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Western Sydney Wanderers FC

Western Sydney Wanderers Football Club (colloquially known as Western Sydney, or simply as Wanderers) is an Australian professional soccer club based in the Western Sydney region of Sydney, New South Wales. It competes in the country's premier competition, the A-League, under licence from The Australian Professional Leagues (APL). formerly under licence by the Football Federation Australia (FFA).[1] The club had established itself as a major force in both Australia and Asia, having won one A-League Premiership and an AFC Champions League title in its history.

Western Sydney Wanderers
Full nameWestern Sydney Wanderers Football Club
Nickname(s)Wanderers, WSW, Western Sydney
Short nameWSW
Founded4 April 2012; 10 years ago (2012-04-04)
GroundCommBank Stadium
Capacity30,000
OwnerPaul Lederer, Jefferson Cheng, Glenn Duncan
ChairmanPaul Lederer
ManagerMark Rudan
LeagueA-League Men
2021–2210th of 12
WebsiteClub website
Current season

Formed in April 2012 by FFA, Wanderers was established with a strong community focus. A series of community forums across Western Sydney helped choose the club's name and colours, as well as its culture and playing style. The club's record-breaking inaugural season won them an A-League premiership and saw the club reach the 2013 A-League Grand Final. The club followed that up by contesting the 2014 A-League Grand Final and securing second place in their second season of the league. The club was also crowned Asian champions in their Champions League debut season, becoming the first, and so far only, Australian side to win the tournament.

The club is run from a facility based in Blacktown, and currently plays matches at Western Sydney Stadium. Their foundation home ground of Parramatta Stadium was closed & demolished in 2017 as part of process for building the new stadium. An academy youth team competes in the National Youth League and the National Premier Leagues NSW. A women's team competes in the W-League. The youth and women's matches are played at various locations across Western Sydney, including Marconi Stadium, Campbelltown Stadium and Cook Park. The club also has a Powerchair Football team which competes in the NSW Western Division Powerchair Football League, with matches played at Football NSW Headquarters.

History

Origins

Western Sydney continues to be an important region for FFA. It is the heartland of football in NSW, it is one of the most popular football regions in the country, and we've always said we've wanted to have an A-League team to represent the Western Sydney region.

— FFA CEO Ben Buckley on the prospect of a club, September 2009.[2]

The Western Sydney region was regarded as a potential location for one of the founding A-League clubs in 2005, originally intended to be the base for Sydney FC. When Sydney FC put forward their bid to participate in the inaugural A-League season, Football NSW (which backed the bid) desired for the club's home ground to be Parramatta Stadium in Western Sydney.[3] Though after winning the A-League licence, Football Federation Australia (FFA) Chairman Frank Lowy forced a number of changes to the bid. The main of these were in moving the club to Sydney Football Stadium in the Eastern Suburbs of Sydney and simultaneously reducing Football NSW's involvement from 100 to 25 percent.[3] Frank Lowy's son, David Lowy, was also installed as a major investor.[3] In response, Football NSW made the decision to pull out its involvement with Sydney FC amid claims the A-League club had become a "plaything" for Frank Lowy and his family.[3] Football NSW stated its dislike of Lowy's autocratic style in establishing the club and the perceived lack of consultation on key club issues.[3][4] An unsuccessful bid named "Sydney Blues", which had proposed to play at the Sydney Football Stadium was the only other Sydney-based bid.[5] Sydney FC entered the A-League with a five-year city exclusivity deal as part of the league's "one-city, one-team" policy, preventing the establishment of another Sydney-based club until the deal expired.[6]

By 2008, as the five-year deal wound to its conclusion, FFA announced its intention to expand the A-League, with a second Sydney-based club a favourable option.[7] FFA received 10 expressions of interest, two of which from potential Western Sydney based teams.[8] Despite the unsuccessful attempt to establish a Western Sydney-based team in the form of Sydney Rovers (due to financial and technical reasons),[9] FFA were still strongly committed in pursuing a club in the region.[10]

Foundations

The catalyst for the formation of the Western Sydney Wanderers was FFA revoking Gold Coast United's A-League licence on 29 February 2012. After a series of running battles between FFA and Clive Palmer – owner of Gold Coast United, over topics such as crowd control, stadium attendance capacities and breaches of A-League regulations.[11] The loss of Gold Coast United brought the league down to nine clubs, one fewer than what FFA needed for their upcoming television rights negotiations.[12]

On 4 April 2012, then FFA CEO Ben Buckley announced the creation of "New Sydney Club" based in the city's west to play in the A-League.[13] The new club would be set up to compete in the 2012–13 season, though despite several attempts by FFA to find a backer to own and run the club no individual owner or consortium of owners decided to take on the new Sydney club.[14] With the October deadline approaching, FFA decided to push through the club by taking on the ownership role themselves.[15] This was helped by securing $4 million from the Australian Government in a grant for the creation and ongoing costs of the club.[16]

As notable Australian soccer players Scott Chipperfield, Tim Cahill and Lucas Neill expressed their support for the Western Sydney-based club,[17] so did the local soccer community, with FFA holding supporter forums in Mount Pritchard, Parramatta, Rooty Hill, Penrith, Castle Hill, Campbelltown and Bankstown, where community members discussed such topics as the club's values and culture, playing style, home ground, and proposed names and colours.[18][19][20] Following the community forums, FFA launched an online survey to decide on various options for the new club.[21] It covered similar aspects of culture, location, team colour and playing style. A final survey was later launched with a specific focus on the club's colours and name. Options for team colours were black and red, black and white, and red, white and black. Options for the team name were Athletic, Wanderers, Wolves, Strikers and Rangers.[22]

 
The first three signed players (Mooy, Elrich and Appiah) at the club's launch

On 17 May 2012, former A-League head Lyall Gorman was appointed Chairman of the as yet unnamed club.[23] Tony Popovic was also announced as the inaugural head coach of the Western Sydney team. Popovic joined the club after requesting to be released from the final year of his contracted role as assistant coach of Crystal Palace, after ending talks with both A-League Sydney clubs and stating his desire to build a club from scratch as an opportunity he could not pass up. Popovic signed with the Western Sydney team to take the helm for four seasons.[24] On 22 May 2012, Popovic's close friend Ante Milicic also joined the club as assistant coach.[25]

On 25 June 2012, the official club name, logo and colours were formally announced.[26] The name "Western Sydney Wanderers FC" was officially released, as was the club logo, the home playing strip, the home ground (Parramatta Stadium) and the first three signed players: Aaron Mooy, Tarek Elrich and Kwabena Appiah.[27] The name 'Wanderers' had been an overwhelming favourite among fans and community groups, with it also paying homage to Wanderers F.C., the first registered soccer club in Australia, who played in the area in 1880.[28]

Popovic era

Inaugural season

With the start of Western Sydney Wanderers' first season approaching, Tony Popovic was charged with putting together a competitive squad for the 2012–13 A-League, which would be the team's only competition of the season. The squad was made up of relative unknowns, though included former Japan international and Asian Footballer of the Year Shinji Ono, as well as Jérome Polenz, Mateo Poljak, Youssouf Hersi, Iacopo La Rocca and Dino Kresinger.[29] On 6 October 2012, Western Sydney Wanderers played their first competitive match of any kind against reigning A-League Premiers Central Coast Mariners in the first round of the league. The match ended in a 0–0 draw.[30] It took the team a further three weeks, until the fourth round of the league to win their first competitive match of any kind; after two consecutive losses, one of which the first Sydney Derby, the encounter against reigning A-League Champions Brisbane Roar ended 0–1 in favour of Wanderers, with Mark Bridge netting the club's first competitive goal after the team failed to score in their opening three games.[31]

A slow start into the team's first season soon turned positive as Western Sydney Wanderers quickly emerged as one of the leading soccer clubs in Australia.[32] A historic record-breaking season in the league saw the club break an all-time Australian national league record and win their first A-League Premiership after topping the A-League table through a record-undefeated streak, which included 10 straight wins.[33][34] This feat gained the club direct qualification into the 2014 AFC Champions League, as well as a place in the A-League finals series. A 2–0 win against Brisbane Roar in the semi-finals of the finals series lead the club to the 2013 A-League Grand Final, which on 21 April 2013, Wanderers eventually lost 0–2 to Central Coast Mariners at a sold out Sydney Football Stadium.[35] The success of the club's first season was pitted on first-time coach Popovic who had built the team from its foundations in the space of only five months.[36] Popovic was awarded A-League Coach of the Year and goalkeeper Ante Covic Goalkeeper of the Year.[37] The club's inaugural success, both on and off the field, sparked much interest worldwide, though most notably within Australia, where soccer has often struggled to gain mainstream interest.[38]

2013–14 season

The club's second season saw Brendon Santalab and Australian international Matthew Špiranović join the team.[39] Wanderers held second position behind Brisbane Roar throughout the majority of the season despite criticism over the team's squad rotation policy which Popovic implemented with consideration to the AFC Champions League and the short turnaround between matches.[40] On 26 February 2014, the club made their Champions League debut against Ulsan Hyundai. A goal within the first minute of the match by Santalab was cancelled out as the South Korean side scored three unanswered goals to win the match.[41] Nevertheless, the team eventually finished top in their group to progress to the Round of 16.[42] After finishing runners-up in the 2013–14 A-League season, Wanderers secured direct qualification into the 2015 AFC Champions League, as well as a place in the A-League finals series. A 2–0 win against Central Coast Mariners in the semi-finals of the finals series on 26 April 2014, saw the team progress to their second A-League Grand Final in as many seasons.[43] On 4 May 2014, Western Sydney Wanderers competed against Brisbane Roar in the 2014 A-League Grand Final at a sold out Lang Park. 10,000 Wanderers supporters travelled north for the occasion,[44] but after taking the lead through a header from Špiranović the team failed to hold the lead late in the game, later letting slip the A-League Championship during extra time.[45] Following the loss, the team was forced a quick turnaround for their home and final leg of the Champions League Round of 16 – a home and away series against Japanese side Sanfrecce Hiroshima. Despite being down 3–1 on aggregate, the team managed to overturn the result and win 2–0 to progress to the quarter-finals in what was Ono's, Hersi's, Polenz's and inaugural captain Michael Beauchamp's final match for the club.[46]

We were called a small club yesterday. Today we are the biggest in Asia.

 — Tony Popovic on winning the 2014 AFC Champions League, November 2014.[47]

2014–15 season

 
Western Sydney Wanderers supporters celebrating win in Asian Champions League

Prior to the 2014–15 season, the club signed Brazilian midfielder Vítor Saba, as well as Seyi Adeleke, Dutch international Romeo Castelen and Australian international Nikita Rukavytsya.[48] On 12 August 2014, Western Sydney Wanderers competed against Adelaide City in the first round of the inaugural season of the FFA Cup.[49] The match ended 1–0 in favour to Adelaide City, with Wanderers becoming the first professional club to lose to a semi-professional side in the competition.[50]

Asian Champions League title

The Cup loss was directly followed by Wanderers' continued campaign in the 2014 AFC Champions League; as due to the calendar format of the Asian tournament, the quarter-finals – a home and away series against Guangzhou Evergrande, resumed after a three-month break.[51] The first match was won by Wanderers 1–0, and a 2–1 loss in the second leg was enough to see the club progress to the semi-finals, due to the away goals rule.[52] The first leg of the semi-final clash against FC Seoul ended in a 0–0 draw.[53] In the return leg, Wanderers defeated FC Seoul 2–0, courtesy to goals from Mateo Poljak and Shannon Cole, which advanced the club to the 2014 AFC Champions League Final.[54] In the first leg of the Champions League final, Wanderers defeated Al-Hilal 1–0 at home,[55] and on 1 November 2014, Western Sydney Wanderers won the AFC Champions League after managing a goalless draw in the second leg of the final against Al-Hilal, winning 1–0 on aggregate courtesy of Tomi Juric's goal. They became the first Australian team to be crowned Asian champions, an achievement they reached in only their first attempt in the Asian tournament. There were some controversial decisions from the Japanese referee Yuichi Nishimura, where Al-Hilal felt they deserved two clear penalties.[56] Prior to the final match, Wanderers were criticised by the opposition coach in the media; after being crowned Asian champions, Tony Popovic responded by saying, "We were called a small club yesterday – today we are the biggest in Asia".[47] At the 2014 AFC Annual Awards, Western Sydney Wanderers was named Asian Club of the Year, and Tony Popovic Asian Coach of the Year.[57]

The club's Asian success however, was not replicated in the beginning of the A-League season, with the team managing only three draws out of the first nine matches. The team's poor domestic run was put on hold while the team travelled to Morocco for the 2014 FIFA Club World Cup, where Wanderers faced Mexican side Cruz Azul in a quarter-finals clash on 13 December 2014. After going down to 9-men, Wanderers failed to hold onto the lead late into the match; an unfavourable 3–1 scoreline in extra-time saw Wanderers matched-up against ES Sétif of Algeria in a fifth place play-off.[58] A 2–2 draw led to a penalty shoot-out which finished 5–4 in favour of the African champions, ending Wanderers' run in the tournament with the team finishing in sixth place.[59] After returning home, the team finished the year with a loss in Wellington, in what was the team's 44th match in all competitions for the calendar year – a record for an Australian club.[60] A short mid-season break gave Popovic the chance to organise the squad for the remainder of the season. This included the addition of Japanese internationals Yūsuke Tanaka and Yojiro Takahagi, as well as Australian-born Kerem Bulut among others as either injury replacements or squad replacements for Vítor Saba, Seyi Adeleke and foundation player Kwabena Appiah.[61] As the season resumed, it became apparent that a heavy schedule would be the team's downfall.[62] Wanderers had to manage entering into the 2015 AFC Champions League group-stage with the former season's rivals Guangzhou Evergrande and FC Seoul as well as rescheduled mid-week league fixtures. After a grueling three months the club ended their third season in the league in ninth position,[63] whilst their Champions League season also ended unfavourably with the title-holders eliminated from the group stage, finishing third in their group.[64]

2015–16 season

The beginning of the 2015–16 season saw Popovic extended his initial contract with the club for a further three seasons.[65] The effects from the 2014–15 season were felt by the players as Popovic released almost half the squad.[66] In their place Popovic signed 3 Spanish foreign players and Italian striker Federico Piovaccari as a marquee. In the FFA Cup the Wanderers progressed with wins against Brisbane Roar & Palm Beach, then were beaten in a penalty shootout against Perth Glory in the quarter final.

