Franco Parisi (soccer)

Franco Parisi

Personal information
Full name	Franco Parisi
Date of birth	(1983-05-03) 3 May 1983 (age 40)
Place of birth	Sydney, Australia
Height	1.78 m (5 ft 10 in)
Position(s)	Forward
Team information
Current team	APIA Leichhardt (head coach)
Youth career
1994–1999	APIA Leichhardt
2000	A.I.S.
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
2000–2001	Sydney Olympic	14	(4)
2001–2002	Telstar
2002–2003	Sydney Olympic	25	(9)
2003–2004	Sydney United	19	(1)
2005	FC Baden
2005–2006	Newcastle Jets	9	(2)
2006–2007	New Zealand Knights	1	(0)
2007–2022	APIA Leichhardt	289	(37)
International career
2001–2003	Australia U-20	6	(4)
Managerial career
2023–	APIA Leichhardt
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 29 September 2022

Franco Parisi (born 3 May 1983) is an Australian football manager and former player. ^[1] He is currently the Head Coach for NPL NSW club APIA Leichhardt. Regarded as a club legend, Parisi made over 300 appearances during his time as a player for APIA. ^[2]

Club career

Youth career

As a youth, Parisi played with APIA Leichhardt since 1994 and developed a passion for the club growing up. In 2000, Parisi played with the AIS before being signed by Sydney Olympic.

Sydney Olympic

Parisi made his senior club debut for Sydney Olympic, scoring two goals against Canberra Cosmos. ^[3] After spending a year with SC Telstar, Parisi returned to Olympic for the 2002-03 season. ^{[4] [5]} Despite some poor form and injury setbacks, Parisi found his rhythm and finished the season strong, helping Olympic win the Premiership. ^{[6] [7]} He left the club to join local rivals Sydney United. ^[8]

Sydney United

Parisi played for Sydney United during the final seasons of the National Soccer League. United struggled to find the net despite Parisi setting up many chances for his side to score and failing to break their goal-scoring drought during the early start of the season. ^[9] He scored his only goal in the league in a 3-0 win against Brisbane Strikers to which he also won a penalty for his side. ^[10]

Newcastle Jets

Parisi joined the Newcastle Jets to play in the new A-League division. Parisi scored his first goal for the club in a 4-1 defeat against Perth Glory, ^[11] and his second in the F3 Derby where he scored the winner in the 88th minute, helping his side win 1-0 by full time. ^[12]

New Zealand Knights

Parisi briefly played for New Zealand Knights. ^[13] His only appearance for the club would be against his former club Newcastle where he played just 14 minutes of the match. ^[14]

APIA Leichhardt

In 2007, Parisi joined APIA Leichhardt after struggling to find game time. After three seasons where the team consistently finished in the lower half of the league, Parisi's form came during the 2010 season. ^[15] Helping APIA progress to the finals series, where he scored the winning goal against Marconi in the opening stage before being knocked out by Sydney United. ^{[16] [17]}

On July 7 2013, Franco Parisi played a crucial role in APIA's win in the Waratah Cup, which marked their first domestic cup success in 21 years. He was named man of the match for his impressive performance, which included scoring a goal and assisting two others that ultimately led to their victory. ^{[18] [19]} This also led them to be one of the first NSW club to play in the new FFA Cup.

During the 2015 season, Parisi played a crucial role in securing a 4-4 draw for his team against the Blacktown Spartans in the final round, contributing two goals to the scoreline. ^[20] As a result of his performances throughout the season, Parisi was honored with the Player of the Year award on 10 September 2015, receiving 13 votes at the awards ceremony. ^[21]

On 13 August 2017, Parisi played a pivotal role in securing the premiership league title, as his team clinched a 1-1 draw against Manly United. This victory marked the end of their 30-year league title drought, and Parisi's contributions were essential to the team's success. ^{[22] [23]} APIA's title winning performance in the competition earned them a spot in the semi-finals, where Parisi played in a convincing 5-0 victory over Rockdale City. Despite this, they missed out on the championship title, as they were defeated in the final by Manly United after a 4-3 lost in a penalty shootout in front of a crowd of 3500 spectators. ^{[24] [25]}

On 22 August 2018, Parisi was applauded for his standout performance where he started in the match squad that pulled off a shock 3-2 victory over Melbourne Victory in the FFA Cup. ^[26] During a post-match interview, Parisi spoke confidently about the quality of the squad, citing the team's depth and individual talent as reasons for their potential success at a higher level. ^[27] On 11 September 2018, Parisi made another appearance in the Grand Final, facing off against his former club, Sydney Olympic. Parisi's APIA ended up losing 3-1, resulting in them being the runners-up for the second consecutive year. ^[28] Despite this, Parisi was able to lift his second Waratah Cup trophy by guiding his team to a 3-0 victory over Hakoah. ^[29]

During the 2019 season, Parisi demonstrated his quality and experience by leading his team to a 5-1 win against Rockdale and a 3-0 win against Hakoah. ^{[30] [31] [32]} On 1 September 2019, Parisi, in his third Grand Final appearance, secured the championship for APIA by defeating Sydney United 2-1 after extra-time ending the club 16 year championship drought. ^[33]

