APIA Leichhardt FC

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APIA Leichhardt
APAI FC logo.png
Full nameAPIA Leichhardt Football Club
Nickname(s)The Tigers, Marronazzuri
Founded1954 (as APIA Leichhardt)
GroundLambert Park,
Leichhardt, New South Wales
Capacity5,000
President
CoachPaul Dee
LeagueNPL NSW
202012th of 13
(note 2021 season cancelled)
WebsiteClub website
Away colours
Logo used 1992–2019

APIA Leichhardt Football Club, also known simply as APIA (Associazione Poli-sportiva Italo Australiana), is a semi-professional soccer club based in the suburb of Leichhardt in Sydney, Australia. The club was formed in 1954 as APIA Leichhardt, by Italian Australians. APIA, winner of the national Australian championship of 1987, is currently a member of the NPL NSW.

History[]

The club was founded as the Associazione Poli-sportiva Italo Australiana ("APIA") in 1954 by members of the Italian-Australian community in Sydney's Inner West. After several years in the Canterbury District competition, the club joined the NSW Federation's state league.[1]

In the 1960s APIA became one of the foremost soccer clubs in Australia and won the Premiership of NSW of the years 1964, 1966, 1967 and 1975, which was the highest level of achievement in the absence of a national competition. Between 1966 and 1974 APIA also won three times the State Cup of NSW, then named after a sponsor Ampol Cup. The 1974 final was considered "one of the most incredible finals" of the history of the club when skipper Jimmy Rooney and centreforward Peter Ollerton, who scored five goals, won 9–1 against Auburn in front of a crowd of 5210 at Wentworth Park, the highest finals result ever.[2]

Rooney and Ollerton were also in the team that represented Australia a few months later in its first World Cup participation in Germany.

In 1979 APIA was given access to the National Soccer League, the top tier of Australian soccer since 1977. In 1987 APIA won the national championship, six points ahead of the Preston Makedonia Soccer Club from Melbourne, with then only two points awarded per win. The coach in that season was Rale Rasic. Charlie Yankos and Peter Katholos are probably the best known players from that side. The main cast of that year consisted of Tony Pezzano; Charlie Yankos, Arno Bertogna, Mark Brown, Jean-Paul de Marigny, Peter Tredinnick, Peter Katholos, Edward Lorens, Hilton Phillips, Gary Ward, Rod Brown and Tony Parison. In 1988 APIA won the National Soccer League Cup. By 1992 the APIA Leichhardt was overwhelmed by financial difficulties. The club was somewhat restructured and forthwith played on state level with the moniker "Tigers."[3][4][5]

In 2017, APIA won the National Premier Leagues NSW premiership, but lost the grand final to Manly United FC on penalties. APIA also made the grand final of the 2017 Waratah Cup, but lost 3–1 to Hakoah Sydney City East FC.

In 2018, APIA won the 2018 Waratah Cup.[6] On 21 August 2018, APIA defeated reigning A-League champions Melbourne Victory FC in the Round of 16 of the 2018 FFA Cup, becoming the seventh state-league side to beat a top-tier team in the knockout tournament.[7] The result was billed as one of the biggest upsets in the tournament's history.[8]

In 2019, APIA won the National Premier Leagues NSW Grand Final with a 2-1 victory over Sydney United. This was the first final ever played at Bankwest Staidum.

When the Football Federation Australia repealed its controversial National Club Identification Policy, which effectively banned clubs from having ethnic identities APIA dropped the "Tigers" moniker and reverted to its original badge.[9]

Venues[]

Lambert Park under floodlights with the old turf surface

Lambert Park in Leichhardt is the club's traditional home ground. It was opened in 1954 and has, over the years, been used for most of the club's home games. It is still APIA's main ground and hosts all of the club's NPL matches. APIA has also hosted home games at a number of other venues, including Wentworth Park, Leichhardt Oval and Henson Park.[10]

Current squad[]

Updated 1 October 2021.[11][12] Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player
1 GK Australia AUS Gene Marantos
2 DF Australia AUS William Mutch
3 DF Australia AUS Paul Galimi
4 DF Australia AUS Joshua Symons
4 DF Australia AUS Nicholas Azzone
8 MF Australia AUS Corey Bizco
9 FW Australia AUS Jason Romero
10 FW Australia AUS Franco Parisi
11 FW Sierra Leone SLE Hassan Jalloh
12 FW Australia AUS Alex Zinnato
13 DF Australia AUS David D'Apuzzo
No. Pos. Nation Player
15 DF Australia AUS Themba Marlow
16 MF Australia AUS Sean Symons
18 MF Australia AUS Adrian Ucchino
20 MF Australia AUS Tynan Diaz
21 DF Australia AUS Michael Kouta
22 GK Australia AUS Luke Turnbull
23 DF Australia AUS Walter Scott
25 MF Australia AUS Antonio Rizzo
— FW Australia AUS Corey Gameiro
— DF Australia AUS Gian Fiorese
— GK Australia AUS Ivan Necevski

