and the Commonwealth Star, also found on the Australian Flag, is a symbol representing the Federation of Australia [80]

The initial Sydney FC badge was created and used since the club's founding in 2004. It featured a football set centrally in a stylised crest shape. Above the ball was the shape of three shells of the Sydney Opera House, and below the was Commonwealth Star.[1]

There is a silver star atop the badge with the numeral three written inside it, representing the number of championships won.

Sponsorship

Period Kit Manufacturer Shirt Sponsor Minor Sponsor
2005–2007 Reebok Healthe HBA Insurance
2007–2009 Bing Lee,
JVC
2009–2011 Bing Lee,
Sony		 MBF Health Insurance,
Pulsar
2011–2012 Adidas UNICEF[81] Sydney Children's Hospital,
CMRI[82]
2012–2014 Webjet Destination NSW,
Caltex
2014–2015 Startrack,
Beechwood
2015–2019 Puma Startrack
ITP
University of New South Wales

Stadium

Sydney FC plays its home matches at Allianz Stadium (commonly known as SFS[83]), located in the Sydney suburb of Moore Park. It was built in 1988 to be the premium "rectangular field" for rugby league matches. It is also now used for football and rugby union for major matches and domestic competition.

It has been the venue for several Australian international matches (notably World Cup Qualifier against Argentina in 1993). The stadium's capacity was stated at 41,159 prior to renovations in 2007, although the attendance of the 2006 A-League grand final exceeded this number by over 500. The currently stated capacity is 45,500.

Sydney FC have played matches at other Sydney venues. Parramatta Stadium in western Sydney was the venue for an AFC Champions League match against Indonesian football side Persik Kediri in April 2007 when the SFS was unavailable due to an NRL match being played there. A friendly match against Los Angeles Galaxy was played at ANZ Stadium in November 2007 due to its greater capacity, and drew a crowd of 80,295. However, as of 2012 these districts are now represented in the A-League so such a move would be unnecessary. In December 2011, Sydney played a (2–0 winning) match at Kogarah Oval against Brisbane Roar, as the SFS was unavailable due to concerts being held at the ground that weekend.

On 17 May 2017, the club and SCG Trust agreed to a ten year extension of the lease, with Sydney FC now becoming the largest tenant of the ground.[84]

Allianz Stadium prior to Sydney FC defeating Melbourne Victory 2–0 to win the 2009–10 Hyundai A-League Premiership in front of 25,407 fans

Training ground

Sydney FC's primary training ground is at Macquarie University in North Ryde where they use the grounds, and they also have use of the sports and aquatic centre for post match recovery sessions. Occasionally Sydney will train at the SFS and have been seen after home games having recovery sessions at local beaches such as Coogee Beach, Bondi Beach and Maroubra.

Supporters

Sydney supporters at the northern end at the Allianz Stadium

Sydney FC draw support from right across Sydney, and is one of the most heavily supported clubs in Australia, as they were the only A-League team from Australia's largest city until 2012. The largest supporter group of Sydney FC is known as "The Cove",[85] and are located at the Paddington (northern) end of Allianz Stadium in bays 22– 26. The name came from the original name given to the colonial settlement of Sydney— Sydney Cove.

Cove members attend every home match and also travel as a group around the country to support the team at away matches. As a vocal group, The Cove demonstrates its support by singing football chants, wearing club colours, standing up, waving flags and holding banners. On 7 July 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.[86] It was released prior to the start of the 2006–07 season.

The Cove is known for putting support towards the Australian LGBT community, with rainbow flags often being waved at games.

The Cove was directly involved the creation of the modern Sydney FC badge, with them putting forward designs and ideas which carried over to the finished product.

Rivalries

Current squads

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Position Player
1 Australia GK Andrew Redmayne
2 Australia DF Aaron Calver
4 Australia DF Alex Wilkinson (Vice-Captain)
5 Netherlands DF Jordy Buijs
6 Australia MF Joshua Brillante
7 Australia DF Michael Zullo
8 Australia MF Paulo Retre
9 Brazil FW Bobô
10 Serbia MF Miloš Ninković
13 Australia MF Brandon O'Neill
No. Position Player
14 Australia FW Alex Brosque (Captain)
17 Australia MF David Carney
18 Australia FW Matt Simon
19 Australia MF Chris Zuvela (Youth)
20 Australia GK Alex Cisak
21 Australia FW Charles Lokolingoy (Youth)
22 Australia DF Sebastian Ryall (Vice-Captain)
23 Australia MF Rhyan Grant
26 Australia DF Luke Wilkshire (Injury replacement)
-- Poland MF Adrian Mierzejewski