On 7 December 2021, Parisi was in the match squad that defeated the Wanderers 2-1 in the 2021 FFA Cup. ^[34] In his final season as a player, Parisi featured in 25 matches for his team, who finished fifth in the league and advanced to the finals series. After defeating Marconi in the initial stage, Parisi's team was eventually eliminated by Blacktown City. ^[35]

International career

Parisi was first called up into the Australian U-20 squad in 2001. He made his first U-20 cap against Japan coming on in the 46th minute. ^[36]

Parisi was selected to play in the 2002 OFC U-20 Championship, but was injured prior to the group stage. ^[37] After recovering, he featured in both legs of the final against Fiji, scoring in each game and helping Australia secure a spot in the FIFA U-20 World Cup in the United Arab Emirates. ^[38] In October 2003, he was added to the Australian U20 National squad for the 2003 FIFA World Youth Championship. ^[39]

Coaching career

Parisi was appointed as Head Coach for the APIA after the 2022 season, along with teammate and club legend David D'Apuzzo who will be Assistant Coach. ^[40]

References

1. Franco Parisi at Soccerway
2. Stavroulakis, Mark (6 April 2020). "Maestro Parisi challenged by COVID-19 heartbreak". NPL NSW Men's. Football NSW.
3. "2000 National Soccer League results". OzFootball. 16 December 2000.
4. "Clubs want to go it alone, with a little help". The Sydney Morning Herald. 12 September 2002.
5. "Angry D'Avray feels pain as window closes". The Sydney Morning Herald. 14 September 2002.
6. "Bullish Sharks prove they're too good to fall in a heap". The Sydney Morning Herald. 3 February 2003.
7. "Hungry Sharks show appetite for goal and title". The Sydney Morning Herald. 1 March 2003.
8. "Short-handed United conjure up enough tricks to trump distracted Kingz". The Sydney Morning Herald. 29 September 2003.
9. "Sydney United scoreless again". The Sydney Morning Herald. 26 October 2003.
10. "United rediscover lost art of putting the ball in the net". The Sydney Morning Herald. 10 November 2003.
11. "Mori-bund Jets can't handle dean of NSL". The Sydney Morning Herald. 9 October 2005.
12. "Jets' most memorable F3 Derby victories". KEEPUP. Newcastle Jets. 29 October 2013.
13. "Soccer: Knights sign Parisi - Sport News". NZ Herald. 4 September 2006.
14. "Newcastle Jets vs New Zealand Knights. Round 4, 2005-06". Ultimate A-League.
15. "Franco Parisi strike keeps Tigers roaring". Football NSW. 17 July 2010.
16. "Parisi magic separates both sides in a thriller". Football NSW. 7 August 2010.
17. "Sydney United ends APIA's dream run". Football NSW. 14 August 2010.
18. "Parisi perfection hands APIA-Leichhardt Cup triumph". Football NSW. 6 July 2013.
19. ""Team effort reason for Cup success": Parisi". Football NSW. 6 July 2013.
20. "Eight goal thriller at Lambert Park in final round". Football NSW. 15 August 2015.
21. "Winners galore at NPL Gala Dinner". Football NSW. 10 September 2015.
22. "APIA Leichhardt Tigers crowned 2017 Premiers". Football NSW. 16 August 2017.
23. "APIA Leichhardt end 30-year wait!". FTBL. 13 August 2017.
24. "Grand Final awaits red-hot APIA Leichhardt Tigers". Football NSW. 13 September 2017.
25. "Manly United crowned Champions". Football NSW. 14 September 2017.
26. "Tigers stalwart Parisi hails FFA Cup heroes after stunning Victory". MyFootball. 22 August 2018.
27. "Parisi: Our whole team could play A-League". FTBL. 22 August 2022.
28. "APIA Legend Franco Parisi ready for battle on Sunday". NPL NSW Men's. Football NSW. 3 September 2018.
29. "APIA Leichhardt Tigers crowned TAFE NSW Waratah Cup Champions". NPL NSW Men's. Football NSW. 14 July 2018.
30. "Parisi brilliance shines once again as Tigers defeat Hakoah". NPL NSW Men's. Football NSW. 30 June 2019.
31. "Parisi magic eclipses hapless Suns". NPL NSW Men's. Football NSW. 23 June 2019.
32. ""Too easy" Parisi keeping up his legendary status at APIA". NPL NSW Men's. Football NSW. 26 June 2019.
33. "Championship finally comes home to APIA Leichhardt Tigers". NPL NSW Men's. Football NSW. 31 August 2019.
34. "APIA Leichhardt FC vs Western Sydney Wanderers, Australia Cup, Round of 16, 7th Dec 2021". Australia Cup. 7 December 2021.
35. Franco Parisi players Stats 2022
36. "Young Socceroos 2001 Matches". Ozfootball.
37. "McDonald leads Young Socceroos". The Sydney Morning Herald. 6 December 2002.
38. "Young Socceroos thump Fiji". The Sydney Morning Herald. 23 December 2002.
39. "Young Socceroos named for World Youth Champs". Oceania Football Confederation. 30 October 2003.
40. "CLUB ANNOUNCEMENT, 1ST GRADE MEN'S HEAD COACH. APIA is delighted to announce Franco Parisi will be our Men's 1st Grade coach this season". www.facebook.com. 3 November 2022.