Melbourne Knights FC


Melbourne Knights Football Club is an Australian professional soccer club based in the suburb of Sunshine North, Melbourne. The club currently competes in the Victorian Premier League 1, the second-tier of the Victorian soccer league system. It is one of the most successful soccer clubs in Australia, being a two-time championship and four-time premiership winner in the now defunct National Soccer League.
The club is based in the western suburbs of Melbourne and draws much of its support from the Croatian Australian community. The club's identification with its Croatian roots remains strong. It is a regular participant in the Australian-Croatian Soccer Tournament.
The Melbourne Knights play matches at Knights Stadium, a 15,000 capacity venue which the club has owned and operated since 1989. As well as fielding men's and women's sides, the Knight's field junior teams of all year levels.

History

Melbourne Knights FC was founded as Croatia in 1953 by a small group of Croatian immigrants in Melbourne's western suburbs. The club played its first match on 10 April 1953. The Knights became a member of the Victorian Soccer Federation in 1954, which saw the club join and compete in a league competition for the first time that same year in the newly created Victorian Provisional League. The club quickly moved up the state divisions and, by the mid-1960s, had become one of the strongest clubs in Victoria, winning the State League title in 1968, 1978 and 1979.
In 1984, after a number of years of lobbying, the Knights finally joined Australia's elite soccer competition, the National Soccer League. By the 1990s, the club had become the premier soccer club in Australia as it made the NSL Grand Final in 5 out of 6 seasons, winning it twice, in 1994–95 and 1995–96. Following the disbanding of the NSL in 2004, the Knights dropped to the Victorian Premier League, making the Grand Final in 2008. The Knights won the Dockerty Cup in 2014, the club's first piece of major silverware in 18 years.

Supporters

The Melbourne Knights have a large following among Australia's Croatian community, particularly from Melbourne's western suburbs. This supporter base is made up of both Croatian and Australian-born Croats.
The unofficial supporter group of the Melbourne Knights is the MCF. In the NSL years, the supporter group was the Knights Army, they were one of the leading supporter groups in the competition. They disbanded once the Melbourne Knights left the NSL.

Home ground

The club's current home ground is the Knights Stadium in the suburb of North Sunshine, which has been the club's home since 1989. It has a capacity of 15,000. More information on the Knights Stadium page.
Prior to 1989, the club had a number of venues it used as its home ground. The most significant ones were:
  • Royal Park, Royal Park, Melbourne: 1954: 1957
  • Separation St Geelong: 1958
  • Corio Oval, Geelong: 1959: 1961
  • Tracey's Speedway, Maribyrnong: 1962: 1967
  • Montgomery Park, Essendon: 1975 -1976
  • Olympic Park: permanent home from 1968 to 1972 and 1977–1988

    Senior Men's squad

Youth and Junior development

The Melbourne Knights is a club famous for its youth and junior development, it has one of the best set ups in Australia. Many great players have gone through the youth set up at the Knights, the most notable being Socceroo captain Mark Viduka. A highlight of this strong set-up came in the NSL years where the Melbourne Knights were a dominant force in the National Youth League, being champions 3 times. The club was also runner-up on two other occasions. The Knights have continued this winning tradition at the youth level in the VPL, with the club winning the double as it took out the Under 18 and Under 20 Victorian championships in 2007
Currently the club is home to over 250 players ranging in sides from the Under 8 to Under 18 level in the Victorian Milo leagues, as well as an Under 20 youth team which serves as the reserves side and plays in the Victorian Premier League Reserves competition.
The club has played a particularly important role with the youth of the Croatian community in both Melbourne and Geelong, giving them a pathway in the sport. The result of this can be seen in the many great soccer players of Croatian heritage that have played for the Knights at the senior level over the past six decades.
The success of the club's youth development can be seen in the number of Knights players that have gone onto play in some of the best soccer leagues around the world and play international soccer; 38 Knights players have played for Australia at senior level and 3 for Croatia. As well as countless others who played for Australia at Under 17, Under 20 and Under 23 levels. An example of the impact the club has had at this level was the 1996 Atlanta Olympic side which contained a staggering 5 Knights players; Mark Viduka, Danny Tiatto, Joe Spiteri, Frank Jurić and Steve Horvat. You also had Vinko Buljibašić and Joe Bačak who were part of the qualifying campaign, while Adrian Červinski, Damien Vojtek and Ante Jurić were part of pre-qualifying friendlies.
The Knights are well known for giving young emerging talent opportunities in their senior squad. Players like; Marak Talajic debut at 16, Eddie Krncevic at 15, Josip Šimunić at 17, Steve Horvat at 17, Mark Viduka at 18, Mark Silić at 18, Billy Vojtek at 18 and more recently with Mate Dugandžić at 16. As such players that have gone through the club's junior ranks have always made up a large part the Knights squad, such as in the 1990s when the club dominated the NSL.