Reserves and Youth squad

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Position Player
1 Australia GK Mitchell Evans
2 Australia DF Brendan Curtis
3 Australia DF Patrick Flottmann
5 Australia MF Matthew Green
6 Republic of Macedonia MF Nicola Kuleski
7 Australia FW Daniel Maskin
8 Australia FW Juan Zapata
10 Australia MF Aaron Avery
11 Australia MF Chris Arditti
12 Australia FW Charles Lokolingoy
No. Position Player
13 Australia DF Liam McGing
14 Australia DF Cristian Gonzalez
15 Australia MF Sam McIllhatton
16 Australia DF William Mutch
17 Australia MF Chris Zuvela
18 Australia FW Mani Gonzalez
19 Australia FW John Iredale
20 Australia GK Tom Heward-Belle
21 Australia MF Andrea Agamemnonos

Academy

On 21 December 2009, Sydney FC established an academy to develop young players. The main goal of the academy was stated as to produce better players by providing technical and tactical knowledge, as well as to identify potential new talent that could represent Sydney in the National Youth League and A League in future. This began a continued commitment from Sydney to invest in and develop junior talent for the benefit of grassroots football. The initial 26 players taken in were drawn from the NSW State League clubs and consisted of junior players aged between 14–18 years old. They started training with the academy at Macquarie University.[88]

Captains

Captains by Years (2005–present) A-League games only.

Name Nat Period
Mark Rudan Australia 2005–07
Tony Popovic Australia 2007–08
Steve Corica Australia 2008–10
Terry McFlynn Northern Ireland 2010–13
Alessandro Del Piero Italy 2013–14
Alex Brosque Australia 2014–

Club officials

Management

Position Name
Chairman Scott Barlow
Director Michael Crismale
Director Peter Paradise
Director John Simeone
Director Erica Berchtold
Director Phillip Wolanski
Director Han Berger
Chief Executive Officer
Chief Financial Officer Adam Santo
A-League Football Manager Terry McFlynn
General Manager, Digital, Media and Communications David Warriner
General Manager, Marketing and Community Hannah Lidster
General Manager, Commercial Nic Barbato

Technical staff

Position Name
Head Coach Australia Graham Arnold
Assistant Coach Australia Phil Moss
Assistant Coach Australia Steve Corica
Head of High Performance Australia Andrew Clark
Goalkeeping Coach Australia John Crawley
Chief Medical Officer Australia Dr. James Lawrence
Head Physiotherapist Australia Elias Boukarim
Equipment Manager Australia Alex Scardino
Youth Head Coach Australia Robbie Stanton
Youth Goalkeeping Coach Australia Brody Crane
Youth Team Manager Australia Michael Swibel

Head Coaches

Name Period Record Honours
Pld W D L %
Germany Pierre Littbarski Feb 2005– June 2006 24 12 7 5 50% A-League Champions: 2005–06
OFC Champions League: 2005
England Terry Butcher July 2006– February 2007 23 9 8 6 39%
Australia Branko Culina April 2007– October 2007 9 2 3 4 22%
Australia John Kosmina October 2007– March 2009 35 13 11 11 37%
Czech Republic Vítězslav Lavička February 2009– May 2012 89 35 22 32 39% A-League Premiers: 2009–10
A-League Champions: 2009–10
England Ian Crook May 2012– 11 November 2012 6 2 0 4 33%
Australia Steve Corica (caretaker) 12 November 2012– 27 November 2012 2 0 0 2 0%
Australia Frank Farina 28 November 2012– 23 April 2014 46 19 8 19 41%
Australia Graham Arnold 8 May 2014– present 85 45 24 16 53% A-League Premiers: 2016–17
A-League Champions: 2016–17

Records only include A-League matches, does not include; friendly matches & competitions, Pre-Season Challenge Cup, Oceania Club Championship, FIFA Club World Championship, Asian Champions League & FFA Cup

Hall of Fame

On 16 March 2015, Sydney FC inducted eight members into its inaugural Hall of Fame at the clubs' 10 year anniversary lunch.[89] Additional inductees are added to the hall of fame at the annual end of season Sky Blue Ball.

