Macarthur FC
Macarthur Football Club is an Australian professional soccer club based in South Western Sydney, New South Wales. It competes in Australia's premier soccer competition, the A-League, under licence from Australian Professional Leagues (APL). On 13 December 2018, it was announced that the club would be accepted into the A-League as part of the new expansion process.[2]
| Full name | Macarthur Football Club |
|---|---|
| Nickname(s) | The Bulls, The Bells, Cows |
| Founded | March 2017 as Macarthur South West United |
| Ground | Campbelltown Stadium |
| Capacity | 17,500 |
| Owner | Roy Mammone Gino Marra |
| Chairman | Gino Marra[1] |
| Manager | Mile Sterjovski |
| League | A-League Men |
| 2021–22 | 7th of 12 |
| Website | Club website |
| Current season | |
History
The club's origins are in the merging of two separate bids during the league's expansion process in 2018, United for Macarthur and South West Sydney FC.[3] The two entities joined forces on 20 August 2018 to create Macarthur South West United Football Club, which later that year was chosen by the FFA to join the league in the 2020–21 A-League season.[4] Club was founded by Chairman Gino Marra and football operations Director Sam Krslovic
On 15 May 2019, the club founded by Gino Marra & Sam Krslovic announced the club's name, logo and colours. They were officially unveiled at a gala held by the club at the Campbelltown Catholic Club.[5] The club was called Macarthur FC and nicknamed the Bulls. Also announced as their inaugural manager was Ante Milicic.[6]
On 15 January 2020, the club announced the signing of Tommy Oar, their first ever signing.[7]
On 18 February 2020, Lang Walker sold his 50% ownership stake in the club to a consortium of two local Sydney businessmen. Michael Gerace, who owns Sydney Trucks and Machinery, and Roy Mammone, a Sydney property developer, bought the 50% stake for an undisclosed fee in excess of $7 million. The other 50% is owned by Club Chairman Gino Marra and Sam Krslovic.[8]
On 30 December 2020, the club played its first ever match in the A-League, recording a 1–0 victory playing away to Western Sydney Wanderers.[9]
On 1 October 2022, Macarthur FC won the Australia Cup for the first time in their history, beating Sydney United 58 2–0 in the final. The game was played at Commbank Stadium in front of 16,461 fans.[10]
Colours and badge
The logo depicts a black and gold ochre bull which is contained in a crest where the inner border is black and the outer gold ochre with the club's name written in the aforementioned colours above the bull and three federation stars at the bottom. The bull makes reference to the region where a runaway herd of cattle was discovered in its past.[11] The federation stars symbolise the soccer community in Australia, the National Premier Leagues and the A-League. The logo features mainly black and white with the addition of gold ochre to highlight the Dharawal heritage of the area.[11]
Win–loss record
| Opponent | Played | Won | Drawn | Lost | Win % |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Western Sydney Wanders | 5 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 60.0 |
| Adelaide United | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 50.0 |
| Sydney FC | 5 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 40.0 |
| Newcastle Jets | 5 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 40.0 |
| Perth Glory | 5 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 60.0 |
| Melbourne Victory | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 50.0 |
| Western United | 5 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 40.0 |
| Brisbane Roar | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 50.0 |
| Central Coast Mariners | 7 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 28.6 |
| Wellington Phoenix | 5 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 20.0 |
| Melbourne City | 5 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 0.0 |
Rivalries
Macarthur FC vs. Western Sydney Wanderers FC
| Overall | Home | Away | |||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD |
| 5 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 9 | 4 | +5 | 11 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 6 | 4 | +2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | +3 |
Macarthur FC has a rivalry with the Western Sydney Wanderers. The rivalry is largely based on geography, with both teams based in Greater Western Sydney. The two clubs first met in the opening round of the 2020–21 A-League season on 30 December 2020, with Macarthur winning the match 1–0 after a goal scored by Mark Milligan. On 6 February 2021, in the following derby, Macarthur drew 2–2 at home with goals by Aleksandar Jovanovic and Aleksandar Šušnjar.
Stadium
Location
| Location | Stadium | Capacity | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Campbelltown, New South Wales | Campbelltown Stadium | 20,000 | 2020–present |
Players
First team squad
- As of 21 January 2023
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
|
|
Youth
- Players to have been featured in a first-team matchday squad for Macarthur FC from their National Premier Leagues NSW affiliate Northbridge FC.
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
Coaching staff
Football department
| Position | Name | Ref. |
|---|---|---|
| Head coach | Mile Sterjovski | [12] |
| Assistant coach | Jacob Burns | [13] |
| Assistant coach | James Meredith | [14] |
| Head of high performance | Anthony Crea | [15] |
| Goalkeeping coach | Glen Moss | [16] |
Honours
Domestic
Cups
- Australia Cup
- Winners (1): 2022
See also
References
- ^ "Macarthur names ex-Fury boss as chairman". FTBL. Retrieved 24 June 2019.
- ^ "Winning expansion bids decided – report". The World Game.
- ^ "Macarthur and South-West Sydney FC join forces for one voice in A-League bid – South West Sydney Football Club".
- ^ "A-League announces new expansion teams Western Melbourne Group and Macarthur South-West Sydney". Fox Sports. 13 December 2018.
- ^ Bartlett, Joshua (15 May 2019). "Macarthur FC Bulls charge into the A-League". Cowra Guardian. Retrieved 15 May 2019.
- ^ "Milicic to take the helm of new club Macarthur FC". The World Game. SBS. 15 May 2019.
- ^ "Signing news: Oar becomes Macarthur FC's first signing". Hyundai A-League. Retrieved 15 January 2020.
- ^ Bossi, Dominic (18 February 2020). "Billionaire Walker sells share in A-League newcomers Macarthur". Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 4 August 2020.
- ^ "Match Report: Bulls Take 3 Points in Thrilling Inaugural Match". A-League. 30 December 2020.
- ^ "Australia Cup: Final - Macarthur FC d Sydney United 58". austadiums. 1 October 2022.
- ^ a b "Macarthur FC: New Hyundai A-League club confirms name, colours and logo". Hyundai A-League. Retrieved 15 May 2019.
- ^ Chadwick, Justin (23 January 2023). "Sterjovski unveiled as Macarthur ALM coach". The West Australian.
- ^ "Former Socceroo joins Bulls as assistant coach". Macarthur FC. 6 February 2023.
- ^ "James Meredith joins the Bulls coaching staff". Macarthur FC. 20 July 2022.
- ^ "Anthony Crea strengthens Macarthur FC's coaching ranks". Fairfield City Champion. 13 February 2020.
- ^ "Glen Moss Appointed as Clubs Goalkeeping Coach". Macarthur FC. 10 July 2020. Retrieved 2 February 2021.
External links
- Official website