Adelaide Raiders
Encyclopedia
Raiders is a football (soccer)
club in Adelaide
, South Australia
, that plays in the South Australian Super League
. Its home ground is the Croatian Sports Centre in Gepps Cross
, a northern suburb of Adelaide. It is a Croatian Australian
-backed club and is also known by the name "Adelaide Croatia". Its rival club is the Serbian Australian
-supported White City Woodville
.
The club affiliated with the SASFA
and played in the metropolitan division for five years. Its first game was against a team from the (now closed) Philips
factory at Hendon
. Its first home ground was in the South Parklands on Greenhill Rd
.
In 1954 Branko Filipi, a significant leader in the club's early history, became the club president and remained so for the next 14 years. Along with his enthusiastic committee, Filipi began securing the services of a number of promising recruits. In 1958 Adelaide Croatia entered into the fourth division and narrowly missed being promoted into the third division. That same year, the late Charles Perkins, more famous as an Aboriginal activist, joined the team. Perkins played as a captain/coach for two seasons. In his autobiography he reflected with fondness on his friendships with Adelaide Croats and other immigrants he met through the club.
In 1959 the club convincingly won the second division championship and secured a place in the first division for the first time. Once in the first division, Adelaide Croatia's fixtures and results were listed in the international football pools.
In 1960 the club moved to its new headquarters at Hanson Reserve. It remained there until 2000, when it moved to its magnificent sporting complex at Gepps Cross.
The club's first major milestone was in 1961 when Croatia defeated Cumberland 4-nil to win the Ampol Cup. The Advertiser, in its report on the match, wrote that no team in the state could have beaten Croatia. The 1960s proved to be a successful decade for the club in the South Australian State League, finishing in third place in 1961, 1962 and 1963, while finishing Runner-Up in 1965 and 1969. Despite these strong results it wasn't until 1980 that Croatia won the coveted first place in the South Australian State League. Since then Croatia has won the league on another four occasions: in 1984, 1988, 1997 and 2002.
In 1962 the club competed in the inaugural Australian Cup, the first nationwide club tournament held in Australia. The Raiders were one of 16 participants in the knock-out competition and were the first Croatian backed club to compete. The side lost its first round match, losing to Brunswick Juventus 3-1 at Melbourne's Olympic Park to see the club knocked out. The club would again compete in the Australian Cup twice more in 1963 and 1965.
The year 1977 saw the formation of the National Soccer League. Following the failure of Melbourne Croatia and Sydney Croatia in their applications for the league, Adelaide Croatia led a move backed by the Croatian Soccer Association of Australia which saw a proposal put forward for a Croatian 'super club' to enter the NSL; a club which would see the resources of all of Australia's Croatian clubs pooled together. Ultimately the submission failed.
A major higlight in the club's history came in 1985; as the champions of South Australia, Adelaide Croatia was invited to take part in the National Soccer League
Cup. Adelaide Croatia had a remarkable run defeating both of Adelaide's NSL sides, Adelaide City
and West Adelaide
, 1-0 in the opening two rounds. The club lost in the quarter-finals to another NSL side, Sunshine George Cross. It was a valiant display seeing Croatia go down 1-0 in a tightly fought match.
Mid-way through the 2010 season John Kosmina
who managed Adelaide United and Sydney FC
in the A-League
was announced as the new coach for the Raiders.
Football (soccer)
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...
club in Adelaide
Adelaide
Adelaide is the capital city of South Australia and the fifth-largest city in Australia. Adelaide has an estimated population of more than 1.2 million...
, South Australia
South Australia
South Australia is a state of Australia in the southern central part of the country. It covers some of the most arid parts of the continent; with a total land area of , it is the fourth largest of Australia's six states and two territories.South Australia shares borders with all of the mainland...
, that plays in the South Australian Super League
South Australian Super League
The South Australian Super League is the highest state-level association football competition in South Australia and commenced in 2006. Prior to the 2006 season, the highest level competition in South Australia was the South Australian Premier League. Nationally, it is one grade lower than the...
. Its home ground is the Croatian Sports Centre in Gepps Cross
Gepps Cross, South Australia
Gepps Cross is a suburb and major road intersection in the north of Adelaide, South Australia. Gepps Cross is traditionally seen as the end of the inner suburbs and the start of the outer northern suburbs, as it was home to a major abattoir with holding yards and other open space. It is the first...
, a northern suburb of Adelaide. It is a Croatian Australian
Croatian Australian
Croatia has been a source of migrants to Australia, particularly in the 1960s and 1970s. In 2006, 128,051 persons resident in Australia identified themselves as having Croatian ancestry.- History :...
-backed club and is also known by the name "Adelaide Croatia". Its rival club is the Serbian Australian
Serbian Australian
Serbian Australians are citizens of Australia who are of Serbian ancestry. According to the 2006 census, there are 95,364 people in Australia who are of Serbian ancestry. Serbs have migrated to Australia in various waves during the 20th century...