Rivalries

Footscray JUST

The Melbourne Knights have had many rivalries over the years. The biggest and most heated rivalry was with Footscray JUST. JUST was a Yugoslav backed club so the hate between the clubs ran deep. JUST had links to the Yugoslav communist regime, a regime that many of the Knights supporter had escaped persecution from. These were as much political battles as they were soccer matches. This rivalry began in 1960 when the clubs first met in the Victorian State League. The club's first win against JUST came in 1965 with a 2–1 victory in the Dockerty Cup semi-final. Their first victory against JUST in the Victorian State League also came in 1965 with a 2–1 win away at Olympic Park in Round 16. After the 1972 expulsion the club would not take on JUST for over a decade. The club's last victory against JUST in the Victorian State League came in round 17 of 1972, with a 2–0 win at Olympic Park in front of 4,500 fans. Billy Vojtek scored a double.
The rivalry was resumed in 1984 with the Melbourne Knights entering the NSL. In round 25 of 1984 Melbourne Knights defeated JUST 3–1, the first victory against JUST since 1972. 1989 saw what was the greatest victory the Melbourne Knights had against JUST. The two sides that finished at the bottom of the league ladder would be relegated. JUST went into the final round third last only a point ahead of the bottom two, JUST could not afford a loss. The highly anticipated match at Middle Park was played in front of 5,000 mostly Melbourne Knights fans. The Melbourne Knights in a dominant display defeated JUST 2–0, with goals coming from Joe Caleta and Zeljko Adzić. The result saw JUST drop down into the bottom two, relegating the club to the Victorian State League. It was the very last time the two sides ever met on the field and soon after JUST would fold.
Head-to-head All-Time
  • Games: 35
  • Knights wins: 13
  • JUST wins: 12
  • Draws: 10

    South Melbourne

Since the relegation of Footscray JUST from the NSL, the fiercest rivalry for the Melbourne Knights has been against South Melbourne. It has also been the longest running rivalry for both clubs, with the Knights having played South Melbourne more times than any other club. The first time the two sides met was in 1960 in the Victorian Division 1 North. The first victory the club had over South Melbourne came in 1962 in the group stage of the pre-season Ampol Cup with the Knights winning 1–0. While the first time the Knights defeated South Melbourne in the Victorian State League was in 1965, a 3–2 win at Olympic Park.
In the NSL the two sides would have an intense rivalry, which was heightened by the success both sides had in the league. This was clearly seen in the incredible 10 occasions the two clubs met each other in the NSL finals. The first win against South in the NSL came in round 9 of 1985, 2–0. The club would go on to play many epic matches, the two most famous coming in the 90s.
The first came in the 1990–91 Grand Final, which South Melbourne won on penalties. The other being the 1994–95 Major Semi-Final where the Knights won 3–2, with Mark Viduka scoring a spectacular hat-trick. That win booked a spot in the Grand Final for the club. The match is regarded as one of the greatest matches in the history of Australian club soccer. For the most part these matches have been tightly fought contests, but the biggest win the Knights had against South came in 2000–01 season when Knights defeated South 4–0. This rivalry which has gone on for over 50 years continues today in the Victorian Premier League. In 2005 the Melbourne Knights defeated South Melbourne for the first time ever at South's home ground of Bob Jane Stadium, something the Melbourne Knights were never able to achieve in the NSL. The rivalry continued in the modern era with South Melbourne defeating the Knights in an elimination semi-final in front of 5,000 fans. The Knights would get their revenge a year later by knocking South out of the FFA cup with a 2–0 victory at Lakeside Stadium.
Head-to-Head total NSL games
  • Games: 54
  • South wins:25
  • Knights wins: 13
  • Draws: 16
  • South goals: 88
  • Knights goals: 58
NSL Finals games only
  • Games: 10
  • Knights wins: 5
  • South wins: 4
  • Draws: 1
Head-to-Head State League/VPL
  • Games: 54
  • Knights wins: 15
  • South wins: 28
  • Draws: 11
Head-to-Head All-Time
  • Games: 108
  • Knights wins: 28
  • South wins: 53
  • Draws: 27