After a slow start to the 2015–16 A-League season, with only 1 point after three matches, Wanderers found their winning ways with a seven-game winning streak to see the team top the league table. The club was unable to stay on top of the league however, and after mixed results in the final half of the season they finished 2nd below Adelaide United, who the Wanderers had failed to beat in the last few weeks of the season.

In their final series semi-final match, Wanderers hosted Brisbane Roar at Parramatta Stadium in the last game before the stadium was demolished. In front of a sold-out crowd of 20,084 Brisbane started the game strongly by racing to a 3–0 lead inside 23 minutes but the Wanderers responded with two goals to make it 3–2 at half time. Romeo Castelen scored an equaliser then put the Wanderers 4–3 in front, only for Brisbane to score again to take the game to extra time. In the 102nd minute substitute Dario Vidosic scored the decisive goal to send Wanderers to a third Grand Final in four years.[67] In the 2016 A-League Grand Final Adelaide United defeat Wanderers 3–1 in front of a crowd of 50,119. 15 players left the club at the end of the season.

2016–17 season

The 2016–17 A-League season began when Western Sydney Wanderers played home to Sydney FC at ANZ Stadium, with Sydney FC winning 4–0. After three years without a derby win, on the 18th of February, Western Sydney Wanderers, beat Sydney FC 1–0 at ANZ Stadium, Brendon Santalab scoring off a Mitch Nichols cross in the first-half. Three days after the Sydney Derby they started their Asian Champions League campaign by losing 4–0 to Urawa Reds, and subsequent results saw them fail to qualify from the Group Stage. After defeating Wellington Phoenix 3–1 they confirmed their place in the A-League finals, with Brendon Santalab scoring twice to make him the Wanderers all-time leading goal scorer. The team qualified for the A-League finals to played the 3rd place Brisbane Roar. The game ended 1–1 after extra time and Wanderers lost the penalty shoot-out, ending their domestic season.

Gombau era

2017–18 season

The Wanderers began this season with the FFA Cup. They started by defeating Wellington Phoenix 1–0 with new marquee signing Oriol Riera scoring in the 120th minute of the game. A routine 4–0 defeat of Bentleigh Greens followed in the Round of 16. The quarter final match against Blacktown City FC was an epic encounter. The Wanderers went out to an early 1–0 lead through an Oriol Riera penalty kick. Blacktown hit back in the second half and took the game to extra time, where substitute James Andrew scored to put Blacktown ahead. Riera popped up again in the 111th minute to equalise, and the Wanderers held their nerve in the shootout to win it 4–2.

In a huge shock for the A-League and the Wanderers in particular, on 1 October 2017, foundation coach Tony Popovic quit the club to join Karabükspor in the Turkish Super Lig, taking with him assistant manager Andres Carrasco & goalkeeping coach Zeljko Kalac. The Wanderers installed Hayden Foxe as caretaker manager while they looked to appoint a full-time manager. After defeating Perth Glory in the opening round, they lost the FFA Cup Semi-Final against Adelaide United.

Josep Gombau was announced as the new manager for the Wanderers on 1 November 2017.[68] His first game in charge was a 1–1 home draw against Melbourne City. The team then lost 3 in a row against Adelaide, Brisbane and a 5–0 drubbing against city rivals Sydney FC. Gombau stabilised the team somewhat in the busy January new year period, where he went 4 games without loss between January 1 to January 18, but the team were unable to string together more than 2 wins in a row. A 3–0 win against Brisbane in the penultimate week of the season put them in the last play-off position, 1 point ahead of Brisbane and Perth, who were facing each other in the final week.

While a win would have secured a finals berth as Brisbane defeated Perth 3–2, the Wanderers season fell apart in the second half. Having taken an early lead with an Oriol Riera goal, the Wanderers conceded two goals to Adelaide before Marcelo Carrusca levelled the game heading into half-time. The 62nd minute sending off of Keanu Baccus for kicking out at an opponent left them a man down and needing to attack. As they pushed players forward Adelaide kept breaking on the counter-attack, eventually scoring the winning goal in the 80th minute through Ryan Kitto.

On the 19 April, after a disappointing season where the Wanderers failed to qualify for the 2017–18 A-League finals and players making problems with his management style known to reporters and the public, Gombau was fired.[69] The Wanderers finished the season in 7th place on 33 points, two behind Brisbane, one ahead of Perth, having won 8 games, drew 9, lost 10, scoring 38 goals and conceding 47 against.

Babbel era

2018–19 season

After Gombau was sacked the Wanderers looked to Europe and appointed former German international player Markus Babbel to take over the side, on 19 May 2018.[70] The team stumbled through to the Semi-Final of the FFA Cup with narrow victories over far inferior competition, requiring a 92nd-minute winner from Roly Bonevacia to defeat the amateur Darwin side Hellenic Athletic 4–3, before a 2–1 win against 3rd tier side Bonnyrigg White Eagles FC in the Round of 16. They faced A-League opposition in the Quarter Finals, defeating Melbourne City FC in a scrappy 2–1 game before bowing out of the competition in a comprehensive defeat by rival side Sydney FC in the first FFA Cup Sydney Derby. The A-League season began poorly for the Wanderers, winning just two games in the first half of the season in Rounds 3 and 7. That second win against the Central Coast Mariners was the last win for 10 games, and included losing 6 games in a row in the congested January period.

Babbel made multiple signings in the January transfer window, bringing in Mitchell Duke, Kwame Yeboah and Giancarlo Gallifuoco as an injury replacement for Jordan O'Doherty who suffered an Anterior Cruciate Ligament injury. Performances improved in the second half of the season, winning games against the Mariners, Adelaide & Brisbane Roar as well as a shock 3–0 win against Melbourne City. Ultimately their early season form ensured that the 3–2 Round 24 loss against Newcastle Jets was the final blow in their hopes to play in the A-League finals series. The final Sydney Derby to be played at ANZ Stadium was a 1–1 draw, leaving games against the Central Coast and then Melbourne Victory to end their three-year nomadic existence away from their newly opened Western Sydney Stadium.

2019–20 season

The Wanderers began the season, their first at the Western Sydney Stadium in Parramatta, with a stadium opening friendly against English EFL Championship side Leeds United on Saturday 20 July 2019. Leeds won 2–1. The Wanderers played their first A-league match at their new home Bankwest Stadium on 12 October 2019. They defeated the Central Coast Mariners 2–1. They then won their next 2 matches with a 2–1 win against Melbourne Victory and a 1–0 victory over Sydney FC in front of a record crowd of 28,519.

On 16 January, striker Simon Cox joined the club after his departure from English, League One outfit, Southend United, replacing Alexander Meier.

On 20 January, Babbel was sacked due to a run of poor performances, and Jean-Paul de Marigny was named as the caretaker.[71]

Jean-Paul de Marigny era

Having taken over as interim coach from Round 17 of the 2019–20 season, the club played 7 games, winning 3, drawing 3 and losing 1 game. The 1–1 draw with Sydney FC during the final Sydney Derby of the season saw the Wanderers go through a season without losing a game to Sydney FC. When the league was suspended in March as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic in Australia, the results did little to improve the club position on the competition ladder, although they had closed the gap on the position above from 2 points to 1 and improved their goal different deficit. They entered the suspension period in 8th place, four points behind the last finals position.

On 14 July 2020, de Marigny was elevated to the full time position, with his contract to run until the end of the 2020–21 A-League season. The league resumed in July, with the club playing 5 games to finish the season. They drew the first game, won the second, lost two games that effectively ended their chances of making the finals series, including a heavy 5–3 loss against Western United and ended the season with a narrow win against Melbourne Victory. The club ended the season in 9th place with 33 points, coming from 9 wins, 6 draws and 11 losses from 26 games. The Wanderers then sacked de Marigny on 12 October 2020, offering a short statement that they had 'parted ways' and were going to appoint a new coach in the coming days.[72]

Robinson era

Three days after the sacking of de Marigny, the club appointed Carl Robinson on 15 October 2020 as the new head coach. Robinson, a Welsh ex-international was the current head coach of fellow A-League side the Newcastle Jets and had lost only a single game since his arrival at Newcastle earlier in the year. It was reported in the media that Robinson had a release clause in his contract that allowed him to leave the Jets, with the dire financial situation of Newcastle, whose owner Martin Lee had not funded the club since October 2019 and was stripped of his license.[73]

2020–21 season

The Wanderers began the 2020–21 A-League season by releasing Radosław Majewski, Nicholas Suman, Mathieu Cordier, Nick Sullivan, Tristan Prendergast, Matthew Jurman and Mitchell Duke. Pirmin Schwegler also retired from professional soccer. Several youth players were promoted, including Jarrod Carluccio and 16 year old Allesandro Lopane while German winger Nicolai Muller earned a contract extension. Although Daniel Lopar had left Australia during the COVID lockdown which saw him miss the end of the previous season, he returned to Australia in late October, then left again as the cancellation of the league's TV rights deal caused a collapse in funding, requiring players to agree to new, lower paid contracts or to leave. Robinson bought in a raft of players to replace them, including Bernie Ibini, James Troisi and Jordon Mutch. Duke, a Wanderers talisman, also return to the club 8 games into the season on a short-term loan deal.

Performances during the season were inconsistent but poor overall. With the fixture list impacted by COVID delays & cancellations, there was a brief period when the Wanderers were in first place on the A-League ladder, but they did so having played four games while the other clubs had played less, as low as 1 game in the case of Perth Glory & Melbourne Victory. After their 13th game and on a winning run of 3 games the Wanderers were in 2nd place on 22 points, 3 points behind the surprise package Central Coast Mariners. It was the high point of the season as the side failed to win any of the next 6 games. This included a dismal loss to the last placed Melbourne Victory, who leapt out to a 5–1 lead before three Wanderers goals late in the game, including a long range strike from Muller made the final score 5–4, as Bruce Kamau missed a glorious chance to level the game in the 95th minute. The other teams had begun to catch up the amount of games played and the Wanderers position on the ladder sank like a rock, falling to 9th place on 25 points, level with Wellington Phoenix but behind on goal difference. Winning the 2nd Sydney Derby by 3–2 was followed by a 5–0 win against Western United but the inconsistency reared up again, as the next match, an away trip to Perth saw the club lose 5–0, allowing Andy Keogh to go from having a scoreless season to four in a single game. Sydney FC finally overcame their 887-day wait for a Derby win as they completed a comfortable 1–0 win at the Sydney Cricket Ground, with the video review system ruling out a goal for each side. A 2–1 loss at Parramatta to Wellington Phoenix left the Wanderers requiring wins in their final two games and for a large number of other results to go their way.

2021–22 season

Robinson was fired after 7 games of the 2021/22 A-League season with the Wanderers in 2nd last place after the side were defeated 3-0 by fellow cellar dwellers Brisbane Roar. The Wanderers had also been embarrassingly eliminated from the 2021 FFA Cup in a 2-1 Round of 16 loss to semi-professional side APIA Leichhardt FC where Robinson's team selection was criticised as a second string team in a competition the club had vowed to take seriously. He left the club on 30 January 2022.[74]

Rudan era

Mark Rudan was appointed as his replacement, with a contract lasting the remainder of the 2021/22 season.[75] His first game in charge was a 1–0 win against Perth Glory, with Jack Rodwell scoring the winner in the 25th minute. Inconsistent results followed with the side unable to put together two wins in a row and they remained firmly in the bottom half of the table. The highlight of the season was defeating Sydney FC in a comprehensive 2–0 win on 5 March 2022, a day after the club announced they had given Rudan an extended contract through the 2021/22, 2022/23 and 2023/24 seasons.[76] Starting with a 0–0 draw against Adelaide United the team began a 5-game run without a win followed by a win against Newcastle then a 1–0 loss to Wellington Phoenix that made qualification for the finals extremely unlikely and exposed the side to a potential 2022 Australia Cup qualifying play-off against another side in the bottom 4 A-League teams. A player exodus begun in earnest as Keanu Baccus, who was the club's second most capped player and Phillip Cancar signed for clubs in the Scottish Premier League.[77]

Colours and badge

Western Sydney Wanderers club colours are red and black. The club's colours as well as its inaugural season kit was announced on 25 June 2012, at a press conference held at Parramatta Stadium.[27] The kit featured a red and black hoop jersey, white shorts and black socks.[78] The red and black colour scheme was popular during the supporter forums, and the 'hoop design' emerged along with vertical stripes as the two most popular style choices. The club's second kit, worn when playing away from home, has the same hoop design as the home kit. The first away kit included a red and white jersey, black shorts and white socks. The team's current away kit features white and gray hoops with white shorts and socks.[79]

The club badge incorporates the key elements of the Western Sydney landscape; the mountains, valleys and winding river system that runs throughout the region.[80] The badge includes the name of the club in Futura typeface, with white writing and a stylised W, S and W pattern to represent the club's initials.[27] Following their success at the 2014 AFC Champions League, the club announced that a star would be added to the top of the club's badge.[81] The new addition was not yet worn by the team until a national standard regarding such symbols was introduced by FFA in January 2015. The new standard allowed the team to wear a gold star in perpetuity and in all competitions in recognition to the Asian title won.[82]

Sponsorship

American manufacturer Nike signed a five-year partnership deal to start in the new club's first season.[78] NRMA Insurance signed a three-year partnership as the major sponsor and Westfield a two-year partnership deal to start in Wanderers first season.[83][84] Mitsubishi Electric signed a multi-year partnership deal for the 2013–14 season and onwards.[85] Visy Industries was announced as the club's major corporate partner for the 2014 AFC Champions League.[86] On 28 November 2014, the club confirmed that NRMA Insurance extended its initial three-year sponsorship for three more years.[87][88] Pepper was announced as the major sponsor for the 2015 AFC Champions League title defence campaign.[89] Aetos was announced as the main sponsor for the Wanderers in the 2017 AFC Champions League.[90]

Period Kit manufacturer A-League kit partners Year AFC kit partners
Shirt (major) Shirt (minor) Shorts
2012–2013 Nike NRMA Insurance Hyundai Westfield 2014 Visy
2013–2017 Mitsubishi Electric / Pepper / Hyundai Westfield / Foxtel / Primo 2015 Pepper
2017–2018 Westfield / Aqualand / JD 2017 Aetos
2018–2020 Centuria Capital Group (Home)
JD Sports (Away and Third kit)
2020– Kappa[91] Voltaren (Home)[92]

JD Sports (Away and Third kit)[93]

Club facilities

The club's office and training facilities are located in the one location, Blacktown International Sportspark. This was done to foster a sense of belonging for all members of the staff no matter what position they hold at the club.[94] It was initially believed that the club's administration and training facilities would be based at Football New South Wales' headquarters at Valentine Park in Parklea but the facilities at the ground were not to the standard required. Parramatta Council as part of its bid to host the team in the city offered Council owned office space inside the Parramatta CBD but this was declined in favour of staying at Blacktown.[95]

In September 2015, the club announced the formation of a formal partnership with Blacktown City Council that made the Sportspark the long-term training and administrative home of the Wanderers. The club spent $15 million to create a high quality Wanderers Training & Administration Centre with a large number of football fields, parking and landscaping as well as a High Performance Centre providing aquatics recovery, an indoor hall, cutting edge sports science, analysis rooms, gym and hospitality facilities.[96]

Stadiums

Locations

 
Western Sydney Stadium, current home ground
 
Sydney Showground Stadium, former home ground of Wanderers.
 