-supported White City Woodville
White City Woodville
White City Woodville are a football club from Adelaide, South Australia. White City Woodville play in the South Australian Premier League formed in 2006. They are based at Frank Mitchell Park in Woodville West in Adelaide's western suburbs. They are a Serbian Australian-backed club and are also...
.
History
The Adelaide Croatia Soccer Club was founded in 1952 by a group of Croatian migrants who named the club after their homeland. The group included Fahrudin Cerić, the then President, Cvjetko Milanović and Drago Pišpek.The club affiliated with the SASFA
Football Federation of South Australia
The Football Federation of South Australia is the governing body of association football in South Australia. The FFSA are affiliated to the Football Federation Australia...
and played in the metropolitan division for five years. Its first game was against a team from the (now closed) Philips
Philips
Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. , more commonly known as Philips, is a multinational Dutch electronics company....
factory at Hendon
Hendon, South Australia
Hendon is an industrial suburb of Adelaide, located in the City of Charles Sturt local government area. It is around 11 km northwest of the city centre, and was the location of a sewage works and a Philips PCB factory. The Philips PCB factory is now home to Hendon Semiconductors....
. Its first home ground was in the South Parklands on Greenhill Rd
Greenhill Road, Adelaide
Greenhill Road is a major road in Adelaide, South Australia, that provides a vital transport artery for those living in the eastern and hills suburbs. In Adelaide's early days, trams used to run up and down the road...
.
In 1954 Branko Filipi, a significant leader in the club's early history, became the club president and remained so for the next 14 years. Along with his enthusiastic committee, Filipi began securing the services of a number of promising recruits. In 1958 Adelaide Croatia entered into the fourth division and narrowly missed being promoted into the third division. That same year, the late Charles Perkins, more famous as an Aboriginal activist, joined the team. Perkins played as a captain/coach for two seasons. In his autobiography he reflected with fondness on his friendships with Adelaide Croats and other immigrants he met through the club.
In 1959 the club convincingly won the second division championship and secured a place in the first division for the first time. Once in the first division, Adelaide Croatia's fixtures and results were listed in the international football pools.
In 1960 the club moved to its new headquarters at Hanson Reserve. It remained there until 2000, when it moved to its magnificent sporting complex at Gepps Cross.
The club's first major milestone was in 1961 when Croatia defeated Cumberland 4-nil to win the Ampol Cup. The Advertiser, in its report on the match, wrote that no team in the state could have beaten Croatia. The 1960s proved to be a successful decade for the club in the South Australian State League, finishing in third place in 1961, 1962 and 1963, while finishing Runner-Up in 1965 and 1969. Despite these strong results it wasn't until 1980 that Croatia won the coveted first place in the South Australian State League. Since then Croatia has won the league on another four occasions: in 1984, 1988, 1997 and 2002.
In 1962 the club competed in the inaugural Australian Cup, the first nationwide club tournament held in Australia. The Raiders were one of 16 participants in the knock-out competition and were the first Croatian backed club to compete. The side lost its first round match, losing to Brunswick Juventus 3-1 at Melbourne's Olympic Park to see the club knocked out. The club would again compete in the Australian Cup twice more in 1963 and 1965.
The year 1977 saw the formation of the National Soccer League. Following the failure of Melbourne Croatia and Sydney Croatia in their applications for the league, Adelaide Croatia led a move backed by the Croatian Soccer Association of Australia which saw a proposal put forward for a Croatian 'super club' to enter the NSL; a club which would see the resources of all of Australia's Croatian clubs pooled together. Ultimately the submission failed.
A major higlight in the club's history came in 1985; as the champions of South Australia, Adelaide Croatia was invited to take part in the National Soccer League
National Soccer League
The National Soccer League is the former national association football competition in Australasia, overseen by Soccer Australia and later the Australian Soccer Association. The NSL spanned 28 seasons from its inception in 1977, until its demise in 2004...
Cup. Adelaide Croatia had a remarkable run defeating both of Adelaide's NSL sides, Adelaide City
Adelaide City
Adelaide City is a football club in Adelaide, South Australia. They are also known as The Zebras. They played in the National Soccer League for 27 Seasons but withdrew just prior to the 2003/2004 season. They now play in the South Australian Super League. City won the inaugural Super League...
and West Adelaide
West Adelaide SC
West Adelaide Soccer Club is an Australian football club from Adelaide, Australia. Currently it plays in the FFSA State League Competition. It participated in the National Soccer League from the 1977 season until the end of the 1998/99 season, except for the periods 1987-89 and 1990-91. It was...
, 1-0 in the opening two rounds. The club lost in the quarter-finals to another NSL side, Sunshine George Cross. It was a valiant display seeing Croatia go down 1-0 in a tightly fought match.
