Avondale FC

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Avondale
Avondale FC.png
Full name Avondale Football Club
Nickname(s) Avengers, AFC
Founded 1984
Ground Knights Stadium
Chairman Anthony Nuzzaco[1]
Manager Anthony Barbieri
League NPL Victoria
2015 9th
Website Club home page

Avondale FC is an Australian semi-professional association football club based in Avondale Heights, a suburb of Melbourne, Victoria. Their home ground for the 2016 season is Knights Stadium, with works being done to their traditional home base of Avondale Heights Reserve.

The club currently competes in the National Premier Leagues Victoria, having reached the top tier of Victorian football for the first time in their history in 2015.

History

Early years

Avondale FC was founded in 1984 as Keilor ICKA and later known as Keilor United.

Keilor United competed in the Victorian Amateur League Division 3 in 1986, but achieved two consecutive promotions in '86 and '87 to rise to the Amateur League Division 1 by '88.[2] Keilor competed in the Provisional Leagues for the first time in 1991, with the federation placing the club into Victorian Provisional League Division 4 that year, the ninth tier of football in Victoria. The club was promoted the following year, a third-place finish enough to see the club rise to Provisional League Division 3. Keilor was to spend the next eight years at that level.

The club was renamed to Avondale Heights SC in 2000. That year proved to be a memorable one for the Melbourne club, finally achieving promotion to Provisional League Division 2 Nth-West, by taking out the Division 3 Nth-West title, losing just one game all season.[3] The next year was even better, with the club taking out the Div 2 Nth-West title in their first season at that level, finishing five points clear at the top of the table ahead of Mill Park.[4]

Avondale Heights' next promotion was to come in 2006, when the club finished second in the Provisional League Division 1 Nth-West.[5] This promotion meant that the club would compete in the Victorian State Leagues for the first time, entering State League Division 3 Nth-West for the 2007 season. Devastatingly, the club were relegated on the final game of the 2007 season, finishing just one point of survival.[6] The club endured another relegation the following season, falling to the sixth tier of Victorian football for the 2008 season.[6]

League ascension

A famous climb through the league divisions began in 2009. Avondale managed a second-place finish in the Provisional League Division 2 North-West, enough for promotion.[7] Avondale was promoted once more the following season, the club again finishing second, this time in the Provisional League Division 1 North-West.[8] The club finished mid-table the following season.

In 2012, Avondale Heights appointed Anthony Barbieri as head manager of the senior side.[9] They were promoted from State League 3 North-West to State League 2 North-West after topping their league table and taking out the Championship, pipping Sydenham Park SC by just one point.[10]

In 2013, the club were promoted from State League 2 in their first season in the competition, then from the third division of football in Victoria, after winning a playoff against North Geelong Warriors 1–0[11][12]

National Premier Leagues Victoria

In 2014, Avondale entered the second tier of football in Victoria, the National Premier Leagues Victoria 2, for the first time ever. Heights signed players like Oleksiy Khrapko from Altona Magic and Jason Principato from Pascoe Vale FC to add some firepower up front heading into the season. Avondale went on to win the league and earn promotion into the NPL Victoria top division.[13] The club has achieved 5 promotions in the last 6 season to reach the top flight,a feat that is unrivalled in Victorian Football.[14]

In 2015, Avondale Heights Soccer Club changed its name to Avondale Football Club, Avondale FC or AFC for short.

The club grabbed headlines around Victoria when in May 2015 they confirmed the signings of former A-League players Francesco Stella and Massimo Murdocca.[15] In their first season in the top flight of Victorian football, the Club managed to avoid relegation, finishing mid-table.[16]

The North-Western suburb side confirmed that both Stella and Murdocca had signed on for the 2016 season in November 2015,[17] and also announced that the club had signed former A-League duo Spase Dilevski and Jonatan Germano.[18] In January 2016, in spite of previously signing a new contract with Avondale, Stella departed the club for A-League side Central Coast Mariners, signing a deal until the end of the 2015–16 A-League season.[19] Two weeks out from the start of the season, Avondale confirmed the signings of A-League capped youngster Nick Symeoy and Abraham Yango.[20] Avondale then bolstered their defensive stocks by signing the 2015 NPL Victoria goalkeeper of the year Chris May, who joined after departing Melbourne Knights towards the end of 2015.[21]

Avondale FC adopted the moniker The Avengers in early 2016 when it revamped its club identity and announced it would be playing home matches for the 2016 season out of Knights Stadium (Melbourne), while upgrades were made to their traditional home base Avondale Heights Reserve in Doyle Street.[22]

The Avengers made another significant acquisition in the 2016 mid-season transfer window, signing midfielder James Brown, who was released by Melbourne City FC upon the conclusion of the 2015–16 A-League season.[23]

Current squad

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

No. Position Player
Australia GK Jacob Jarrett
England GK Chris May
Australia DF Julien Cannizzaro
Italy DF Michele-Emanuele Crazia
Australia DF Jamie Cumming
Australia DF Spase Dilevski
Australia DF Baki Efe
Australia DF Phillip Riccobene
Australia DF Anthony Strano
Australia DF Nick Symeoy
Australia MF Jem Berkant
Australia MF James Brown
No. Position Player
Australia MF Jeff Fleming
Argentina MF Jonatan Germano
Australia MF Massimo Murdocca
Australia FW Oleksiy Khrapko
Australia FW Vojislav Milojević
Australia FW Mathew Sanders
Australia FW Yitay Towns
Australia FW Abraham Yango
Australia Anthony Fallone
Australia Malik Furlong
Australia Adam Hodor

References

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  23. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.

External links


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