Jump to content

Heidelberg United FC

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This is an old revision of this page, as edited by Blackmissionary (talk | contribs) at 23:24, 17 September 2006 (added a bit of recent history, and restructured the article accordingly). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

Heidelberg United
Heidelberg SC emblem
Full nameHeidelberg United
Soccer Club
Nickname(s)Bergers, Alexander
Founded1958
GroundOlympic Village
Melbourne, Australia
Capacity10,000 approx
ManagerCon Pappas
LeagueVPL
VPL 20063

Heidelberg United or "Megas Alexandros" named after Alexander the Great is an Australian football (soccer) club located in the northern inner suburbs of Melbourne, Australia, currently playing in the Victorian Premier League.

Foundation and pre-NSL era

The roots of the club were formed by Greek Macedonian immigrants as early as 1955, primarily by people from the village of Kato Kline and the neighbouring villages of Florina, Greece. As with many soccer clubs formed by new arrivals from Europe at the time, the club began as a social gathering with the players consisting of the sons and relatives of the founders and others, until eventually developing into a professional league team.

They initially struggled for success, variously occupying the bottom rungs of the Victorian State League, or trying to regain promotion, until the mid 1970's. From 1973 onwards, their performances improved significantly, with the pinnacle being capturing the 1975 state league title.

NSL era 1977-1995

In 1977 under the managament of lawyer Jim Mangopoulos, they became a founding member of the National Soccer League. In 1979 the side became known as Heidelberg United Alexander, changing their name from Fitzroy United Alexander. While the side performed well for most of that competition's first decade, they could never quite capture the title. From 1987 onwards, Heidelberg then struggled, being relegated in 1987 and 1989, and despite holding onto their place in the national league until the end of the 1994/1995 season, they generally fared poorly, with their 1993 Cup win against Parramatta Eagles the sole highlight. Since then they have only returned once to national competition under the name Collingwood Warriors in the joint venture with the AFL Club Collingwood.

Return to Victorian competition 1996-present

On their return to the Victorian leagues in 1996, Heidelberg had a succesful return, eventually losing in the Grand Final against Altona Magic in penalties after scores were locked at 3-3 after extra time. In 1998 they found themselves relegated, but won promotion back at their first attempt, rejoining the VPL in 2000, and winning the title in 2001. Their rollercoaster recent history however saw them relegated the next season, until they found themselves back in the VPL once more in 2005, and finishing runners up to Green Gully. A solid season in 2006 saw them reach the Preliminary Final, where they were knocked out by Altona Magic in extra time.

See also

Honours

  • Australian Cup Winners 1993, 1997 (under the name Collingwood Warriors)
  • Victorian Champions 1975 (under the name Fitzroy United), 1988, 1990, 2001
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Heidelberg_United_FC&oldid=76312870"