Falcons 2000 SC
Falcons 2000 Soccer Club is an Australian semi-professional soccer club based in the Victorian town of Morwell in the Latrobe Valley area of Gippsland. The club currently participates in the Latrobe Valley Soccer League.
As Morwell Falcons, the club achieved lasting national fame by achieving the rare feat of promotion to Tier 1 status in the Australian National Soccer League from what is described now as the Tier 10 Latrobe Valley Soccer League, via promotions in the Australian Association Football pyramid between 1973 and 1992, when promotion to the highest tier was available.
The club has won two Victorian State League titles, the 1994 Dockerty Cup, seven Latrobe Valley Soccer League titles and seven Battle of Britain Cup titles.
Origins
Originally founded in 1961 by the local Latrobe Valley Italian-Australian Community as IASCOG, a sponsorship deal in 1962 saw them renamed as the Morwell Falcons.The deal to rename the club was done as part of a promotion for the new Ford Falcon, of which Ford Australia had just launched its first ever model, the XK.
The club participated in the Latrobe Valley Soccer League between 1961 and 1973. Then the Victorian State League Football System at all levels between 1974 and 1992. Morwell Falcons were admitted to the National Soccer League in 1992-93 where it competed until folding after relegation in 2000–01. It was re-established as Falcons 2000 SC Inc in 2001. Since its inception the club has played under multiple names. Including Morwell Falcons, then Gippsland Falcons SC, before folding under the name Eastern Pride in 2001. The club bears its present name Falcons 2000 after its financial re-establishment
The Falcons were one of the most successful clubs in the Gippsland region of Victoria, Australia. Gippsland is all of South-East Victoria, and includes most of around 100 islands in the region and Bass Strait. Morwell Falcons were Champions of the Victorian State League on two occasions, winning the State League Championship and League Finals Cup double in 1984 and 1989, and the Statewide Dockerty Cup in 1994.
Morwell Falcons were the only club based in regional Victoria to have participated at National Soccer League level before the NSL disbanded in 2003–04. The NSL was replaced with the A-League Men in 2005–06, making the new Tier 1 exclusively for licensed teams only, with no promotion and relegation.
Morwell Falcons major difficulty was the location of Latrobe City Stadium at Crinigan Road, Morwell. The stadium itself was too far distant from Morwell Train Station for any serious attendance by public transport users who would have walked to the stadium from the train station. The club attracted competitive and sustainable attendances relatively speaking compared to other clubs, and had a large local following when in the National Soccer League via people watching the Australian National television coverage, including highlights and live games, on SBS. The club was also featured in the sports sections of the local newspapers. That included the Latrobe Valley Express, delivered free to every household in the Latrobe City Council area.
Current senior squad
From the Bottom Tier of the Victorian State League to the National Soccer League
Morwell entered the Victorian State League System in Tier 7 in 1974, after winning the Latrobe Valley Soccer League Championship for the second time in 3 years.Victorian Provisional League
The Falcons were an instant success in the 7th Tier Victorian Provisional League, winning two consecutive Championships in 1974 and 1975, making it 4 championships in 5 seasons. The team was finally promoted to the Tier 6 Victorian Metropolitan Soccer League Division 4 after a runner-up finish in its third season in the Victorian Provisional League in 1976.Victorian Metropolitan Leagues
Morwell Falcons were promoted in the Victorian State League part of the "Pyramid" 5 times in 6 years between 1976 and 1981. The Falcons first 4 seasons in the Victorian Metropolitan Football League system produced a worst season finish of 3rd. The Falcons progressed from the Tier 6 Victorian Metropolitan Football League Division 4, to the Tier 3 Victorian Metropolitan Football League Division 1, via 3 Runners-Up promotions in 4 seasons.1981 was the Falcons only season competing in the Victorian Metropolitan Football League Division 1. The team finished 9th, but was promoted to the Tier 2 Victorian State League regardless, due to a restructuring of the league system.
Between 1971 and 1980 the Morwell Falcons finished no lower than 3rd in 10 consecutive seasons in 5 divisions. Results included 9 seasons in the top 2, 4 Championships, and 5 Runners-Up finishes. It included 3 Championships in a row in 1973-74-75. The team achieved promotion to the next Tier 5 times in 8 season during this period.
Victorian State League 1982 to 1992
The team fared well in its first season at Tier 2 State League level, finishing a very creditable 4th in the League Championship in 1982. The Falcons went on to finish Runner-Up in the State League Finals Cup in its first season in Tier 2, losing to Green Gully in the Final.In its 3rd season in 1984 the Falcons won the League Championship and League Cup Double, the teams first State League Championship. It was the first time a Latrobe Valley-Gippsland based team had won the State League Championship since Yallourn in 1951.