Name Role
Steve Corica Foundation player (2005–2010) and captain (2008–2010)
Dwight Yorke Inaugural Marquee player (2005–2006)
Mark Rudan Inaugural captain (2005–2008)
Clint Bolton Foundation player (goalkeeper), 142 appearances (2005–2010)
Terry McFlynn Foundation player, captain (2010–2013), all-time leading appearances (214) across 9 seasons (2005–2014)
Alessandro Del Piero International Marquee player (2012–2014), captain
Pierre Littbarski Inaugural coach (2005–2006), honours— OFC Club Championship (2005) and A-League Championship (2006)
Vitezslav Lavicka Coach (2009–2012), domestic double (A-League Premiership and Championship in 2010)
Alen Stajcic W-League Coach (2008–2014), Premiers (2009,2010/11) Champions (2009,2012/13)

Records

Terry McFlynn currently holds the team all-time record for number of total games played with 214 matches, including a club record 178 league matches. Sebastian Ryall has the second most appearances of all-time with 181 matches and Alex Brosque has the third most appearances for the club with 174 matches.

Sydney FC's all-time highest goalscorer in all competitions is Alex Brosque with 53 goals. Steve Corica has scored the second most goals for the club with 31 and Sasho Petrovski is third on the list with 26 goals.

Sydney FC's highest home attendance for a league match is 41,213 recorded on 18 October 2014 at Sydney Football Stadium against the Western Sydney Wanderers in the Sydney Derby.[90] The highest home attendance in any fixture is 80,295 recorded on 27 November 2007 for a friendly match against LA Galaxy at Stadium Australia.

AFC Club Ranking

As of April 1, 2017 [91]
Current Rank Country Team Points
52KuwaitKuwait SC Decrease 25.056
53South KoreaJeju United Increase 25.000
54Australia Sydney FC Increase 24.923
55BahrainHidd SCC Increase 24.440
56QatarAl-Rayyan Increase 23.930

Honours

Domestic

Premiers (2): 2009–10, 2016–17
Runners-Up (2): 2005–06, 2014–15
Championships (3) – Shared Record: 2006, 2010, 2017
Runners-Up (1): 2015
Runners-Up (1): 2016
Club Champions NPL2 Men's | 2016
Premiers NPL2 Men's 1st Grade | 2016
Premiers NPL2 Men's Under 20 | 2016

