Australian-Croatian Soccer Tournament

The Australian-Croatian Soccer Tournament is a tournament run by the Croatian Soccer Federation of Australia and New Zealand, an organisation founded in 1974. The inspiration for the tournament came from the successful Croatian-North American Soccer Tournament founded in 1964. The Australian tournament kicked off in 1974 with an event staged in Melbourne, Australia where six soccer clubs participated at Melbourne Croatia's ground Montgomery Park in Essendon. The tournament was born. Although only six clubs participated, it was the beginning, a beginning spawned from Croatia Melbourne's expulsion from the Victorian Soccer Federation, with the clubs leadership including Tony Vrzina and Josip Solic together with Mirko Furjanic the now Honorary President of the Australian Croatian Soccer Tournament being the forerunners in getting the tournament up and going. The second tournament was staged in 1975, hosted by Sydney Croatia and taken out by Canberra FC who defeated Sydney Croatia 3-1 in the Final. Since then it has gone on to become the largest and oldest ethnic football tournament in Australia, having been hosted in every state and territory except for the Northern Territory. It also holds the honour of being the oldest national soccer competition still running in Australia. Melbourne Knights and Sydney United are the only two clubs to hold Life Membership to the Australian Croatian Soccer Federation due to their pioneering in the early days in getting the tournament going, as well as their success on the National footballing stage.

History of Tournaments

Year Winner Host
2016 Canberra FC
2016 St Albans Saints Adelaide Raiders
2015 Melbourne Knights Brisbane Knights
2014 North Geelong Warriors South Coast United
2013 Melbourne Knights Melbourne Knights
2012 Melbourne Knights Gold Coast Knights
2011 Melbourne Knights Kralj Tomislav Sydney
2010 Melbourne Knights Auckland Croatia
2009 Adelaide Raiders Adelaide Raiders
2008 St Albans Saints North Geelong Warriors
2007 Ljubuski FC Western Knights
2006 Sydney United Sydney United
2005 Canberra FC Melbourne Knights
2004 O'Connor Knights Canberra FC
2003 Auckland Croatia Luddenham Bosna
2002 Adelaide Raiders Adelaide Raiders
2001 Canberra FC Brisbane Knights
2000 St Albans Saints St Albans Saints
1999 Hajduk Sydney Hurstville Zagreb
1998 St Albans Saints North Geelong Warriors
1997 Adelaide Raiders Adelaide Raiders
1996 Sydney United Canberra FC
1995 Adelaide Raiders Gold Coast Knights
1994 Canberra FC South Coast United
1993 Melbourne Knights Melbourne Knights
1992 Canberra FC North Geelong Warriors
1991 St Albans Saints Adelaide Raiders
1990 St Albans Saints St Albans Saints
1989 Sydney United Brisbane Knights
1988 Sydney United Canberra FC
1987 Sydney United Sydney United
1986 Canberra FC Melbourne Knights
1985 St Albans Saints Adelaide Raiders
1984 Adelaide Raiders Irymple Knights
1983 St Albans Saints North Geelong Warriors
1982 Brisbane Knights Brisbane Knights
1981 Sydney United Kralj Tomislav Sydney
1980 Western Knights Glenorchy Knights
1979 Sydney United Western Knights
1978 Sydney United Canberra FC
1977 Whyalla Croatia Adelaide Raiders
1976 Sydney United Melbourne Knights
1975 Canberra FC Sydney United
1974 ^ Sydney United Melbourne Knights

^ 1974 Tournament was a trial event

Tournament Winners

See also

References

(1) Adelaide Advertiser "Raiders confident" 4 October 2002, page 103

Official website AusCroSoccer.com

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