A Wanderers match in progress at Parramatta Stadium
Coordinates Location Stadium Capacity Year
33°48′29″S 150°59′59″E / 33.808056°S 150.999722°E / -33.808056; 150.999722 Parramatta, New South Wales Parramatta Stadium 24,000 2012–2016
33°50′35″S 151°04′04″E / 33.843056°S 151.067778°E / -33.843056; 151.067778 Sydney Olympic Park, New South Wales Sydney Showground Stadium 24,000 2016–2019
33°50′50″S 151°03′48″E / 33.847222°S 151.063333°E / -33.847222; 151.063333 Sydney Olympic Park, New South Wales Stadium Australia 83,500 2016–2019
33°48′29″S 150°59′59″E / 33.808056°S 150.999722°E / -33.808056; 150.999722 Parramatta, New South Wales Western Sydney Stadium 30,000 2019–

On 26 July 2012, it was officially announced that Parramatta Stadium would be the home ground of the club for all its home games.[97] Lyall Gorman, the club's Chairman, acknowledged that the feedback he had received from the fan forums was in favour of a single home ground and that the club must be based in the Greater Western Sydney.[98] Parramatta Stadium was seen as ideal compared to other alternatives at Sydney Olympic Park, Penrith or Campbelltown as its rectangular size is better suited for games, and it has a capacity of over 20,000.[99] The prospect of the club one day owning its own stadium was also initially brought up.[100] During Western Sydney Wanderers home games, the stadium is commonly referred to as "Wanderland". Named after the team name and reference to former theme park in Western Sydney, Wonderland.

Since 2010 plans to redevelop Parramatta Stadium were in the works, with some smaller expansion taking place. With soccer being played year-round at Parramatta Stadium by Western Sydney Wanderers and the Parramatta Eels rugby league club, the potential for an upgrade and expansion of the stadium was heightened. By mid-2015 a refurbishment of corporate facilities, player facilities and stadium amenities had been complete, while a decision to increase the capacity to the ground had stalled.[101]

In September 2015, the state government announced that the stadium would be demolished and replaced with the Western Sydney Stadium, a new 30,000 seat boutique venue on the same site. Construction was completed by 2019 with the official opening on 14 April 2019.[102] During the construction period home games were shifted for three seasons to a combination of Sydney Showground Stadium, a 25,000 seat oval-configured stadium and Stadium Australia, an 83,000 seat rectangular venue, both of which are located in Sydney Olympic Park.[103]

Campbelltown Stadium is a sporadically used stadium for the Wanderers. The stadium has hosted two A-League games between the Wanderers & the Newcastle Jets, an FFA Cup game against Wellington Phoenix, and all 3 home matches of the 2017 AFC Champions League Group Stage. Penrith Stadium hosted a Wanderers pre-season game against Adelaide United in 2013, an A-League game against Wellington Phoenix & an FFA Cup game against Brisbane Roar in 2015, and also sees occasional use by the Women's W-League team. Marconi Stadium was another venue used for pre-season fixtures, Women & Youth team matches.

The Blacktown International Sportspark is a regular venue for the W-League and Youth League teams, with the club sharing the boutique stadium with Blacktown Spartans FC. In 2019, the club opened the Wanderers Centre Of Football, a $15 million facility with a boutique stadium that replicates the playing surface of the Western Sydney Stadium. The W-League team played its first game there on 2 January 2021, winning the match 2–1 against the Newcastle Jets.

Support

Season Attendance Members
2012–13 12,466 7,500
2013–14 14,860 16,100
2014–15 12,520 18,706
2015–16 14,297 18,370
2016–17 17,745 20,021
2017–18 11,924 19,025
2018–19 9,191 16,623
2019–20 9,872* 17,325 *Affected by COVID Restrictions[104]
2020–21 8,062 18,536

It's hard for a coach to control what's happening on the field when the noise levels are so high.

 — John Aloisi commenting on the home crowd after losing to the Wanderers in the 2015–16 A-League semi-finals, April 2016.[105]

 
Western Sydney Wanderers fans at Parramatta Stadium
 
West Sydney Terrace supporters' group at Sydney Showground Stadium

Western Sydney Wanderers is one of the A-League's better supported clubs.[106] The main supporters' group for the club is the "Red and Black Bloc" (RBB).[107] The independent group was established in June 2012, with its founding members connecting months before that on online forums and holding meetings at Parramatta's Woolpack Hotel.[108] The group made its first appearance attending the club's first ever game on 25 July 2012, where Wanderers played Nepean FC at Cook Park.[109] At the match, the group gathered at the northern end of the ground and were vocal in the support of the new team. The Daily Telegraph noted the impressive debut of the group,[110] whilst The Sydney Morning Herald described the group as "a noisy bunch on the northern hill".[111]

The RBB have received much praise and attention for the atmosphere and passion they produce, most notably their call-and-response chant "Who do we sing for?".[112][113] The RBB perform The Poznań at the 80 minute mark of matches, in recognition of the history associated with soccer in Parramatta as the first ever game of the sport in Australia was played there in the year 1880.[114] The group is also active in local charitable causes. In the wake of the 2013 New South Wales bushfires disaster, the RBB raised $15,000 to assist the NSW Salvation Army Bushfire Appeal.[115]

On 2 October 2014, 5,000 Wanderers' supporters attended a live screening of the second leg of the 2014 AFC Champions League Final at Centenary Square, in the Parramatta CBD.[116] The event was followed by thousands of fans turning up to welcome home the newly crowned champions of Asia at Sydney Airport.[117]

On 28 December 2013, supporters of Western Sydney Wanderers were involved in an altercation with a group of Melbourne Victory supporters in a Melbourne street before a league match. The incident was followed by the club's supporters igniting a flare during the match in Melbourne Rectangular Stadium. On 3 January 2014, FFA responded by charging both clubs with bringing the game into disrepute.[118] Action was also taken against several individuals, with police later charging three supporters involved in the incident within the following months.[119]

On 19 April 2013 Australian rock-pop band Exit Row (Andrew Torrisi, Nick Ferreri, Raf Lavorato, Jeremy Azzopardi and Aaron Tarasiewicz) released their debut single "Welcome To Our Wanderland",[120] a Western Sydney Wanderers-anthem. The song lyric was of the club, the RBB, and Western Sydney, with the RBB chant "Who do we sing for?" used in the chorus. The song reached 93 on the Australian iTunes chart.[121]

By the end of their inaugural season Western Sydney Wanderers had grown its membership base to 7,500 people,[122] with the club's total match attendance at home reaching 174,520, with an average of 12,466.[123] By the beginning of their second season, club membership had grown twofold to a set cap of 16,100 members, with over 2,000 in waiting.[124] In addition the second season saw a rise to 193,178 total and 14,860 average attendances to home games.[125] By their third season the club had risen to 18,706 ticketed season members.[126]

Some notable Wanderers fans include Ian "Dicko" Dickson,[127][128][129] Laura Dundovic,[130][131] Nicole da Silva,[132][133] Lucy Zelic,[134][135][136] Paul Croft,[137] Montaigne,[138] and Jamie Soward.[139][140]

Rivalries

Western Sydney Wanderers vs. Sydney FC

Overall Home Away
Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts W D L GF GA GD W D L GF GA GD
31 8 9 14 32 48  −16 33 5 5 7 17 28  −11 3 4 7 15 20  −5

Western Sydney Wanderers' local rivals are Sydney FC. The rivalry, regarded as the biggest in the A-League,[141] is largely based upon the historical, cultural and geographical "East" versus "West" mentality that takes place throughout sport and life in Sydney,[142] though the rivalry between the two clubs also stems from the establishment and development of the A-League, which mirrored the pre-existing cultural and social divide of the city. The two clubs first met in Wanderers inaugural season during the third round of the league on 20 October 2012, with Wanderers losing the match 1–0 after a penalty scored by Alessandro Del Piero.[143] On 15 December 2012, in the following derby, Wanderers defeated Sydney FC 2–0 away from home with goals by Youssouf Hersi and Michael Beauchamp.[144] During their third encounter on 23 March 2012, the two teams went on to draw 1–1 at Wanderers' home ground. The match saw much drama with nine yellows and two red cards shown on the night.[145] In recent years, the derby has been played in front of sold-out crowds, and the support in which both clubs receive has produced an "unrivalled atmosphere and sense of occasion for a club match" in Australia.[146]

Western Sydney Wanderers vs. Macarthur 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 0 2 3 4 9  −5 2 0 0 2 0 3  −3 0 2 1 4 6  −2

Another of the Western Sydney Wanderers' local rivals are Macarthur FC. 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 Wanderers losing the match 1–0 after a goal scored by Mark Milligan. On 6 February 2021, in the following derby, Wanderers drew 2–2 away from home with goals by Graham Dorrans and Simon Cox.

Ownership

Upon establishing Western Sydney Wanderers in April 2012, FFA attempted to find a backer to own and run the club.[14] Despite several attempts by FFA, no individual owner or consortium of owners decided to take on the new Sydney-based club, thus FFA assumed ownership of the club, taking on the role first two years of the club's existence with Lyall Gorman appointed chairman.[15][23]

In May 2014, it was confirmed that FFA had sold the club to a consortium headed by Australian businessman Paul Lederer, who was also appointed the role of chairman, while John Tsatsimas took up the role of the club's first CEO following his role as General Manager since the club's inception.[147][148] Along with Lederer, Jefferson Cheng, Glenn Duncan and David Slade were part of the consortium of owners. The new ownership became effective as of 30 June 2014.[149]

Players

Australian squads are limited to 23 players in the league competition, five of whom may be without an Australian citizenship and three players must be under 23 years of age. The squad list includes only the principal nationality of each player; some players on the squad have dual citizenship with another country.

First-team squad

As of 7 February 2023[150]

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player
1 GK   AUS Daniel Margush
2 DF   AUS Gabriel Cleur
3 DF   CIV Adama Traoré
4 MF   FRA Morgan Schneiderlin (on loan from Nice)
5 DF   AUS Tomislav Mrčela
6 DF   BRA Marcelo (captain)
8 MF   AUS Oliver Bozanic
9 FW   AUS Kusini Yengi
10 MF   SRB Miloš Ninković
11 FW   TUN Amor Layouni (on loan from Vålerenga)
13 DF   AUS Tate Russell
14 MF   AUS Nicolas Milanovic
16 MF   AUS Tom Beadling
17 MF   FRA Romain Amalfitano
No. Pos. Nation Player
19 DF   AUS Daniel Wilmering
20 GK   AUS Lawrence Thomas
21 MF   AUS Jarrod Carluccio
23 MF   COD Yeni Ngbakoto
26 MF   AUS Brandon Borrello
28 MF   AUS Calem Nieuwenhof (scholarship)
29 MF   AUS Terry Antonis
31 FW   AUS Aidan Simmons (scholarship)
32 FW   AUS Nathaneal Blair (scholarship)
33 DF   AUS Alex Bonetig (scholarship)
35 MF   AUS Zac Sapsford
36 MF   AUS Alessandro Lopane (scholarship)
37 FW   AUS Alexander Badolato (scholarship)
DF   AUS Rhys Williams

Youth

Players to have been featured in a first-team matchday squad for Western Sydney Wanderers.

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player
30 GK   AUS Jack Warshawsky
67 FW   AUS Marcus Younis

On loan

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player
12 DF   AUS Ruon Tongyik (at Mes Kerman until 30 June 2023)

Club officials

Western Sydney Wanderers staff
Management[151]

  Paul Lederer – Owner/Chairman
  Jefferson Cheng – Owner
  Glenn Duncan – Owner
  David Slade – Owner
  Scott Hudson – CEO

Coaches[152]

  Mark Rudan – Head Coach
  Adam Griffiths – Assistant Coach
  Tomi Vidovic – Assistant Coach
  Jess Vanstrattan – Goalkeeper Coach
  Ray Younis – Strength and Conditioning Coach
  Elias Boukarim – High Performance Manager
  Pedro Ramos – Head Analyst
  Jean-Paul de Marigny – Wanderers Academy Technical Director
  Andrew Christensen – Wanderers NPL Academy Coach

Head coach record

Period Name G W D L % PPG Honours
2012–17   Tony Popovic 180 76 44 60 42.2% 1.49 A-League Premiers: 2012–13
A-League Coach of the Year: 2012–13[153]
AFC Champions League: 2014[154]
Asian Coach of the Year: 2014[155]
2017   Hayden Foxe 6 1 4 1 16.7% 1.40
2017–18   Josep Gombau 22 7 5 10 31.8% 1.18
2018–20   Markus Babbel 48 15 8 25 31.3% 1.10
2020   Jean-Paul de Marigny 12 5 4 3 41.7% 1.83
2020–22   Carl Robinson 35 11 11 13 31.4% 1.26
2022–   Mark Rudan 20 5 6 9 25.0% 1.11

Captaincy history

Wanderers captaincy history[156]

Dates Name Notes Honours (as captain)
2012–2014   Michael Beauchamp Inaugural club captain 2012–13 A-League Premiership
2014–2016   Nikolai Topor-Stanley 2014 AFC Champions League
2016–2017   Dimas Delgado First foreign captain
2017–2018   Robert Cornthwaite
2018–2019   Brendan Hamill
2019–2020   Mitchell Duke[157]
2020–21   Dylan McGowan
2021–22   Rhys Williams
2022–   Marcelo

Records

 
Brendon Santalab holds the club record for all-time top-scorer

Mark Bridge currently holds the team record for total number of games played with 141 matches. Nikolai Topor-Stanley has the second most appearances for the club with 125 matches. Brendon Santalab is the third most capped player with 114 matches.[158]

Western Sydney Wanderers all-time highest goalscorer in all competitions is Brendon Santalab with 41 goals. The player with the second most goals scored for Wanderers is Mark Bridge, who has scored 38 goals for the club, followed by Oriol Riera with 31 goals scored in all competitions.[158]

Wanderers highest home A-League attendance at Parramatta Stadium is 19,627 for a Sydney Derby match on 16 January 2016,[159] whilst the club's highest attendance in any competition at Parramatta Stadium is 20,053, set in the 2014 AFC Champions League Final first leg against Al-Hilal FC. The highest home attendance at any stadium for Western Sydney Wanderers is 61,880 for a Sydney Derby match at Stadium Australia on Saturday 9 October 2016.