Seasons[]

Season League Waratah
Cup 		Other[a] Top scorer
Div Pld W D L GF GA Pts Pos Finals Competition Result Player(s) Goals
1961 NSW Div. 1 22 10 4 8 55 43 24 6th – –
1962 NSW Div. 1 22 13 3 6 65 38 29 3rd SF W Australia Cup QF
1963 NSW Div. 1 22 14 3 5 70 37 31 2nd RU Australia Cup QF
1964 NSW Div. 1 22 14 3 5 59 35 31 1st W Australia Cup RU
1965 NSW Div. 1 18 11 0 7 51 28 22 3rd W Australia Cup RU
1966 NSW Div. 1 18 13 4 1 55 16 30 1st RU W Australia Cup W
1967 NSW Div. 1 22 17 3 2 65 19 37 1st RU Australia Cup RU
1968 NSW Div. 1 22 11 4 7 42 25 29 3rd GS Australia Cup Unk.
1969 NSW Div. 1 22 9 8 5 35 26 26 4th W Ampol Cup 3rd
1970 NSW Div. 1 22 9 1 12 36 35 19 7th – Ampol Cup W
1971 NSW Div. 1 22 6 5 11 25 40 17 8th – Ampol Cup 4th
1972 NSW Div. 1 22 11 8 3 33 18 30 3rd SF Ampol Cup Unk.
1973 NSW Div. 1 22 10 6 6 38 34 26 5th –
1974 NSW Div. 1 22 12 4 6 44 25 28 2nd PF
1975 NSW Div. 1 22 13 5 4 39 19 31 1st RU W
1976 NSW Div. 1 22 15 5 2 49 17 35 2nd W
1977 NSW Div. 1 22 15 6 1 46 15 36 2nd PF
1978 NSW Div. 1 26 13 3 10 36 4 29 6th –
1979 National Soccer League 26 11 3 12 29 37 25 8th N/A
1980 National Soccer League 26 8 7 11 27 35 23 8th N/A
1981 National Soccer League 30 12 11 7 39 33 35 4th N/A
1982 National Soccer League 30 12 7 11 49 54 31 7th N/A
1983 National Soccer League 30 11 6 13 42 36 39 8th N/A
1984 NSL (Northern Conference) 28 12 8 8 43 35 32 4th[b] PF
1985 NSL (Northern Conference) 22 7 2 13 20 34 16 9th[b] –
1986 NSL (Northern Conference) 22 9 6 7 25 23 24 7th[b] –
1987 National Soccer League 24 13 9 2 39 21 35 1st N/A
1988 National Soccer League 26 8 7 11 28 35 23 11th –
1989 National Soccer League 26 7 9 10 27 35 23 10th –
1989–90 National Soccer League 26 11 9 6 36 25 31 6th –
1990–91 National Soccer League 26 7 7 12 27 28 21 11th –
1991–92 National Soccer League 26 7 11 8 26 28 25 8th –
1993 NSW Super League 26 10 6+2P 8 39 23 44 6th –
1994 NSW Super League 22 7 3+7P 5 20 19 34 8th –
1995 NSW Super League 26 10 4+5P 7 29 23 43 4th –
1996 NSW SL (Stage 1) 13 7 3 3 20 14 24 3rd –
NSW SL (Stage 2) 13 4 5 4 19 22 17 8th
1997 NSW Super League 20 12 3 5 27 17 39 2nd PF
1998 NSW Super League 21 8 6 7 32 32 30 8th –
1999 NSW Super League 22 11 2 9 43 37 35 7th –
2000 NSW Super League 26 14 6 6 53 39 48 3rd PF
2000–01 NSW Premier League 18 8 2 8 41 36 26 5th –
2001–02 NSW Premier League 22 12 5 5 40 29 41 4th EF
2002–03 NSW Premier League 22 11 7 4 44 25 40 2nd W Not held
2003–04 NSW Premier League 22 7 3 12 24 36 24 9th – SF
2004–05 NSW Premier League 22 9 4 9 25 29 31 6th – SF
2006 NSW Premier League 18 3 4 11 16 38 13 10th – RU
2007 NSW Premier League 18 8 4 6 26 23 28 5th – 4R
2008 NSW Premier League 22 9 7 6 41 35 34 6th – QF
2009 NSW Premier League 22 5 7 10 30 38 22 11th – 4R
2010 NSW Premier League 22 13 3 7 39 37 39 3rd SF 4R Robbie Younis 14
2011 NSW Premier League 22 6 5 11 24 36 23 10th – QF Robbie Younis 5[13]
2012 NSW Premier League 22 9 4 9 32 31 31 6th – RU Andrew Bevin 7[14]
2013 NSW NPL1 22 2 8 12 29 48 14 11th – W
2014 NSW NPL1 22 4 8 10 31 51 20 11th – 4R Blake Powell 9[15]
2015 NSW NPL1 22 13 6 3 56 31 45 2nd PF 4R
2016 NSW NPL1 22 7 5 11 39 41 26 8th – 6R
2017 NSW NPL1 22 16 1 5 50 18 49 1st RU RU NPL Finals
 SF
2018 NSW NPL1 22 14 3 5 62 28 45 2nd RU W FFA Cup QF
2019 NSW NPL1 22 12 6 4 42 28 42 2nd W 6R
2020 NSW NPL1 11 2 1 8 12 27 7 season cancelled
2021 NSW NPL1 17 6 3 8 20 21 21 season cancelled