Mid-way through the 2010 season John Kosmina
John Kosmina
Alexander John Kosmina , known as John Kosmina, is a former Australian football player and manager of Polish Australian ethnicity. He was most recently the manager of Sydney FC...
who managed Adelaide United and Sydney FC
Sydney FC
Sydney FC is a professional football club based in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia and competes in the country's premier football competition, the A-League...
in the A-League
A-League
The A-League is the top Australasian professional football league. Run by Australian governing body Football Federation Australia , it was founded in 2004 following the folding of the National Soccer League and staged its inaugural season in 2005–06. It is sponsored by Hyundai Motor Company...
was announced as the new coach for the Raiders.
Current squad
Notable Former Players
- Richie AlagichRichie AlagichRichie Alagich is a retired Australian football player. He was a right full back mostly known for playing for Adelaide United in the A-League...
- Australian Youth International - Robert BajicRobert BajicRobert Bajic , is an Australian football player of Croatian background. He last played as a goalkeeper for Sông Lam Nghệ An in the V-League.- Club career :...
- NSL/A-League player - Yakka BanovicYakka BanovicVjekoslav Banovic is a former Association footballer who played two matches for the Australia national association football team.-References:...
- Australian International - Michael BarnettMichael BarnettMichael N. Barnett is a major constructivist scholar of international relations. His research has been in the areas of international organizations, international relations theory, and Middle Eastern politics. With Emanuel Adler, he reintroduced the concept of security community to international...
- NSL player - Joseph Barbaro - NSL player
- Louis BrainLouis BrainLouis Karl Brain is an English-Australian professional association football player who plays as an attacking midfielder. He played for Adelaide United in the newly formed Hyundai A-League's inaugural season, but was delisted in the close season...
- Australian Youth International - Mark Brazzale - Australian Youth International
- Gordon BriscoeGordon BriscoeDr Gordon Briscoe AO is an Indigenous Australian academic and activist. He is also a former Association football player.-Early life:...
- Prominent Australian Aboriginal activist - Michael Cartwright - NSL player
- Billy GrahamBilly GrahamWilliam Franklin "Billy" Graham, Jr. is an American evangelical Christian evangelist. As of April 25, 2010, when he met with Barack Obama, Graham has spent personal time with twelve United States Presidents dating back to Harry S. Truman, and is number seven on Gallup's list of admired people for...
- Australian International - John MoriartyJohn MoriartyJohn Moriarty may refer to:*John Moriarty , American conductor and stage director*John Moriarty , Irish writer and philosopher*John Kundereri Moriarty , Australian football player and artist...
- Australian International - Charlie PerkinsCharlie PerkinsCharles Sullivan Perkins was a pitcher in Major League Baseball. He pitched for the 1930 Philadelphia Athletics and the 1934 Brooklyn Dodgers. He attended Williams College. His remains were cremated.-External links:...
- Prominent Australian Aboriginal sports figure and activist - Peter Rankin - NSL player
- Nick Sabljak - Australian Youth International
- Mimi SaricMimi SaricMislav "Mimi" Saric is an Australian football player who currently plays for South Australian Super League team Adelaide Raiders...
- Australian Youth International - Robbie Slager - NSL player
- Lemmy Vatsilas - NSL player
- Quentin Watkins - NSL player
Honours
- South Australian Champions: 1980, 1984, 1988, 1997, 2002
- South Australian Runner-Up: 1965, 1969, 1983, 1986, 1990, 1992, 1995, 2005, 2007
- South Australian Minor-Premiers: 1997
- South Australian Regular Season Runner-Up: 1992, 1995, 2003
- Federation Cup Winners: 1960, 1962, 1974, 1977, 1982, 1988, 1990, 1991, 1992, 2003
- Federation Cup Runner-Up: 1959, 1998, 2005
- Coca-Cola (Top 4) Cup Winners: 1984
- Ampol Cup Winners: 1961, 1989, 1990
- South Australian Division One Champions: 1959, 1972, 1975
Individual Honours
Sergio Melta Medal - South Australian Player of the Year- 1965 - Billy Graham
- 2004 - Richie Alagich
- 2006 - Michael Cartwright
- 2009 - Richie Alagich
- 2010 - Richie Alagich
See also
- List of Croatian football clubs in Australia
- Australian-Croatian Soccer TournamentAustralian-Croatian Soccer TournamentThe Australian-Croatian Soccer Tournament is a tournament run by the Croatian Soccer Federation of Australia and New Zealand, an organisation founded in 1974. The inspiration for the tournament came from the successful Croatian-North American Soccer Tournament founded in 1964...
- Croatian AustralianCroatian AustralianCroatia has been a source of migrants to Australia, particularly in the 1960s and 1970s. In 2006, 128,051 persons resident in Australia identified themselves as having Croatian ancestry.- History :...