Team records

Season-by-season record


This is a partial list of the last five seasons the Wanderers have participated in. For the full season-by-season history, see List of Western Sydney Wanderers FC seasons.

Season League Finals Australia Cup Other competitions Top goalscorer(s) Coach
Division P W D L GF GA Pts Pos ACL CWC Name(s) Goals
2018–19 A-League 27 6 6 15 42 54 24 8th SF   Oriol Riera 13   Markus Babbel
2019–20 A-League 26 9 6 11 35 40 33 9th QF   Mitchell Duke 14   Markus Babbel
  Jean-Paul de Marigny
2020–21 A-League 26 9 8 9 45 43 35 8th n/a[a]   Bruce Kamau 9   Carl Robinson
2021–22 A-League Men 26 6 9 11 30 38 27 10th R16   Tomer Hemed 6   Carl Robinson
  Mark Rudan
2022–23(As of 5th March) A-League Men 19 8 7 4 27 17 31 2nd PR   Brandon Borrello 8   Mark Rudan

A-League Grand Finals

Season Opponent Score Goalscorer(s) Location Attendance
2013 Central Coast Mariners 0–2 Allianz Stadium, Sydney 42,102
2014 Brisbane Roar 1–2* Špiranović   56' Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane 51,153
2016 Adelaide United 1–3 Neville   58' Adelaide Oval, Adelaide 50,119

* - Match was decided during extra time

Continental record

Season Competition Round Club Home Away Aggregate
2014 AFC Champions League Group H   Ulsan Hyundai 1–3 2–0 1st
  Guizhou Renhe 5–0 1–0
  Kawasaki Frontale 1–0 1–2
Round of 16   Sanfrecce Hiroshima 2–0 1–3 3–3 (a)
Quarter-finals   Guangzhou Evergrande 1–0 1–2 2–2 (a)
Semi-finals   FC Seoul 2–0 0–0 2–0
Final   Al-Hilal 1–0 0–0 1–0
2015 AFC Champions League Group H   Kashima Antlers 1–2 3–1 3rd
  Guangzhou Evergrande 2–3 2–0
  FC Seoul 1–1 0–0
2017 AFC Champions League Group F   Urawa Red Diamonds 0–4 1–6 4th
  Shanghai SIPG 3–2 1–5
  FC Seoul 2–3 3–2

AFC Club Ranking

As of 6th of March 2023[161]
Current Rank Country Team Points
128   Saipa F.C   1319
129   S.C. Damash Gilan  1317
130   Western Sydney Wanderers   1316
131   Melbourne Victory   1315
132   Al Raed   1314

Updated 14 May 2022

Honours

Domestic

Continental

International

Award

See also

Notes

  1. ^ Western Sydney did not enter the 2020 FFA Cup due to the event being cancelled following the COVID-19 pandemic in Australia, with only a limited number of preliminary rounds being played.[160]

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External links

  • Official website
  • Official corporate website 18 January 2019 at the Wayback Machine
  • Supporters website
  • Red and Black Block