Source OzFootball

Key:

  = Premiers (premiership positions) or Champions (finals series)

  = Runners-up (premiership or finals series)

  • 1R, 2R, 3R...7R = 1st Round, 2nd Round, 3rd Round...7th Round
  • EF = Elimination Final
  • GS = Group Stage
  • P Draws went to penalty shoot-outs during the 1993–1995 seasons (2 points for win, 1 point for loss).
  • PF = Preliminary Final
  • PO = Playoff Final
  • QF = Quarter-final
  • R32 = Round of 32
  • R16 = Round of 16
  • RU = Runners-Up
  • SF = Semi-final
  • Unk = Result unknown
  • W = Winners

Honours[]

Regional[]

Premiers (5): 1964, 1966, 1967, 1975, 2017
Runners-Up (8): 1963, 1974, 1976, 1977, 1997, 2002–03, 2015, 2018
  • National Premier Leagues NSW Grand Finals
Championships (6): 1964, 1965, 1969, 1976, 2002–03, 2019
Runners-Up (6): 1963, 1966, 1967, 1975, 2017, 2018
Winners (5): 1962, 1966, 1975, 2013, 2018
Runners-Up (2): 2012, 2017

Johnnie Warren Cup Winners 2007

Domestic[]

Premiers (1): 1987 National Soccer League
Winners (1): 1966
Runners-Up (3): 1964, 1965, 1967
Winners (2): 1982, 1988

Notes[]

  1. ^ Includes NPL Finals, Ampol Cup, Australia Cup / NSL Cup / FFA Cup.
  2. ^ a b c During 1984 to 1986, the league was split into two conferences – APIA played in the Northern Conference and the position in the table reflects position in the conference.

References[]

  1. ^ "History". APIA Leichhardt Tigers FC. Archived from the original on 23 February 2015. Retrieved 23 February 2015.
  2. ^ Mossop, Brian (11 March 1974). "Soccer with everything... Apia win 9–1". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 23 February 2015 – via Google News Archive.
  3. ^ Cockerill, Michael (16 April 1992). "Liquidator takes over troubled Apia". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 23 February 2015.
  4. ^ Cockerill, Michael (25 September 1992). "Apia plan legal tilt for NSL re-entry". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 23 February 2015.
  5. ^ Cooke, Graham (18 December 1992). "Soccer World – Coaching clinic a must for youngsters". The Canberra Times. Retrieved 23 February 2015 – via Trove. FORMER NATIONAL League giant Apia Leichhardt will resumeits interrupted career, reincarnated as the Leichhardt Tigers in the NSW Superleague.
  6. ^ "APIA clinch Cup crown in NSW ahead of FFA Cup Round of 32". FFA Cup. Retrieved 22 August 2018.
  7. ^ "Sekiya stars as APIA Leichhardt stun Victory in FFA Cup | The World Game". The World Game. Retrieved 22 August 2018.
  8. ^ "We didn't show up: Victory rue shock FFA Cup exit". NewsComAu. Retrieved 22 August 2018.
  9. ^ Historic NPL club APIA goes back to its roots with major re-brand, SBS, 2019-12-12
  10. ^ "Tigers eye historic win". The Village Voice. 29 June 2012. Archived from the original on 30 December 2012. Retrieved 23 February 2015.
  11. ^ "Men's First Grade". Football NSW. Retrieved 25 February 2021.
  12. ^ "Statistics for APIA Leichhardt FC playing in 1st - NPL NSW Men's 2021". mygameday. Retrieved 2 October 2021.
  13. ^ "2011 NSWPL goalscorers". SoccerAust. Retrieved 22 October 2018.
  14. ^ "2012 NSWPL goalscorers". SoccerAust. Retrieved 22 October 2018.
  15. ^ "2014 NSW NPL1 Leading Scorers". SoccerAust. Retrieved 22 October 2018.

External links[]

Preceded by
Adelaide City
 NSL Champions
1987 		Succeeded by
Marconi Stallions
Retrieved from ""