Australian-Croatian Soccer Tournament

Last updated

Australian-Croatian Soccer Tournament
CSA Australia Savez.jpg
Organising bodyCSA Australia Savez
Founded1974;51 years ago (1974)
Region
  • Australia
  • New Zealand
Number of teamsVaries
Current champions Sydney United
Most successful club(s) Sydney United
(11 titles)
Website croatian.savez

The Australian-Croatian Soccer Tournament, also known as Croatian Soccer Tournament [1] [2] (Croatian : Hrvatski nogometni turnir [3] ) is an annual 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 examples in North America with the Croatian-North American Soccer Tournament founded in 1964 and West Coast Croatian Soccer Tournament founded in 1973.

Contents

The Tournament kicked off in 1974 with a trial event staged in Melbourne where six soccer clubs participated at Melbourne Croatia's ground, Montgomery Park in Essendon. Only six clubs participated. The Tournament's beginning was spawned from Melbourne Croatia's expulsion from the Victorian Soccer Federation in 1972, with the clubs leadership including Tony Vrzina and Josip Solic together with Mirko Furjanic, the now Honorary President of the Tournament, being instrumental in getting the Tournament established.

The first official Tournament was staged in 1975, hosted by Sydney Croatia and won out by Canberra FC who defeated Sydney Croatia 3–1 in the Final. The Tournament has gone on to become the largest and oldest ethnic football tournament in Australia, having been hosted in every state and territory except for the Northern Territory. It also holds the honour of being the oldest national soccer competition still running in Australia.

Melbourne Knights and Sydney United are the only two clubs to hold Life Membership to the Australian Croatian Soccer Federation due to their pioneering in the early days in establishing the Tournament, as well as their success on the national footballing stage.

List of Tournaments

YearHostWinnerWomen's Winner
2025 Gold Coast Knights (4) TBA (TBA) TBA
2024 St Albans Saints (3) Sydney United (11) North Geelong Warriors (5)
2023 Adelaide Raiders [1] [2] (8) Sydney United [3] (10) St Albans Saints
2022 Kralj Tomislav Sydney (3) St Albans Saints (10) North Geelong Warriors (4)
2021 Gold Coast Knights (N/A)Cancelled due to COVID19(N/A)
2020 North Geelong Warriors (N/A)Cancelled due to COVID19(N/A)
2019 Dandenong City Dandenong City Canberra FC (8)
2018 Gold Coast Knights (3) Melbourne Knights (7) Canberra FC (7)
2017 Canberra FC (5) St Albans Saints (9) Canberra FC (6)
2016 Adelaide Raiders [1] (7) St Albans Saints (8) Canberra FC (5)
2015 Brisbane Knights (4) Melbourne Knights (6) North Geelong Warriors (3)
2014 South Coast United (2) North Geelong Warriors Canberra FC (4)
2013 Melbourne Knights (5) Melbourne Knights (5) Canberra FC (3)
2012 Gold Coast Knights (2) Melbourne Knights (4) Auckland Croatia
2011 Kralj Tomislav Sydney (2) Melbourne Knights (3) Canberra FC (2)
2010 Auckland Croatia Melbourne Knights (2) North Geelong Warriors (2)
2009 Adelaide Raiders (6) Adelaide Raiders (5) North Fremantle (3)
2008 North Geelong Warriors (4) St Albans Saints (7) North Fremantle (2)
2007 Western Knights (2) Ljubuski FC North Fremantle
2006 Sydney United (3) Sydney United (9) Canberra FC
2005 Melbourne Knights (4) Canberra FC (6) North Geelong Warriors
2004 Canberra FC (4) O'Connor Knights
2003 Luddenham Bosna Auckland Croatia
2002 Adelaide Raiders (5) Adelaide Raiders (4)
2001 Brisbane Knights (3) Canberra FC (5)
2000 St Albans Saints (2) St Albans Saints (6)
1999Hurstville Zagreb Hajduk Sydney
1998 North Geelong Warriors (3) St Albans Saints (5)
1997 Adelaide Raiders (4) Adelaide Raiders (3)
1996 Canberra FC (3) Sydney United (8)
1995 Gold Coast Knights Adelaide Raiders (2)
1994 South Coast United Canberra FC (4)
1993 Melbourne Knights (3) Melbourne Knights
1992 North Geelong Warriors (2) Canberra FC (3)
1991 Adelaide Raiders (3) St Albans Saints (4)
1990 St Albans Saints St Albans Saints (3)
1989 Brisbane Knights (2) Sydney United (7)
1988 Canberra FC (2) Sydney United (6)
1987 Sydney United (2) Sydney United (5)
1986 Melbourne Knights (2) Canberra FC (2)
1985 Adelaide Raiders (2) St Albans Saints (2)
1984 Irymple Knights Adelaide Raiders
1983 North Geelong Warriors St Albans Saints
1982 Brisbane Knights Brisbane Knights
1981 Kralj Tomislav Sydney Sydney United (4)
1980 Glenorchy Knights Western Knights
1979 Western Knights Sydney United (3)
1978 Canberra FC Sydney United (2)
1977 Adelaide Raiders Whyalla Croatia
1976 Melbourne Knights Sydney United
1975 Sydney United Canberra FC
1974 ^ Melbourne Knights Sydney United

^ 1974 Tournament was a trial event

Tournament Winners

Women's Tournament Winners

See also

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References

  1. 1 2 3 Pagonis, Antonis (27 September 2023). ""These people aren't normal!" - Croatian Soccer Tournament celebration returns to Adelaide". frontpagefootball.net. Front Page Football. Retrieved 13 October 2023.
  2. 1 2 "Croatian Soccer Tournament Australia & New Zealand Adelaide 2023". croatiaraiders.com.au. Croatia Raiders. Retrieved 13 October 2023.
  3. 1 2 Fantov, Suzana (4 October 2023). "'Sydney United' – šampioni ovogodišnjeg uspješnog turnira u Adelaideu". Croatian Herald (in Croatian). Vol. 40, no. 1955. p. 8.