western, sydney, wanderers, this, article, about, soccer, team, women, soccer, club, league, women, western, sydney, wanderers, football, club, colloquially, known, western, sydney, simply, wanderers, australian, professional, soccer, club, based, western, syd. This article is about the men s soccer team For the women s soccer club see Western Sydney Wanderers FC A League Women Western Sydney Wanderers Football Club colloquially known as Western Sydney or simply as Wanderers is an Australian professional soccer club based in the Western Sydney region of Sydney New South Wales It competes in the country s premier competition the A League under licence from The Australian Professional Leagues APL formerly under licence by the Football Federation Australia FFA 1 The club had established itself as a major force in both Australia and Asia having won one A League Premiership and an AFC Champions League title in its history Western Sydney WanderersFull nameWestern Sydney Wanderers Football ClubNickname s Wanderers WSW Western SydneyShort nameWSWFounded4 April 2012 10 years ago 2012 04 04 GroundCommBank StadiumCapacity30 000OwnerPaul Lederer Jefferson Cheng Glenn DuncanChairmanPaul LedererManagerMark RudanLeagueA League Men2021 2210th of 12WebsiteClub websiteHome coloursAway coloursCurrent seasonFormed in April 2012 by FFA Wanderers was established with a strong community focus A series of community forums across Western Sydney helped choose the club s name and colours as well as its culture and playing style The club s record breaking inaugural season won them an A League premiership and saw the club reach the 2013 A League Grand Final The club followed that up by contesting the 2014 A League Grand Final and securing second place in their second season of the league The club was also crowned Asian champions in their Champions League debut season becoming the first and so far only Australian side to win the tournament The club is run from a facility based in Blacktown and currently plays matches at Western Sydney Stadium Their foundation home ground of Parramatta Stadium was closed amp demolished in 2017 as part of process for building the new stadium An academy youth team competes in the National Youth League and the National Premier Leagues NSW A women s team competes in the W League The youth and women s matches are played at various locations across Western Sydney including Marconi Stadium Campbelltown Stadium and Cook Park The club also has a Powerchair Football team which competes in the NSW Western Division Powerchair Football League with matches played at Football NSW Headquarters Contents 1 History 1 1 Origins 1 2 Foundations 1 3 Popovic era 1 3 1 Inaugural season 1 3 2 2013 14 season 1 3 3 2014 15 season 1 3 3 1 Asian Champions League title 1 3 4 2015 16 season 1 3 5 2016 17 season 1 4 Gombau era 1 4 1 2017 18 season 1 5 Babbel era 1 5 1 2018 19 season 1 5 2 2019 20 season 1 6 Jean Paul de Marigny era 1 7 Robinson era 1 7 1 2020 21 season 1 7 2 2021 22 season 1 8 Rudan era 2 Colours and badge 3 Sponsorship 4 Club facilities 4 1 Stadiums 4 1 1 Locations 5 Support 6 Rivalries 7 Ownership 8 Players 8 1 First team squad 8 2 Youth 8 3 On loan 9 Club officials 9 1 Head coach record 10 Captaincy history 11 Records 12 Team records 12 1 Season by season record 12 2 A League Grand Finals 12 3 Continental record 12 4 AFC Club Ranking 13 Honours 13 1 Domestic 13 2 Continental 13 3 International 13 4 Award 14 See also 15 Notes 16 References 17 External linksHistory EditOrigins Edit See also Expansion of the A League Western Sydney continues to be an important region for FFA It is the heartland of football in NSW it is one of the most popular football regions in the country and we ve always said we ve wanted to have an A League team to represent the Western Sydney region FFA CEO Ben Buckley on the prospect of a club September 2009 2 The Western Sydney region was regarded as a potential location for one of the founding A League clubs in 2005 originally intended to be the base for Sydney FC When Sydney FC put forward their bid to participate in the inaugural A League season Football NSW which backed the bid desired for the club s home ground to be Parramatta Stadium in Western Sydney 3 Though after winning the A League licence Football Federation Australia FFA Chairman Frank Lowy forced a number of changes to the bid The main of these were in moving the club to Sydney Football Stadium in the Eastern Suburbs of Sydney and simultaneously reducing Football NSW s involvement from 100 to 25 percent 3 Frank Lowy s son David Lowy was also installed as a major investor 3 In response Football NSW made the decision to pull out its involvement with Sydney FC amid claims the A League club had become a plaything for Frank Lowy and his family 3 Football NSW stated its dislike of Lowy s autocratic style in establishing the club and the perceived lack of consultation on key club issues 3 4 An unsuccessful bid named Sydney Blues which had proposed to play at the Sydney Football Stadium was the only other Sydney based bid 5 Sydney FC entered the A League with a five year city exclusivity deal as part of the league s one city one team policy preventing the establishment of another Sydney based club until the deal expired 6 By 2008 as the five year deal wound to its conclusion FFA announced its intention to expand the A League with a second Sydney based club a favourable option 7 FFA received 10 expressions of interest two of which from potential Western Sydney based teams 8 Despite the unsuccessful attempt to establish a Western Sydney based team in the form of Sydney Rovers due to financial and technical reasons 9 FFA were still strongly committed in pursuing a club in the region 10 Foundations Edit The catalyst for the formation of the Western Sydney Wanderers was FFA revoking Gold Coast United s A League licence on 29 February 2012 After a series of running battles between FFA and Clive Palmer owner of Gold Coast United over topics such as crowd control stadium attendance capacities and breaches of A League regulations 11 The loss of Gold Coast United brought the league down to nine clubs one fewer than what FFA needed for their upcoming television rights negotiations 12 On 4 April 2012 then FFA CEO Ben Buckley announced the creation of New Sydney Club based in the city s west to play in the A League 13 The new club would be set up to compete in the 2012 13 season though despite several attempts by FFA to find a backer to own and run the club no individual owner or consortium of owners decided to take on the new Sydney club 14 With the October deadline approaching FFA decided to push through the club by taking on the ownership role themselves 15 This was helped by securing 4 million from the Australian Government in a grant for the creation and ongoing costs of the club 16 As notable Australian soccer players Scott Chipperfield Tim Cahill and Lucas Neill expressed their support for the Western Sydney based club 17 so did the local soccer community with FFA holding supporter forums in Mount Pritchard Parramatta Rooty Hill Penrith Castle Hill Campbelltown and Bankstown where community members discussed such topics as the club s values and culture playing style home ground and proposed names and colours 18 19 20 Following the community forums FFA launched an online survey to decide on various options for the new club 21 It covered similar aspects of culture location team colour and playing style A final survey was later launched with a specific focus on the club s colours and name Options for team colours were black and red black and white and red white and black Options for the team name were Athletic Wanderers Wolves Strikers and Rangers 22 The first three signed players Mooy Elrich and Appiah at the club s launch On 17 May 2012 former A League head Lyall Gorman was appointed Chairman of the as yet unnamed club 23 Tony Popovic was also announced as the inaugural head coach of the Western Sydney team Popovic joined the club after requesting to be released from the final year of his contracted role as assistant coach of Crystal Palace after ending talks with both A League Sydney clubs and stating his desire to build a club from scratch as an opportunity he could not pass up Popovic signed with the Western Sydney team to take the helm for four seasons 24 On 22 May 2012 Popovic s close friend Ante Milicic also joined the club as assistant coach 25 On 25 June 2012 the official club name logo and colours were formally announced 26 The name Western Sydney Wanderers FC was officially released as was the club logo the home playing strip the home ground Parramatta Stadium and the first three signed players Aaron Mooy Tarek Elrich and Kwabena Appiah 27 The name Wanderers had been an overwhelming favourite among fans and community groups with it also paying homage to Wanderers F C the first registered soccer club in Australia who played in the area in 1880 28 Popovic era Edit Inaugural season Edit With the start of Western Sydney Wanderers first season approaching Tony Popovic was charged with putting together a competitive squad for the 2012 13 A League which would be the team s only competition of the season The squad was made up of relative unknowns though included former Japan international and Asian Footballer of the Year Shinji Ono as well as Jerome Polenz Mateo Poljak Youssouf Hersi Iacopo La Rocca and Dino Kresinger 29 On 6 October 2012 Western Sydney Wanderers played their first competitive match of any kind against reigning A League Premiers Central Coast Mariners in the first round of the league The match ended in a 0 0 draw 30 It took the team a further three weeks until the fourth round of the league to win their first competitive match of any kind after two consecutive losses one of which the first Sydney Derby the encounter against reigning A League Champions Brisbane Roar ended 0 1 in favour of Wanderers with Mark Bridge netting the club s first competitive goal after the team failed to score in their opening three games 31 A slow start into the team s first season soon turned positive as Western Sydney Wanderers quickly emerged as one of the leading soccer clubs in Australia 32 A historic record breaking season in the league saw the club break an all time Australian national league record and win their first A League Premiership after topping the A League table through a record undefeated streak which included 10 straight wins 33 34 This feat gained the club direct qualification into the 2014 AFC Champions League as well as a place in the A League finals series A 2 0 win against Brisbane Roar in the semi finals of the finals series lead the club to the 2013 A League Grand Final which on 21 April 2013 Wanderers eventually lost 0 2 to Central Coast Mariners at a sold out Sydney Football Stadium 35 The success of the club s first season was pitted on first time coach Popovic who had built the team from its foundations in the space of only five months 36 Popovic was awarded A League Coach of the Year and goalkeeper Ante Covic Goalkeeper of the Year 37 The club s inaugural success both on and off the field sparked much interest worldwide though most notably within Australia where soccer has often struggled to gain mainstream interest 38 2013 14 season Edit The club s second season saw Brendon Santalab and Australian international Matthew Spiranovic join the team 39 Wanderers held second position behind Brisbane Roar throughout the majority of the season despite criticism over the team s squad rotation policy which Popovic implemented with consideration to the AFC Champions League and the short turnaround between matches 40 On 26 February 2014 the club made their Champions League debut against Ulsan Hyundai A goal within the first minute of the match by Santalab was cancelled out as the South Korean side scored three unanswered goals to win the match 41 Nevertheless the team eventually finished top in their group to progress to the Round of 16 42 After finishing runners up in the 2013 14 A League season Wanderers secured direct qualification into the 2015 AFC Champions League as well as a place in the A League finals series A 2 0 win against Central Coast Mariners in the semi finals of the finals series on 26 April 2014 saw the team progress to their second A League Grand Final in as many seasons 43 On 4 May 2014 Western Sydney Wanderers competed against Brisbane Roar in the 2014 A League Grand Final at a sold out Lang Park 10 000 Wanderers supporters travelled north for the occasion 44 but after taking the lead through a header from Spiranovic the team failed to hold the lead late in the game later letting slip the A League Championship during extra time 45 Following the loss the team was forced a quick turnaround for their home and final leg of the Champions League Round of 16 a home and away series against Japanese side Sanfrecce Hiroshima Despite being down 3 1 on aggregate the team managed to overturn the result and win 2 0 to progress to the quarter finals in what was Ono s Hersi s Polenz s and inaugural captain Michael Beauchamp s final match for the club 46 We were called a small club yesterday Today we are the biggest in Asia Tony Popovic on winning the 2014 AFC Champions League November 2014 47 Covic Hamill Topor Stanley C Cole Golec Poljak La Rocca Appiah Haliti Bridge Santalab2014 AFC Champions League final second leg starting lineup 2014 15 season Edit Western Sydney Wanderers supporters celebrating win in Asian Champions League Prior to the 2014 15 season the club signed Brazilian midfielder Vitor Saba as well as Seyi Adeleke Dutch international Romeo Castelen and Australian international Nikita Rukavytsya 48 On 12 August 2014 Western Sydney Wanderers competed against Adelaide City in the first round of the inaugural season of the FFA Cup 49 The match ended 1 0 in favour to Adelaide City with Wanderers becoming the first professional club to lose to a semi professional side in the competition 50 Asian Champions League title Edit The Cup loss was directly followed by Wanderers continued campaign in the 2014 AFC Champions League as due to the calendar format of the Asian tournament the quarter finals a home and away series against Guangzhou Evergrande resumed after a three month break 51 The first match was won by Wanderers 1 0 and a 2 1 loss in the second leg was enough to see the club progress to the semi finals due to the away goals rule 52 The first leg of the semi final clash against FC Seoul ended in a 0 0 draw 53 In the return leg Wanderers defeated FC Seoul 2 0 courtesy to goals from Mateo Poljak and Shannon Cole which advanced the club to the 2014 AFC Champions League Final 54 In the first leg of the Champions League final Wanderers defeated Al Hilal 1 0 at home 55 and on 1 November 2014 Western Sydney Wanderers won the AFC Champions League after managing a goalless draw in the second leg of the final against Al Hilal winning 1 0 on aggregate courtesy of Tomi Juric s goal They became the first Australian team to be crowned Asian champions an achievement they reached in only their first attempt in the Asian tournament There were some controversial decisions from the Japanese referee Yuichi Nishimura where Al Hilal felt they deserved two clear penalties 56 Prior to the final match Wanderers were criticised by the opposition coach in the media after being crowned Asian champions Tony Popovic responded by saying We were called a small club yesterday today we are the biggest in Asia 47 At the 2014 AFC Annual Awards Western Sydney Wanderers was named Asian Club of the Year and Tony Popovic Asian Coach of the Year 57 The club s Asian success however was not replicated in the beginning of the A League season with the team managing only three draws out of the first nine matches The team s poor domestic run was put on hold while the team travelled to Morocco for the 2014 FIFA Club World Cup where Wanderers faced Mexican side Cruz Azul in a quarter finals clash on 13 December 2014 After going down to 9 men Wanderers failed to hold onto the lead late into the match an unfavourable 3 1 scoreline in extra time saw Wanderers matched up against ES Setif of Algeria in a fifth place play off 58 A 2 2 draw led to a penalty shoot out which finished 5 4 in favour of the African champions ending Wanderers run in the tournament with the team finishing in sixth place 59 After returning home the team finished the year with a loss in Wellington in what was the team s 44th match in all competitions for the calendar year a record for an Australian club 60 A short mid season break gave Popovic the chance to organise the squad for the remainder of the season This included the addition of Japanese internationals Yusuke Tanaka and Yojiro Takahagi as well as Australian born Kerem Bulut among others as either injury replacements or squad replacements for Vitor Saba Seyi Adeleke and foundation player Kwabena Appiah 61 As the season resumed it became apparent that a heavy schedule would be the team s downfall 62 Wanderers had to manage entering into the 2015 AFC Champions League group stage with the former season s rivals Guangzhou Evergrande and FC Seoul as well as rescheduled mid week league fixtures After a grueling three months the club ended their third season in the league in ninth position 63 whilst their Champions League season also ended unfavourably with the title holders eliminated from the group stage finishing third in their group 64 2015 16 season Edit The beginning of the 2015 16 season saw Popovic extended his initial contract with the club for a further three seasons 65 The effects from the 2014 15 season were felt by the players as Popovic released almost half the squad 66 In their place Popovic signed 3 Spanish foreign players and Italian striker Federico Piovaccari as a marquee In the FFA Cup the Wanderers progressed with wins against Brisbane Roar amp Palm Beach then were beaten in a penalty shootout against Perth Glory in the quarter final After a slow start to the 2015 16 A League season with only 1 point after three matches Wanderers found their winning ways with a seven game winning streak to see the team top the league table The club was unable to stay on top of the league