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The Falcons were offered the opportunity to apply to join the Tier 1 National Soccer League, but declined the offer. If Morwell Falcons had entered the NSL for the 1984–85 season, it would have been from "Non-League" Latrobe Valley Soccer League to Tier 1 National Soccer League via 7 promotions in 12 seasons.
In 1985 the Falcons achieved a Runners-Up finish in both the League Championship and State League Cup, following on from the double the previous season. The Falcons qualified for a 3rd State League Cup Final in 4 years in 1985. Morwell repeated the successes of 1984 in 1989, again winning the Championship and League Cup double.
In 1991 the Falcons finished the newly renamed Victorian Premier League Season in 3rd. When APIA Leichhardt were relegated back to New South Wales State League at the end of the 1991-92 NSL Season due to financial difficulties, the Falcons were offered promotion to the Tier 1 National Soccer League, and accepted. Morwell Falcons finished 8th in the clubs last season in the Tier 2 Victorian State League Winter season in 1992, and moved directly into the 1992-93 NSL Summer Season.
The promotion to the Tier 1 National Soccer League completed a 20-year rise from the Latrobe Valley Soccer League through Tiers 7 to 2 of the Victorian State League, and final promotion to Tier 1, the NSL. Morwell Falcons were in the Tier 2 Victorian State League top division for 11 seasons.
In 2011, to celebrate the club's 50th anniversary, the club announced the "Team of the State League Era" - a selection of 18 players determined to be the finest to have worn the Falcons' shirt during their 11 seasons in the Victorian state league, with 1984 league winning coach Jimmy Dunne and 1989 league winning coach Bobby McLaughlin named as joint head coaches.
National Soccer League
Morwell Falcons were admitted to the then National Soccer League for the 1992–93 season, the 4th NSL season with a Summer schedule. It meant that the Falcons had to complete the 26-game 1992 Victorian State League season, then move into the 26-game Summer NSL Season in the same year, after a break of just over six weeks. Morwell Falcons last game in the Victorian Premier League was in Round 26 on Sunday August 23, 1992. The Falcons drew 1–1 with Brunswick Juventus in Morwell.The Falcons had previously been offered entry into the National Soccer League during the 1980s, but initially declined. They also had the opportunity to win promotion to the NSL via the 1989 playoffs, however, they lost 5–2 over two legs to West Adelaide.
However, their opportunity in Australia's top flight would come in 1992, when Preston Makedonia pulled out of the competition, at which league officials again offered Morwell the chance to join - an offer that was accepted, despite the short time to prepare for the season.
National Soccer League Inaugural Game: Round 1 1992-93 Season
NSL Round 1The tired looking Falcons finishing 12th in the inaugural season in Tier 1.
What followed was a disappointing listed finish of 7th in 1993–94. Morwell missed out on Final 6 qualification via a series of bizarre refereeing decisions, which resulted in the Falcons finishing 7th and missing the playoffs. The new Di Fabrizio stand on the outer side of Falcons Park was opened before the Round 18 home game against South Melbourne. The game drew a record crowd of well over 4 times the number of seats available at the venue of 8,256. Morwell's season finished with 3 wins in a row, including a 3–2 away win against Marconi Fairfield in Sydney who qualified for the playoffs in 4th, and a 4–3 away win over 1st placed Melbourne Knights at Somers St Stadium, Melbourne. Morwell had the 7th highest average home attendance in the league.
Morwell went on to win the statewide Dockerty Cup in 1994 with a win over Melbourne Zebras in the final 2–1. Morwell Falcons became the first Gippsland based team to win the Dockerty Cup since Wonthaggi Magpies in 1931. The Dockerty Cup was open to all teams based in the state of Victoria. As an NSL team the Falcons entered the competition in the Quarter Final stage and had wins over Frankston Pines, South Melbourne, and Melbourne Zebras to win the tournament.
1994 Dockerty Cup
Quarter FinalSemi Final
Final
Morwell Falcons side in the 1994 Dockerty Cup Final:
Jason Dastey, Garry Upton, Claudio Canosa, Steve Douglas, Shaun Parton, Marcus Stergiopoulos, Sonny Sevin, John Waddell, Brian Bothwell, Carlo Villani, Lachlan Armstrong.
Coach: Bobby McLachlan