Continental

Champions (1): 2005
Round of 16 (1): 2016
Group Stage (2): 2007, 2011

International

Fifth-place (1): 2005

See also

References

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  2. ↑ "Sydney Football Club Pty Ltd ACN 110 877 668". Australian Securities and Investments Commission. Retrieved 5 August 2014.
  3. ↑ "A-League owners to be offered far longer licences by Football Federation Australia". www.adelaidenow.com.au. 28 October 2013. Retrieved 2 April 2014.
  4. ↑ "Australian Stadiums: Aussie Stadium". Austadiums. Retrieved 22 December 2006.
  5. ↑ "Sydney FC emerging as new league's glamour club". The Sydney Morning Herald. 27 October 2004. Retrieved 22 December 2006.
  6. ↑ "Soccer NSW announces bid for new national league". Soccer NSW. 7 April 2004. Retrieved 23 December 2006.
  7. ↑ "Kewell major player behind Sydney team: report". The Sydney Morning Herald. 9 September 2004. Retrieved 23 December 2006.
  8. ↑ Smith, Peter (21 July 2004). "ASA delighted with number of bids for new league". Football Federation Australia. Retrieved 23 December 2006.
  9. ↑ "ASA picks Soccer NSW". The World Game. 10 September 2004. Retrieved 23 December 2006.
  10. ↑ Hall, Matthew (10 October 2004). "Harry now a Central figure". The Sun Herald. Retrieved 23 December 2006.
  11. ↑ "Birth of Sydney FC is a magical moment". Football Federation Australia. 1 November 2004. Retrieved 23 December 2006.
  12. ↑ "NSW 'cut ties' with new club over Lowy". The Sydney Morning Herald. 12 December 2004. Retrieved 1 January 2013.
  13. ↑ "Sydney FC squad list". Sydney FC. 23 February 2005. Retrieved 23 December 2006.
  14. ↑ "Sydney FC starts with emphatic 6–1 win over Manly". Sydney FC. 6 April 2005. Retrieved 23 December 2006.
  15. ↑ "Petrovski and Carney score twice in Sydney's 7–1 win". Sydney FC. 12 April 2005. Retrieved 23 December 2006.
  16. ↑ "Talay's lone goal gives Sydney 1–0 win in Dubai". Sydney FC. 20 April 2005. Retrieved 23 December 2006.
  17. ↑ "Zdrilic goal gives Sydney 1–0 win over Al Jazira". Sydney FC. 20 April 2005. Retrieved 23 December 2006.
  18. ↑ "Yorke completes trifecta for Sydney FC". The Sydney Morning Herald. 18 April 2005. Retrieved 23 December 2006.
  19. ↑ "Steve Corica wonder goal gives Sydney a 3–2 win". Sydney FC. 2 June 2005. Retrieved 23 December 2006.
  20. ↑ "Ward comes off bench to seal Perth win". Football Federation Australia. 14 August 2005. Retrieved 23 December 2006.
  21. ↑ "Littbarski quits, blasting club 'lies'". The Age. Melbourne. 4 May 2006.
  22. ↑ "Yorke confirms Sunderland move". The Sydney Morning Herald. 31 August 2006. Retrieved 16 July 2015.
  23. ↑ "Butcher signs two-year deal with Sydney". 17 May 2006. Retrieved 16 July 2015.
  24. ↑ "FC Won't Appeal Salary Cap Sentence". ABC News. 4 January 2007.
  25. ↑ "Butcher gets chop from Sydney FC". 7 February 2007. Retrieved 16 July 2015.
  26. ↑ "Culina is sacked, Kosmina is back". 23 October 2007. Retrieved 16 July 2015.
  27. 1 2 "Players on notice as Sydney sign star trio". 3 March 2008. Retrieved 16 July 2015.
  28. ↑ "Musialik signs with Sydney FC". 12 March 2008. Retrieved 16 July 2015.
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  40. ↑ "A-League club Sydney FC name Ian Crook as new head coach after missing out on Tony Popovic". Fox Sports. 14 May 2012. Retrieved 18 July 2015.
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  43. ↑ "Ciao 4m Del Piero signs for two years". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 6 September 2012.
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  52. ↑ Hassett, Sebastian (8 February 2014). "Sydney FC sink to new low as fans turn up heat on Frank Farina". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 22 July 2015.
  53. ↑ "Sydney FC’s darkest night". The Roar. 9 February 2014. Retrieved 22 July 2015.
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  57. ↑ "Graham Arnold signs with Sydney FC", ABC News, 9 May 2014, retrieved 15 September 2015
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  59. ↑ Cockerill, Michael (6 April 2014). "Sydney FC veteran Terry McFlynn to announce retirement". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 15 September 2015.
  60. ↑ Dejan Kalinic (28 April 2014). "Alessandro Del Piero leaves Sydney FC". goal.com. Retrieved 15 September 2015.
  61. ↑ Hassett, Sebastian (12 May 2014). "Graham Arnold makes Bernie Ibini his first Sydney FC signing". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 15 September 2015.
  62. ↑ "Sky Blues sign Brosque as Aussie marquee". Sydney FC. 27 June 2014. Retrieved 15 September 2015.
  63. ↑ "Sydney FC sign Austrian star as marquee". A-League. 31 July 2014. Retrieved 15 September 2014.
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  65. ↑ "Sky Blues Unbeaten Streak Comes To An End". Sydney FC. 4 December 2014. Retrieved 15 September 2015.
  66. ↑ "Sydney FC Play Out 3–3 Thriller". Sydney FC. 13 December 2015. Retrieved 15 September 2015.
  67. ↑ David Weiner (7 January 2015). "A-League 2015: As the Asian Cup break looms, we review each club’s season so far". Fox Sports. Retrieved 15 September 2015.
  68. ↑ Hassett, Sebastian (11 January 2015). "New signing Jacques Faty joins his cousin Mickael Tavares at Sydney FC". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 15 September 2015.
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  72. ↑ "Alex Wilkinson signs with Sydney FC". ESPN.com.au. Retrieved 27 April 2017.
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  74. ↑ Bossi, Dominic (12 July 2016). "Sydney FC signs Socceroo Joshua Brillante from Serie A club Fiorentina". Retrieved 27 April 2017 – via The Sydney Morning Herald.
  75. ↑ "sydney sign bobo - Google Search". Google.co.uk. Retrieved 27 April 2017.
  76. ↑ http://www.smh.com.au/sport/soccer/melbourne-city/ffa-cup-final-as-it-happened-20161130-gt13a2.html
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  79. ↑ http://www.sydneyfc.com/article/ninkovic-clean-sweeps-awards/1d7ncdxzbmllz1nnoecbc7dknl
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  82. ↑ "Sydney FC And Children’s Medical Research Institute (CMRI) Form Community Partnership". CMRI. Retrieved 24 February 2012.
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  86. ↑ "Barnesy and The Cove record Sydney FC club song". Sydney FC. 7 July 2006.
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  91. ↑ "AFC Club Ranking (2017) – as at 1 April 2017" (PDF). globalfootballranks.com. Retrieved 2017-04-20.
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