however and after mixed results in the final half of the season they finished 2nd below Adelaide United who the Wanderers had failed to beat in the last few weeks of the season In their final series semi final match Wanderers hosted Brisbane Roar at Parramatta Stadium in the last game before the stadium was demolished In front of a sold out crowd of 20 084 Brisbane started the game strongly by racing to a 3 0 lead inside 23 minutes but the Wanderers responded with two goals to make it 3 2 at half time Romeo Castelen scored an equaliser then put the Wanderers 4 3 in front only for Brisbane to score again to take the game to extra time In the 102nd minute substitute Dario Vidosic scored the decisive goal to send Wanderers to a third Grand Final in four years 67 In the 2016 A League Grand Final Adelaide United defeat Wanderers 3 1 in front of a crowd of 50 119 15 players left the club at the end of the season 2016 17 season Edit The 2016 17 A League season began when Western Sydney Wanderers played home to Sydney FC at ANZ Stadium with Sydney FC winning 4 0 After three years without a derby win on the 18th of February Western Sydney Wanderers beat Sydney FC 1 0 at ANZ Stadium Brendon Santalab scoring off a Mitch Nichols cross in the first half Three days after the Sydney Derby they started their Asian Champions League campaign by losing 4 0 to Urawa Reds and subsequent results saw them fail to qualify from the Group Stage After defeating Wellington Phoenix 3 1 they confirmed their place in the A League finals with Brendon Santalab scoring twice to make him the Wanderers all time leading goal scorer The team qualified for the A League finals to played the 3rd place Brisbane Roar The game ended 1 1 after extra time and Wanderers lost the penalty shoot out ending their domestic season Gombau era Edit 2017 18 season Edit The Wanderers began this season with the FFA Cup They started by defeating Wellington Phoenix 1 0 with new marquee signing Oriol Riera scoring in the 120th minute of the game A routine 4 0 defeat of Bentleigh Greens followed in the Round of 16 The quarter final match against Blacktown City FC was an epic encounter The Wanderers went out to an early 1 0 lead through an Oriol Riera penalty kick Blacktown hit back in the second half and took the game to extra time where substitute James Andrew scored to put Blacktown ahead Riera popped up again in the 111th minute to equalise and the Wanderers held their nerve in the shootout to win it 4 2 In a huge shock for the A League and the Wanderers in particular on 1 October 2017 foundation coach Tony Popovic quit the club to join Karabukspor in the Turkish Super Lig taking with him assistant manager Andres Carrasco amp goalkeeping coach Zeljko Kalac The Wanderers installed Hayden Foxe as caretaker manager while they looked to appoint a full time manager After defeating Perth Glory in the opening round they lost the FFA Cup Semi Final against Adelaide United Josep Gombau was announced as the new manager for the Wanderers on 1 November 2017 68 His first game in charge was a 1 1 home draw against Melbourne City The team then lost 3 in a row against Adelaide Brisbane and a 5 0 drubbing against city rivals Sydney FC Gombau stabilised the team somewhat in the busy January new year period where he went 4 games without loss between January 1 to January 18 but the team were unable to string together more than 2 wins in a row A 3 0 win against Brisbane in the penultimate week of the season put them in the last play off position 1 point ahead of Brisbane and Perth who were facing each other in the final week While a win would have secured a finals berth as Brisbane defeated Perth 3 2 the Wanderers season fell apart in the second half Having taken an early lead with an Oriol Riera goal the Wanderers conceded two goals to Adelaide before Marcelo Carrusca levelled the game heading into half time The 62nd minute sending off of Keanu Baccus for kicking out at an opponent left them a man down and needing to attack As they pushed players forward Adelaide kept breaking on the counter attack eventually scoring the winning goal in the 80th minute through Ryan Kitto On the 19 April after a disappointing season where the Wanderers failed to qualify for the 2017 18 A League finals and players making problems with his management style known to reporters and the public Gombau was fired 69 The Wanderers finished the season in 7th place on 33 points two behind Brisbane one ahead of Perth having won 8 games drew 9 lost 10 scoring 38 goals and conceding 47 against Babbel era Edit 2018 19 season Edit After Gombau was sacked the Wanderers looked to Europe and appointed former German international player Markus Babbel to take over the side on 19 May 2018 70 The team stumbled through to the Semi Final of the FFA Cup with narrow victories over far inferior competition requiring a 92nd minute winner from Roly Bonevacia to defeat the amateur Darwin side Hellenic Athletic 4 3 before a 2 1 win against 3rd tier side Bonnyrigg White Eagles FC in the Round of 16 They faced A League opposition in the Quarter Finals defeating Melbourne City FC in a scrappy 2 1 game before bowing out of the competition in a comprehensive defeat by rival side Sydney FC in the first FFA Cup Sydney Derby The A League season began poorly for the Wanderers winning just two games in the first half of the season in Rounds 3 and 7 That second win against the Central Coast Mariners was the last win for 10 games and included losing 6 games in a row in the congested January period Babbel made multiple signings in the January transfer window bringing in Mitchell Duke Kwame Yeboah and Giancarlo Gallifuoco as an injury replacement for Jordan O Doherty who suffered an Anterior Cruciate Ligament injury Performances improved in the second half of the season winning games against the Mariners Adelaide amp Brisbane Roar as well as a shock 3 0 win against Melbourne City Ultimately their early season form ensured that the 3 2 Round 24 loss against Newcastle Jets was the final blow in their hopes to play in the A League finals series The final Sydney Derby to be played at ANZ Stadium was a 1 1 draw leaving games against the Central Coast and then Melbourne Victory to end their three year nomadic existence away from their newly opened Western Sydney Stadium 2019 20 season Edit The Wanderers began the season their first at the Western Sydney Stadium in Parramatta with a stadium opening friendly against English EFL Championship side Leeds United on Saturday 20 July 2019 Leeds won 2 1 The Wanderers played their first A league match at their new home Bankwest Stadium on 12 October 2019 They defeated the Central Coast Mariners 2 1 They then won their next 2 matches with a 2 1 win against Melbourne Victory and a 1 0 victory over Sydney FC in front of a record crowd of 28 519 On 16 January striker Simon Cox joined the club after his departure from English League One outfit Southend United replacing Alexander Meier On 20 January Babbel was sacked due to a run of poor performances and Jean Paul de Marigny was named as the caretaker 71 Jean Paul de Marigny era Edit Having taken over as interim coach from Round 17 of the 2019 20 season the club played 7 games winning 3 drawing 3 and losing 1 game The 1 1 draw with Sydney FC during the final Sydney Derby of the season saw the Wanderers go through a season without losing a game to Sydney FC When the league was suspended in March as a result of the COVID 19 pandemic in Australia the results did little to improve the club position on the competition ladder although they had closed the gap on the position above from 2 points to 1 and improved their goal different deficit They entered the suspension period in 8th place four points behind the last finals position On 14 July 2020 de Marigny was elevated to the full time position with his contract to run until the end of the 2020 21 A League season The league resumed in July with the club playing 5 games to finish the season They drew the first game won the second lost two games that effectively ended their chances of making the finals series including a heavy 5 3 loss against Western United and ended the season with a narrow win against Melbourne Victory The club ended the season in 9th place with 33 points coming from 9 wins 6 draws and 11 losses from 26 games The Wanderers then sacked de Marigny on 12 October 2020 offering a short statement that they had parted ways and were going to appoint a new coach in the coming days 72 Robinson era Edit Three days after the sacking of de Marigny the club appointed Carl Robinson on 15 October 2020 as the new head coach Robinson a Welsh ex international was the current head coach of fellow A League side the Newcastle Jets and had lost only a single game since his arrival at Newcastle earlier in the year It was reported in the media that Robinson had a release clause in his contract that allowed him to leave the Jets with the dire financial situation of Newcastle whose owner Martin Lee had not funded the club since October 2019 and was stripped of his license 73 2020 21 season Edit The Wanderers began the 2020 21 A League season by releasing Radoslaw Majewski Nicholas Suman Mathieu Cordier Nick Sullivan Tristan Prendergast Matthew Jurman and Mitchell Duke Pirmin Schwegler also retired from professional soccer Several youth players were promoted including Jarrod Carluccio and 16 year old Allesandro Lopane while German winger Nicolai Muller earned a contract extension Although Daniel Lopar had left Australia during the COVID lockdown which saw him miss the end of the previous season he returned to Australia in late October then left again as the cancellation of the league s TV rights deal caused a collapse in funding requiring players to agree to new lower paid contracts or to leave Robinson bought in a raft of players to replace them including Bernie Ibini James Troisi and Jordon Mutch Duke a Wanderers talisman also return to the club 8 games into the season on a short term loan deal Performances during the season were inconsistent but poor overall With the fixture list impacted by COVID delays amp cancellations there was a brief period when the Wanderers were in first place on the A League ladder but they did so having played four games while the other clubs had played less as low as 1 game in the case of Perth Glory amp Melbourne Victory After their 13th game and on a winning run of 3 games the Wanderers were in 2nd place on 22 points 3 points behind the surprise package Central Coast Mariners It was the high point of the season as the side failed to win any of the next 6 games This included a dismal loss to the last placed Melbourne Victory who leapt out to a 5 1 lead before three Wanderers goals late in the game including a long range strike from Muller made the final score 5 4 as Bruce Kamau missed a glorious chance to level the game in the 95th minute The other teams had begun to catch up the amount of games played and the Wanderers position on the ladder sank like a rock falling to 9th place on 25 points level with Wellington Phoenix but behind on goal difference Winning the 2nd Sydney Derby by 3 2 was followed by a 5 0 win against Western United but the inconsistency reared up again as the next match an away trip to Perth saw the club lose 5 0 allowing Andy Keogh to go from having a scoreless season to four in a single game Sydney FC finally overcame their 887 day wait for a Derby win as they completed a comfortable 1 0 win at the Sydney Cricket Ground with the video review system ruling out a goal for each side A 2 1 loss at Parramatta to Wellington Phoenix left the Wanderers requiring wins in their final two games and for a large number of other results to go their way 2021 22 season Edit Robinson was fired after 7 games of the 2021 22 A League season with the Wanderers in 2nd last place after the side were defeated 3 0 by fellow cellar dwellers Brisbane Roar The Wanderers had also been embarrassingly eliminated from the 2021 FFA Cup in a 2 1 Round of 16 loss to semi professional side APIA Leichhardt FC where Robinson s team selection was criticised as a second string team in a competition the club had vowed to take seriously He left the club on 30 January 2022 74 Rudan era Edit Mark Rudan was appointed as his replacement with a contract lasting the remainder of the 2021 22 season 75 His first game in charge was a 1 0 win against Perth Glory with Jack Rodwell scoring the winner in the 25th minute Inconsistent results followed with the side unable to put together two wins in a row and they remained firmly in the bottom half of the table The highlight of the season was defeating Sydney FC in a comprehensive 2 0 win on 5 March 2022 a day after the club announced they had given Rudan an extended contract through the 2021 22 2022 23 and 2023 24 seasons 76 Starting with a 0 0 draw against Adelaide United the team began a 5 game run without a win followed by a win against Newcastle then a 1 0 loss to Wellington Phoenix that made qualification for the finals extremely unlikely and exposed the side to a potential 2022 Australia Cup qualifying play off against another side in the bottom 4 A League teams A player exodus begun in earnest as Keanu Baccus who was the club s second most capped player and Phillip Cancar signed for clubs in the Scottish Premier League 77 Colours and badge EditWestern Sydney Wanderers club colours are red and black The club s colours as well as its inaugural season kit was announced on 25 June 2012 at a press conference held at Parramatta Stadium 27 The kit featured a red and black hoop jersey white shorts and black socks 78 The red and black colour scheme was popular during the supporter forums and the hoop design emerged along with vertical stripes as the two most popular style choices The club s second kit worn when playing away from home has the same hoop design as the home kit The first away kit included a red and white jersey black shorts and white socks The team s current away kit features white and gray hoops with white shorts and socks 79 The club badge incorporates the key elements of the Western Sydney landscape the mountains valleys and winding river system that runs throughout the region 80 The badge includes the name of the club in Futura typeface with white writing and a stylised W S and W pattern to represent the club s initials 27 Following their success at the 2014 AFC Champions League the club announced that a star would be added to the top of the club s badge 81 The new addition was not yet worn by the team until a national standard regarding such symbols was introduced by FFA in January 2015 The new standard allowed the team to wear a gold star in perpetuity and in all competitions in recognition to the Asian title won 82 Sponsorship EditAmerican manufacturer Nike signed a five year partnership deal to start in the new club s first season 78 NRMA Insurance signed a three year partnership as the major sponsor and Westfield a two year partnership deal to start in Wanderers first season 83 84 Mitsubishi Electric signed a multi year partnership deal for the 2013 14 season and onwards 85 Visy Industries was announced as the club s major corporate partner for the 2014 AFC Champions League 86 On 28 November 2014 the club confirmed that NRMA Insurance extended its initial three year sponsorship for three more years 87 88 Pepper was announced as the major sponsor for the 2015 AFC Champions League title defence campaign 89 Aetos was announced as the main sponsor for the Wanderers in the 2017 AFC Champions League 90 Period Kit manufacturer A League kit partners Year AFC kit partnersShirt major Shirt minor Shorts2012 2013 Nike NRMA Insurance Hyundai Westfield 2014 Visy2013 2017 Mitsubishi Electric Pepper Hyundai Westfield Foxtel Primo 2015 Pepper2017 2018 Westfield Aqualand JD 2017 Aetos2018 2020 Centuria Capital Group Home JD Sports Away and Third kit 2020 Kappa 91 Voltaren Home 92 JD Sports Away and Third kit 93 Club facilities EditThe club s office and training facilities are located in the one location Blacktown International Sportspark This was done to foster a sense of belonging for all members of the staff no matter what position they hold at the club 94 It was initially believed that the club s administration and training facilities would be based at Football New South Wales headquarters at Valentine Park in Parklea but the facilities at the ground were not to the standard required Parramatta Council as part of its bid to host the team in the city offered Council owned office space inside the Parramatta CBD but this was declined in favour of staying at Blacktown 95 In September 2015 the club announced the formation of a formal partnership with Blacktown City Council that made the Sportspark the long term training and administrative home of the Wanderers The club spent 15 million to create a high quality Wanderers Training amp Administration Centre with a large number of football fields parking and landscaping as well as a High Performance Centre providing aquatics recovery an indoor hall cutting edge sports science analysis rooms gym and hospitality facilities 96 Stadiums Edit Locations Edit Further information Parramatta Stadium ANZ Stadium Sydney Showground Stadium and Western Sydney Stadium Western Sydney Stadium current home ground Sydney Showground Stadium former home ground of Wanderers A Wanderers match in progress at Parramatta Stadium Coordinates Location Stadium Capacity Year33 48 29 S 150 59 59 E 33 808056 S 150 999722 E 33 808056 150 999722 Parramatta New South Wales Parramatta Stadium 24 000 2012 201633 50 35 S 151 04 04 E 33 843056 S 151 067778 E 33 843056 151 067778 Sydney Olympic Park New South Wales Sydney Showground Stadium 24 000 2016 201933 50 50 S 151 03 48 E 33 847222 S 151 063333 E 33 847222 151 063333 Sydney Olympic Park New South Wales Stadium Australia 83 500 2016 201933 48 29 S 150 59 59 E 33 808056 S 150 999722 E 33 808056 150 999722 Parramatta New South Wales Western Sydney Stadium 30 000 2019 On 26 July 2012 it was officially announced that Parramatta Stadium would be the home ground of the club for all its home games 97 Lyall Gorman the club s Chairman acknowledged that the feedback he had received from the fan forums was in favour of a single home ground and that the club must be based in the Greater Western Sydney 98 Parramatta Stadium was seen as ideal compared to other alternatives at Sydney Olympic Park Penrith or Campbelltown as its rectangular size is better suited for games and it has a capacity of over 20 000 99 The prospect of the club one day owning its own stadium was also initially brought up 100 During Western Sydney Wanderers home games the stadium is commonly referred to as Wanderland Named after the team name and reference to former theme park in Western Sydney Wonderland Since 2010 plans to redevelop Parramatta Stadium were in the works with some smaller expansion taking place With soccer being played year round at Parramatta Stadium by Western Sydney Wanderers and the Parramatta Eels rugby league club the potential for an upgrade and expansion of the stadium was heightened By mid 2015 a refurbishment of corporate facilities player facilities and stadium amenities had been complete while a decision to increase the capacity to the ground had stalled 101 In September 2015 the state government announced that the stadium would be demolished and replaced with the Western Sydney Stadium a new 30 000 seat boutique venue on the same site Construction was completed by 2019 with the official opening on 14 April 2019 102 During the construction period home games were shifted for three seasons to a combination of Sydney Showground Stadium a 25 000 seat oval configured stadium and Stadium Australia an 83 000 seat rectangular venue both of which are located in Sydney Olympic Park 103 Campbelltown Stadium is a sporadically used stadium for the Wanderers The stadium has hosted two A League games between the Wanderers amp the Newcastle Jets an FFA Cup game against Wellington Phoenix and all 3 home matches of the 2017 AFC Champions League Group Stage Penrith Stadium hosted a Wanderers pre season game against Adelaide United in 2013 an A League game against Wellington Phoenix amp an FFA Cup game against Brisbane Roar in 2015 and also sees occasional use by the Women s W League team Marconi Stadium was another venue used for pre season fixtures Women amp Youth team matches The Blacktown International Sportspark is a regular venue for the W League and Youth League teams with the club sharing the boutique stadium with Blacktown Spartans FC In 2019 the club opened the Wanderers Centre Of Football a 15 million facility with a boutique stadium that replicates the playing surface of the Western Sydney Stadium The W League team played its first game there on 2 January 2021 winning the match 2 1 against the Newcastle Jets Support EditSeason Attendance Members2012 13 12 466 7 5002013 14 14 860 16 1002014 15 12 520 18 7062015 16 14 297 18 3702016 17 17 745 20 0212017 18 11 924 19 0252018 19 9 191 16 6232019 20 9 872 17 325 Affected by COVID Restrictions 104 2020 21 8 062 18 536It s hard for a coach to control what s happening on the field when the noise levels are so high John Aloisi commenting on the home crowd after losing to the Wanderers in the 2015 16 A League semi finals April 2016 105 Western Sydney Wanderers fans at Parramatta Stadium West Sydney Terrace supporters group at Sydney Showground Stadium Western Sydney Wanderers is one of the A League s better supported clubs 106 The main supporters group for the club is the Red and Black Bloc RBB 107 The independent group was established in June 2012 with its founding members connecting months before that on online forums and holding meetings at Parramatta s Woolpack Hotel 108 The group made its first appearance attending the club s first ever game on 25 July 2012 where Wanderers played Nepean FC at Cook Park 109 At the match the group gathered at the northern end of the ground and were vocal in the support of the new team The Daily Telegraph noted the impressive debut of the group 110 whilst The Sydney Morning Herald described the group as a noisy bunch on the northern hill 111 The RBB have received much praise and attention for the atmosphere and passion they produce most notably their call and response chant Who do we sing for 112 113 The RBB perform The Poznan at the 80 minute mark of matches in recognition of the history associated with soccer in Parramatta as the first ever game of the sport in Australia was played there in the year 1880 114 The group is also active in local charitable causes In the wake of the 2013 New South Wales bushfires disaster the RBB raised 15 000 to assist the NSW Salvation Army Bushfire Appeal 115 On 2 October 2014 5 000 Wanderers supporters attended a live screening of the second leg of the 2014 AFC Champions League Final at Centenary Square in the Parramatta CBD 116 The event was followed by thousands of fans turning up to welcome home the newly crowned champions of Asia at Sydney Airport 117 On 28 December 2013 supporters of Western Sydney Wanderers were involved in an altercation with a group of Melbourne Victory supporters in a Melbourne street before a league match The incident was followed by the club s supporters igniting a flare during the match in Melbourne Rectangular Stadium On 3 January 2014 FFA responded by charging both clubs with bringing the game into disrepute 118 Action was also taken against several individuals with police later charging three supporters involved in the incident within the following months 119 On 19 April 2013 Australian rock pop band Exit Row Andrew Torrisi Nick Ferreri Raf Lavorato Jeremy Azzopardi and Aaron Tarasiewicz released their debut single Welcome To Our Wanderland 120 a Western Sydney Wanderers anthem The song lyric was of the club the RBB and Western Sydney with the RBB chant Who do we sing for used in the chorus The song reached 93 on the Australian iTunes chart 121 By the end of their inaugural season Western Sydney Wanderers had grown its membership base to 7 500 people 122 with the club s total match attendance at home reaching 174 520 with an average of 12 466 123 By the beginning of their second season club membership had grown twofold to a set cap of 16 100 members with over 2 000 in waiting 124 In addition the second season saw a rise to 193 178 total and 14 860 average attendances to home games 125 By their third season the club had risen to 18 706 ticketed season members 126 Some notable Wanderers fans include Ian Dicko Dickson 127 128 129 Laura Dundovic 130 131 Nicole da Silva 132 133 Lucy Zelic 134 135 136 Paul Croft 137 Montaigne 138 and Jamie Soward 139 140 Rivalries EditMain article Sydney Derby A League Western Sydney Wanderers vs Sydney FC Overall Home AwayPld W D L GF GA GD Pts W D L GF GA GD W D L GF GA GD31 8 9 14 32 48 16 33 5 5 7 17 28 11 3 4 7 15 20 5Western Sydney Wanderers local rivals are Sydney FC The rivalry regarded as the biggest in the A League 141 is largely based upon the historical cultural and geographical East versus West mentality that takes place throughout sport and life in Sydney 142 though the rivalry between the two clubs also stems from the establishment and development of the A League which mirrored the pre existing cultural and social divide of the city The two clubs first met in Wanderers inaugural season during the third round of the league on 20 October 2012 with Wanderers losing the match 1 0 after a penalty scored by Alessandro Del Piero 143 On 15 December 2012 in the following derby Wanderers defeated Sydney FC 2 0 away from home with goals by Youssouf Hersi and Michael Beauchamp 144 During their third encounter on 23 March 2012 the two teams went on to draw 1 1 at Wanderers home ground The match saw much drama with nine yellows and two red cards shown on the night 145 In recent years the derby has been played in front of sold out crowds and the support in which both clubs receive has produced an unrivalled atmosphere and sense of occasion for a club match in Australia 146 Western Sydney Wanderers vs Macarthur FC Overall Home AwayPld W D L GF GA GD Pts W D L GF GA GD W D L GF GA GD5 0 2 3 4 9 5 2 0 0 2 0 3 3 0 2 1 4 6 2Another of the Western Sydney Wanderers local rivals are Macarthur FC 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 Wanderers losing the match 1 0 after a goal scored by Mark Milligan On 6 February 2021 in the following derby Wanderers drew 2 2 away from home with goals by Graham Dorrans and Simon Cox Ownership EditUpon establishing Western Sydney Wanderers in April 2012 FFA attempted to find a backer to own and run the club 14 Despite several attempts by FFA no individual owner or consortium of owners decided to take on the new Sydney based club thus FFA assumed ownership of the club taking on the role first two years of the club s existence with Lyall Gorman appointed chairman 15 23 In May 2014 it was confirmed that FFA had sold the club to a consortium headed by Australian businessman Paul Lederer who was also appointed the role of chairman while John Tsatsimas took up the role of the club s first CEO following his role as General Manager since the club s inception 147 148 Along with Lederer Jefferson Cheng Glenn Duncan and David Slade were part of the consortium of owners The new ownership became effective as of 30 June 2014 149 Players EditMain article List of Western Sydney Wanderers FC players For a list of all former and current Western Sydney Wanderers players with a Wikipedia article see Category Western Sydney Wanderers FC players Australian squads are limited to 23 players in the league competition five of whom may be without an Australian citizenship and three players must be under 23 years of age The squad list includes only the principal nationality of each player some players on the squad have dual citizenship with another country First team squad Edit As of 7 February 2023 150 For recent transfers see 2022 23 Western Sydney Wanderers FC season Transfers Note Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules Players may hold more than one non FIFA nationality No Pos Nation Player1 GK AUS Daniel Margush2 DF AUS Gabriel Cleur3 DF CIV Adama Traore4 MF FRA Morgan Schneiderlin on loan from Nice 5 DF AUS Tomislav Mrcela6 DF BRA Marcelo captain 8 MF AUS Oliver Bozanic9 FW AUS Kusini Yengi10 MF SRB Milos Ninkovic11 FW TUN Amor Layouni on loan from Valerenga 13 DF AUS Tate Russell14 MF AUS Nicolas Milanovic16 MF AUS Tom Beadling17 MF FRA Romain Amalfitano No Pos Nation Player19 DF AUS Daniel Wilmering20 GK AUS Lawrence Thomas21 MF AUS Jarrod Carluccio23 MF COD Yeni Ngbakoto26 MF AUS Brandon Borrello28 MF AUS Calem Nieuwenhof scholarship 29 MF AUS Terry Antonis31 FW AUS Aidan Simmons scholarship 32 FW AUS Nathaneal Blair scholarship 33 DF AUS Alex Bonetig scholarship 35 MF AUS Zac Sapsford36 MF AUS Alessandro Lopane scholarship 37 FW AUS Alexander Badolato scholarship DF AUS Rhys WilliamsYouth Edit Further information Western Sydney Wanderers FC Youth Players to have been featured in a first team matchday squad for Western Sydney Wanderers Note Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules Players may hold more than one non FIFA nationality No Pos Nation Player30 GK AUS Jack Warshawsky67 FW AUS Marcus YounisOn loan Edit Note Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules Players may hold more than one non FIFA nationality No Pos Nation Player12 DF AUS Ruon Tongyik at Mes Kerman until 30 June 2023 Club officials EditWestern Sydney Wanderers staffManagement 151 Paul Lederer Owner Chairman Jefferson Cheng Owner Glenn Duncan Owner David Slade Owner Scott Hudson CEO Coaches 152 Mark Rudan Head Coach Adam Griffiths Assistant Coach Tomi Vidovic Assistant Coach Jess Vanstrattan Goalkeeper Coach Ray Younis Strength and Conditioning Coach Elias Boukarim High Performance Manager Pedro Ramos Head Analyst Jean Paul de Marigny Wanderers Academy Technical Director Andrew Christensen Wanderers NPL Academy CoachHead coach record Edit Main article List of Western Sydney Wanderers FC managers Period Name G W D L PPG Honours2012 17 Tony Popovic 180 76 44 60 42 2 1 49 A League Premiers 2012 13A League Coach of the Year 2012 13 153 AFC Champions League 2014 154 Asian Coach of the Year 2014 155 2017 Hayden Foxe 6 1 4 1 16 7 1 402017 18 Josep Gombau 22 7 5 10 31 8 1 182018 20 Markus Babbel 48 15 8 25 31 3 1 102020 Jean Paul de Marigny 12 5 4 3 41 7 1 832020 22 Carl Robinson 35 11 11 13 31 4 1 262022 Mark Rudan 20 5 6 9 25 0 1 11Captaincy history EditWanderers captaincy history 156 Dates Name Notes Honours as captain 2012 2014 Michael Beauchamp Inaugural club captain 2012 13 A League Premiership2014 2016 Nikolai Topor Stanley 2014 AFC Champions League2016 2017 Dimas Delgado First foreign captain2017 2018 Robert Cornthwaite2018 2019 Brendan Hamill2019 2020 Mitchell Duke 157 2020 21 Dylan McGowan2021 22 Rhys Williams2022 MarceloRecords EditFurther information List of Western Sydney Wanderers FC records and statistics Brendon Santalab holds the club record for all time top scorer Mark Bridge currently holds the team record for total number of games played with 141 matches Nikolai Topor Stanley has the second most appearances for the club with 125 matches Brendon Santalab is the third most capped player with 114 matches 158 Western Sydney Wanderers all time highest goalscorer in all competitions is Brendon Santalab with 41 goals The player with the second most goals scored for Wanderers is Mark Bridge who has scored 38 goals for the club followed by Oriol Riera with 31 goals scored in all competitions 158 Wanderers highest home A League attendance at Parramatta Stadium is 19 627 for a Sydney Derby match on 16 January 2016 159 whilst the club s highest attendance in any competition at Parramatta Stadium is 20 053 set in the 2014 AFC Champions League Final first leg against Al Hilal FC The highest home attendance at any stadium for Western Sydney Wanderers is 61 880 for a Sydney Derby match at Stadium Australia on Saturday 9 October 2016 Team records EditSeason by season record Edit Main article List of Western Sydney Wanderers FC seasons This is a partial list of the last five seasons the Wanderers have participated in For the full season by season history see List of Western Sydney Wanderers FC seasons Season League Finals Australia Cup Other competitions Top goalscorer s CoachDivision P W D L GF GA Pts Pos ACL CWC Name s Goals2018 19 A League 27 6 6 15 42 54 24 8th SF Oriol Riera 13 Markus Babbel2019 20 A League 26 9 6 11 35 40 33 9th QF Mitchell Duke 14 Markus Babbel Jean Paul de Marigny2020 21 A League 26 9 8 9 45 43 35 8th n a a Bruce Kamau 9 Carl Robinson2021 22 A League Men 26 6 9 11 30 38 27 10th R16 Tomer Hemed 6 Carl Robinson Mark Rudan2022 23 As of 5th March A League Men 19 8 7 4 27 17 31 2nd PR Brandon Borrello 8 Mark RudanA League Grand Finals Edit Season Opponent Score Goalscorer s Location Attendance2013 Central Coast Mariners 0 2 Allianz Stadium Sydney 42 1022014 Brisbane Roar 1 2 Spiranovic 56 Suncorp Stadium Brisbane 51 1532016 Adelaide United 1 3 Neville 58 Adelaide Oval Adelaide 50 119 Match was decided during extra time Continental record Edit See also Western Sydney Wanderers FC in Asian football Season Competition Round Club Home Away Aggregate2014 AFC Champions League Group H Ulsan Hyundai 1 3 2 0 1st Guizhou Renhe 5 0 1 0 Kawasaki Frontale 1 0 1 2Round of 16 Sanfrecce Hiroshima 2 0 1 3 3 3 a Quarter finals Guangzhou Evergrande 1 0 1 2 2 2 a Semi finals FC Seoul 2 0 0 0 2 0Final Al Hilal 1 0 0 0 1 02015 AFC Champions League Group H Kashima Antlers 1 2 3 1 3rd Guangzhou Evergrande 2 3 2 0 FC Seoul 1 1 0 02017 AFC Champions League Group F Urawa Red Diamonds 0 4 1 6 4th Shanghai SIPG 3 2 1 5 FC Seoul 2 3 3 2AFC Club Ranking Edit As of 6th of March 2023 161 Current Rank Country Team Points128 Saipa F C 1319129 S C Damash Gilan 1317130 Western Sydney Wanderers 1316131 Melbourne Victory 1315132 Al Raed 1314Updated 14 May 2022Honours EditSee also List of Western Sydney Wanderers FC honours Domestic Edit A League Men Premiership Winners 1 2012 13 Runners up 2 2013 14 2015 16 A League Men Championship Runners up 3 2013 2014 2016Continental Edit AFC Champions League Champions 1 2014International Edit FIFA Club World Cup Sixth place 1 2014Award Edit AFC Club of the Year 2014 162 See also EditExpansion of the A LeagueNotes Edit Western Sydney did not enter the 2020 FFA Cup due to the event being cancelled following the COVID 19 pandemic in Australia with only a limited number of preliminary rounds being played 160 References Edit A League owners to be offered far longer licences by Football Federation Australia www adelaidenow com au 28 October 2013 Retrieved 2 April 2014 FFA postpones western Sydney expansion The Sydney Morning Herald Fairfax Media Retrieved 4 July 2014 a b c d e Hall Matthew 12 December 2004 NSW cut ties with new club over Lowy The Sydney Morning Herald Fairfax Media Retrieved 20 April 2013 Cockerill Michael 5 April 2012 FFA must show real leadership to ensure the move west is a success The Sydney Morning Herald Fairfax Media Retrieved 14 October 2012 Kewell major player behind Sydney team report The Sydney Morning Herald Fairfax Media 9 September 2004 Retrieved 23 December 2006 Was one team one city a mistake by the FFA The Roar Retrieved 8 January 2013 Super sized A League may get the jump on AFL in western Sydney The Sydney Morning Herald Fairfax Media 30 April 2008 Retrieved 7 August 2013 FFA to consider 10 new bids for expanded A League ABC News Australian Broadcasting Corporation 3 June 2008 Retrieved 4 July 2014 Sydney Rovers Scrapped Australian FourFourTwo 10 December 2010 Archived from the original on 14 December 2010 Retrieved 7 August 2013 All over red Rovers The World Game Special Broadcasting Service 10 December 2010 Retrieved 7 August 2013 Clive Palmer reveals Gold Coast United A League licence revoked by Football Federation Australia The Australian News Limited Retrieved 23 October 2014 FFA s failure to negotiate amp communicate with clubs owners at the heart of another ugly episode for the A League goal com Retrieved 26 June 2014 New Hyundai A League club for Western Sydney footballaustralia com au Football Federation Australia 11 April 2012 Archived from the original on 16 May 2013 Retrieved 29 June 2012 a b Western Sydney to be unveiled Australian FourFourTwo 3 April 2012 Archived from the original on 8 May 2012 Retrieved 29 June 2012 a b Western Sydney confirmed for A League in 2012 13 ABC News Australian Broadcasting Corporation 4 April 2012 Retrieved 4 April 2012 PM West is best for FFA Australian FourFourTwo 4 April 2012 Archived from the original on 8 May 2012 Retrieved 29 June 2012 Wanderers celebrate first birthday The Western Weekender Western Sydney Publishing Group 3 April 2013 Retrieved 25 June 2014 FFA Thanks Western Sydney Football Community On Wanderers Anniversary Western Sydney Wanderers FC Retrieved 9 July 2014 permanent dead link FOOTBALL COMES HOME The Early Days of Western Sydney Wanderers FC PDF West Sydney Football Retrieved 7 October 2014 Guy Zangari Member for Fairfield Western Sydney Wanderers Football Club Parliamentary Debates Hansard New South Wales Legislative Assembly p 19976 Fans chance to help decide colours and name for New Sydney Club representing Western Sydney Football News South Wales Retrieved 20 April 2013 Last day to vote on new Sydney club West Sydney Wanderers FC 11 May 2012 Archived from the original on 29 October 2013 Retrieved 29 June 2012 a b Lyall Gorman appointed chairman of new Sydney club footballaustralia com au Football Federation Australia 17 May 2012 Archived from the original on 3 June 2012 Retrieved 29 June 2012 Popovic head coach for new Sydney club footballaustralia com au Football Federation Australia 17 May 2012 Archived from the original on 3 June 2012 Retrieved 29 June 2012 Davutovic David 22 May 2012 Ante s heart is back in Sydney The Daily Telegraph Retrieved 29 June 2012 Western Sydney Wanderers FC join Hyundai A League footballaustralia com au Archived from the original on 14 July 2014 Retrieved 5 July 2014 a b c Western Sydney ready to begin our journey Football Federation Australia 19 June 2012 Archived from the original on 23 October 2013 Retrieved 20 June 2012 Timeline of Australian Football New South Wales Migration Heritage Centre Powerhouse Museum 2006 Archived from the original on 17 December 2014 Retrieved 23 April 2013 Latest A League boom signing touches down in Sydney The Sydney Morning Herald Fairfax Media 30 September 2012 Retrieved 5 July 2014 Match Report Wanderers 0 Mariners 0 Football Federation Australia Archived from the original on 7 October 2013 Retrieved 2 September 2013 WSW stuns Roar to claim first A League win The World Game Special Broadcasting Service Retrieved 7 July 2014 Western Sydney Wanderers coach Tony Popovic named A League Coach of the Year Adelaide Now 15 April 2013 Retrieved 15 April 2013 Beauchamp And Topor Stanley Open Up on Historic Season footballaustralia com au Football Federation Australia Archived from the original on 14 April 2013 Retrieved 20 April 2013 Georgakopoulos Chris 19 March 2013 Western Sydney Wanderers break all time Australian national league record after being Melbourne Heart 3 1 The Daily Telegraph Sydney News Limited Retrieved 3 August 2013 Mariners crowned champions footballaustralia com au Football Federation Australia Archived from the original on 7 October 2013 Retrieved 5 October 2013 Doubts about the embryonic Western Sydney Wanderers team turned to belief as the season wore on Herald Sun News Limited Retrieved 20 April 2013 Kiwi Rojas named A League s best fifa com Archived from the original on 2 November 2014 Retrieved 9 July 2014 Solskjaer Western Sydney Wanderers and aspiring Bangladeshis World Football 22 February 2013 28 minutes in BBC World Service Retrieved 20 April 2013 Socceroo Spiranovic signs with Western Sydney Wanderers Western Sydney Wanderers FC Retrieved 7 July 2014 permanent dead link A League Western Sydney Wanderers back Tony Popovic s rotation policy The Sydney Morning Herald 15 January 2014 Retrieved 7 July 2014 Highs and Lows in Wanderers ACL debut Western Sydney Wanderers FC Retrieved 27 February 2014 permanent dead link Wanderers 5 Guizhou 0 Match Report footballaustralia com au Football Federation Australia Archived from the original on 14 July 2014 Retrieved 7 July 2014 Wanderers into A League Grand Final Western Sydney Wanderers FC Retrieved 27 April 2014 permanent dead link Wandereres make us really proud to be Westies Liverpool City Champion Fairfax Regional Media Archived from the original on 14 July 2014 Retrieved 7 July 2014 Henrique scores winner as Roar claim title in thriller Western Sydney Wanderers FC Retrieved 7 July 2014 permanent dead link Wanderers qualify for Champions League Quarter Final Western Sydney Wanderers FC Retrieved 7 July 2014 permanent dead link a b Western Sydney Wanderers win Asian Champions League title 1 0 on aggregate after 0 0 draw in second leg final ABC News Australian Broadcasting Corporation Retrieved 18 November 2014 Wanderers Add Brazilian to Attacking Mix Western Sydney Wanderers FC Archived from the original on 20 June 2014 Retrieved 20 June 2014 Date Set for Wanderers FFA Cup debut Western Sydney Wanderers FC Retrieved 7 July 2014 permanent dead link Adelaide City beats Western Sydney Wanderers in FFA Cup ABC News Australian Broadcasting Corporation 12 August 2014 Retrieved 17 August 2014 Wanderers draw Guangzhou Evergrande in Quarter Final Western Sydney Wanderers FC Retrieved 7 July 2014 permanent dead link Western Sydney Wanderers reach Asian Champions League semi finals The Australian News Corp Retrieved 28 August 2014 Western Sydney Wanderers draw 0 0 with FC Seoul in Asian Champions League semi final first leg ABC News Australian Broadcasting Corporation 17 September 2014 Retrieved 20 September 2014 Western Sydney Wanderers through to Asian Champions League final with 2 0 defeat of FC Seoul ABC News Australian Broadcasting Corporation October 2014 Retrieved 8 October 2014 Tomi Juric kicks sole goal as Western Sydney Wanderers beat Al Hilal The Australian News Corp Retrieved 28 October 2014 Western Sydney Wanderers win Asian Champions League title 1 0 on aggregate after 0 0 draw in second leg final ABC News Australian Broadcasting Corporation November 2014 Retrieved 1 November 2014 Western Sydney Wanderers dominate Asian Football Confederation awards ABC News Australian Broadcasting Corporation 30 November 2014 Retrieved 1 December 2014 Cruz Azul defeat nine man Wanderers in extra time FIFA Archived from the original on 14 December 2014 Retrieved 17 December 2014 Setif sink Wanderers in penalties to finish fifth FIFA Archived from the original on 18 December 2014 Retrieved 17 December 2014 Wellington Phoenix edge Western Sydney Wanderers 1 0 in A League clash ABC News Australian Broadcasting Corporation 28 December 2014 Retrieved 4 January 2015 Wanderers insists A League break has them fresh as they chase first win of the season The Daily Telegraph Sydney Retrieved 28 April 2015 The Wanderers what happened The World Games Special Broadcasting Service Retrieved 28 April 2015 Perth Glory downs Western Sydney Wanderers 2 1 to finish A League season with win ABC News Australian Broadcasting Corporation 25 April 2015 Retrieved 28 April 2015 Heartbreak as Wanderers stun Evergrande but still fall short The World Game Special Broadcasting Service Retrieved 5 May 2015 Popovic Extends Deal to 2018 Western Sydney Wanderers FC Archived from the original on 3 August 2017 Retrieved 8 May 2015 Cohen Kate Western Sydney Wanderers team news Popovic s mass exodus suggests a risky rebuild Fox Sports Retrieved 13 August 2015 Wanderers win sensational semi final in extra time a league com au Retrieved 24 April 2016 Josep Gombau Is New Wanderers Manager Bossi Dominic 19 April 2018 Wanderers sack coach Josep Gombau Sydney Morning Herald Western Sydney Wanderers appoint German legend Babbel as A League coach The Guardian 19 May 2018 Wanderers part company with Markus Babbel Western Sydney Wanderers FC 19 January 2020 Retrieved 20 January 2020 Jean Paul De Marigny Departs Wanderers westsydneyfootball com Retrieved 20 October 2020 Newcastle Jets coach Carl Robinson joins rival Western Sydney Wanderers as dire financial state laid bare Australian Broadcasting Corporation 15 October 2020 Retrieved 20 October 2020 Western Sydney Wanderers sack coach Carl Robinson 30 January 2022 News Wanderers Appoint Rudan 30 January 2022 News Wanderers Appoint Mark Rudan Until End of 2023 24 4 March 2022 Exclusive Cancar Baccus to depart Wanderers to join Aussie ranks in Scottish Premiership a b Nike Australia announce sponsorship of the new Western Sydney Wanderers Nike Inc Retrieved 22 April 2013 Western Sydney Wanderers 14 15 kits released footyheadlines com Retrieved 23 October 2014 Western Sydney Wanderers FC join Hyundai A League Football Federation Australia Retrieved 18 May 2014 Between the posts star appeal at Pirtek Stadium Gameiro support Taggart recovery Fox Sports Retrieved 30 November 2014 Playing strip recognition for winning clubs a league com au Retrieved 16 January 2015 NRMA Insurance unveiled as major sponsor Football Federation Australia Retrieved 20 August 2013 Western Sydney Wanderers announce Westfield as an Official Partner Football Federation Australia Retrieved 20 August 2013 Mitsubishi Electric joins the Western Sydney Wanderers Family Football Federation Australia Retrieved 20 August 2013 Western Sydney Wanderers Announce Visy ACL Sponsorship Western Sydney Wanderers FC Retrieved 7 July 2014 NRMA Insurance signs new three year sponsorship with Western Sydney Wanderers The Daily Telegraph Sydney Retrieved 29 November 2014 Wanderers sponsorship deal with NRMA could top 1m afr com Retrieved 2 December 2014 Wanderers add some pepper to ACL defence WSWanderersFC 18 February 2015 Retrieved 3 October 2017 Aetos Wanderers 2017 AFC Champions League partner Aetoscg com au Retrieved 3 October 2017 Wanderers announce three year partnership with Kappa Australia Western Sydney Wanderers FC 17 September 2020 Retrieved 15 December 2020 Voltaren sign on as Wanderers Co Major Western Sydney Wanderers FC 10 December 2020 Retrieved 15 December 2020 Wanderers x JD Sports A Co Major Partnership Continued Western Sydney Wanderers FC 23 September 2020 Retrieved 15 December 2020 Stone Kathy 24 January 2013 Secrets of West Sydney Wanderers success Australian FourFourTwo Haymarket Retrieved 24 January 2013 Cockerill Michael 4 April 2012 New Sydney A League team to be announced The Sydney Morning Herald Fairfax Media Retrieved 29 June 2012 Details revealed for Wanderers training base Western Sydney Wanderers FC 11 September 2015 Cockerill Michael 27 July 2012 Sponsor and stadium sealed The Sydney Morning Herald Fairfax Media Retrieved 3 August 2012 Smithies Tom 26 April 2012 People of west want Parramatta home Fox Sports Retrieved 3 August 2012 Parramatta Stadium the right venue for Wanderers Paul Johnson Western Sydney FC 2011 Football Australia 29 July 2012 Retrieved 3 August 2012 Attacking style key for New Sydney Club Bosnich Western Sydney Wanderers FC 3 May 2012 Retrieved 29 June 2012 Facelift for a famous arena 29 million revamp for Parramatta Stadium The Daily Telegraph Sydney Retrieved 23 October 2014 New 30 000 seat Parramatta stadium among premier s 1 6b promises The Sydney Morning Herald 4 September 2015 Sebastian Hassett 30 March 2016 Western Sydney Wanderers lock in Sydney Olympic Park for home matches next season The Sydney Morning Herald Fairfax Media Statistics Attendance 2019 20 Ultimate A League www ultimatealeague com Retrieved 15 December 2020 Gatt Ray 25 April 2016 Roar coach John Aloisi watches his young team implode The Australian News Corp Retrieved 28 April 2016 Huge crowd cheers on Wanderers from Sydney skynews com au Retrieved 8 November 2014 redandblackbloc org Retrieved 4 May 2013 How a western army was born The Sydney Morning Herald Fairfax Media 18 April 2013 Retrieved 23 October 2014 Taylor Brett 19 July 2012 Australian FourFourTwo Wanderers Fans Take Shape Australian FourFourTwo Retrieved 3 August 2012 Smithies Tom 26 July 2012 Western Sydney Wanders have first hit out in trial match against Nepean The Daily Telegraph Retrieved 3 August 2012 Cockerill Michael 26 July 2012 Wanderers journey kicks off The Sydney Morning Herald Fairfax Media Retrieved 2 August 2012 Hassett Sebastian 16 December 2012 New boys paint the city red and black The Sydney Morning Herald Retrieved 3 January 2013 Foster Craig 23 December 2012 Take a bow Wanderers you are the pride of the league Brisbane Times Fairfax Media Retrieved 3 January 2013 The rise of western sydney wanderers sportskeeda com Retrieved 14 April 2013 The Happy Wanderer The RBB and the Western Sydney Wanderers say goodbye to capo Boris The Daily Telegraph Retrieved 7 July 2014 Western Sydney Wanderers fans light up Parramatta with their fanatical support The Sydney Morning Herald Fairfax Media 2 November 2014 Retrieved 8 November 2014 Thousands turn out to welcome home ACL winning Western Sydney Wanderers at Sydney airport Fox Sports Retrieved 8 November 2014 FFA charges Melbourne Victory Western Sydney Wanderers over fans street brawl ABC News Australian Broadcasting Corporation 2 January 2014 Retrieved 17 May 2014 Three Sydney men arrested by Melbourne detectives over brawl between Western Sydney Wanderers and Melbourne Victory fans The Daily Telegraph Retrieved 10 July 2014 Welcome To Our Wanderland Single Exit Row itunes apple com au January 2013 Retrieved 19 April 2013 Exit Row Welcome To Our Wanderland Australian iTunes Chart Performance itunescharts net Retrieved 20 April 2013 Who Do We Sing For The remarkable rise of Western Sydney Wanderers just football com 15 March 2013 Retrieved 5 August 2013 2012 13 Attendance Statistics ultimatealeague com Retrieved 26 May 2012 Packed mentality Wanderers aim for sellout season at home The Sydney Morning Herald 30 October 2013 Retrieved 31 October 2013 2013 14 Attendance Statistics ultimatealeague com Retrieved 7 July 2014 Western Sydney Wanderers in talks to move games to ANZ Stadium The Sydney Morning Herald Fairfax Media 21 January 2015 Retrieved 14 February 2015 Caryn Metcalfe 23 April 2013 Red and Black fans sing for their Western Sydney Wanderers The Daily Telegraph Sydney Retrieved 31 March 2016 Wanderers fans pledge to Poznan SBS News Special Broadcasting Service 1 November 2014 Retrieved 31 March 2016 Dicko We Run This Town Western Sydney Wanderers FC 29 November 2014 Retrieved 31 March 2016 My Football Story Laura Dundovic The World Game Special Broadcasting Service 23 April 2013 Retrieved 4 April 2016 This week on Thursday FC The World Game Special Broadcasting Service 15 October 2013 Retrieved 4 April 2016 Wanderers Ambassador Nicole da Silva knows the power of football Western Sydney Wanderers FC 8 March 2016 Retrieved 4 April 2016 Nicole da Silva Sydney Derby Western Sydney Wanderers FC 11 August 2016 Retrieved 11 August 2016 Matt Greenlaw 4 September 2013 Lucy Zelic signs on for SBS football coverage The Football Sack Retrieved 4 April 2016 Lucy Zelic 3 December 2014 Lucy Zelic A long way in Six Months Western Sydney Wanderers FC Retrieved 4 April 2016 Lucy Zelic 16 January 2016 Letter to the fans Lucy Zelic Western Sydney Wanderers FC Retrieved 4 April 2016 James Silver 4 August 2016 Stories of the West Flying the Flag Western Sydney Wanderers FC Retrieved 4 August 2016 Western Sydney Wanderers 25 January 2017 Good luck to Montaigne Western Sydney Wanderers Retrieved 7 February 2017 Fox Fans League crowns maiden champion footballaustralia com au 29 April 2015 Retrieved 31 March 2016 7 great reasons to watch Wanderers v City tonight The World Game Special Broadcasting Service 29 January 2016 Retrieved 31 March 2016 In a short space of time the Sydney derby has fast become the A League biggest rivalry Fox Sports Retrieved 7 March 2014 A League soccer draw announced Blacktown Sun Fairfax Regional Media 19 June 2012 Archived from the original on 21 August 2017 Retrieved 20 April 2013 WESTERN SYDNEY WANDERERS VS SYDNEY The World Game Special Broadcasting Service Retrieved 7 July 2014 SYDNEY VS WESTERN SYDNEY WANDERERS The World Game Special Broadcasting Service Retrieved 7 July 2014 WESTERN SYDNEY WANDERERS VS SYDNEY The World Game Special Broadcasting Service Retrieved 7 July 2014 Sydney FC v Western Sydney Wanderers Derby set to break Allianz Stadium crowd record The Daily Telegraph Sydney Retrieved 8 November 2014 FFA completes sale of Western Sydney Wanderers SBS News Special Broadcasting Service Retrieved 9 July 2014 Change of Management Structure Western Sydney Wanderers FC Retrieved 9 July 2014 FFA confirms the sale of Western Sydney Wanderers to a consortium for a reported 10m fee The Daily Telegraph Retrieved 9 July 2014 Players and staff A League Western Sydney Wanderers FC Retrieved 27 June 2016 History www wswanderersfc com au Retrieved 22 January 2018 Teams www wswanderersfc com au Retrieved 22 January 2018 Tony Popovic named coach of new A League team News OK Retrieved 20 March 2015 Western Sydney Wanderers win Asian Champions League title The Guardian November 2014 Retrieved 20 March 2015 Tony Popovic crowned AFC Coach of Year after leading Wanderers to Asian Champions League title The Daily Telegraph Retrieved 20 March 2015 Western Sydney Wanderers Ultimate A League Retrieved 25 November 2018 Rugari Vince 25 August 2019 Ecstasy agony and relief Duke to captain Wanderers in homecoming season The Sydney Morning Herald a b Western Sydney Wanderers Player Database westsydneyfootball com Archived from the original on 7 September 2016 Retrieved 22 January 2018 Attendance ultimatealeague com Retrieved 31 October 2014 Coronavirus forces FFA Cup to be cancelled The World Game SBS 7 July 2020 Asia Football Football Club Rankings as of 1 May 2022 PDF footballdatabase com Retrieved 1 May 2022 AFC Club of the Year Western Sydney Wanderers the AFC com 30 November 2014 Archived from the original on 7 December 2017 Retrieved 7 December 2017 External links Edit Wikimedia Commons has media related to Western Sydney Wanderers FC Official website Official corporate website Archived 18 January 2019 at the Wayback Machine Supporters website Red and Black BlockAchievementsPreceded byGuangzhou Evergrande Champions of Asia2014 Succeeded byGuangzhou Evergrande Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Western Sydney Wanderers FC amp oldid 1143123073, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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