History of Melbourne City FC facts for kids
The history of Melbourne City Football Club is all about how this exciting soccer team started and grew. It covers everything from when the club was first created to when it changed owners and became a very successful team.
The club began in 2009 as Melbourne Heart. It was a new team joining the A-League Men for the 2010–11 season. In 2014, a big company called the City Football Group bought the club. After this, the team's name changed to Melbourne City.
Melbourne City won its first big trophy in 2016. This was the 2016 FFA Cup final. The team then won its first league premiership and championship in the 2020–21 season. Melbourne City made history by winning three league premierships in a row! They won in 2020–21, 2021–22, and 2022–23.
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How the Club Started
After Australia's old national soccer league ended in 2003, people started planning a new one. Ideas were shared for a new league called the "Australian Premier League." Many thought Melbourne should have two teams in this new league. One team would be in the city's north-west, and another in the south-east.
However, in 2004, Football Federation Australia decided on a "one city, one team" rule. This meant Melbourne Victory became the only Melbourne club in the new league, called the A-League. They also said no other teams from the original eight A-League cities could join until the 2010–11 season. This gave Melbourne Victory time to become popular in Melbourne.
By 2007, people started talking about a second Melbourne club again. The idea was for this new team to play at the Melbourne Rectangular Stadium.
Many groups wanted to create this second Melbourne team. On 12 February 2007, South Melbourne FC showed interest. Their bid was called 'Southern Cross FC'. Then, on 1 March 2008, businessman Colin DeLutis wanted to own the second team. His bid was named 'Melbourne City', but this is not the same Melbourne City club we know today.
Later, a third bid appeared, called 'Melbourne Heart'. This group was led by Peter Sidwell. On 25 July 2008, the first 'Melbourne City' bid dropped out. This left Melbourne Heart and Southern Cross FC as the main choices. In September 2008, the Melbourne Heart bid was given special rights to negotiate for the league's 11th license. Finally, on 12 June 2009, the FFA officially gave the license to Melbourne Heart. They would join the A-League in the 2010–11 season.
Early Years (2010–2014)
Melbourne Heart played its first game on 5 August 2010. They lost 1–0 to Central Coast Mariners at their home ground, AAMI Park. The team's first goal was an own goal by an opponent. This happened in their second game, a 1–1 draw against Newcastle Jets.
Melbourne Heart's first win was a 1–0 victory over North Queensland Fury. This win came in the fifth round of their first A-League season. On 8 October 2010, they played in the first ever Melbourne Derby against Melbourne Victory. Heart won that exciting match 2–1.
During their first season, they had a tough period. They went seven matches without winning and over five hours without scoring. But they turned things around with a 2–1 win against Adelaide United. Heart finished their first season in eighth place. They were close to making the finals but didn't quite get there.
In 2011, the club announced a youth team. This team would play in the A-League's National Youth League. Former Australian player John Aloisi became the first youth team coach. In 2012, the Melbourne Heart Futsal team was also started. They play in the F-League, which is Australia's top futsal league.
The 2011–12 A-League season started with two losses for Heart. But then they played very well, earning 21 points out of 30. This put them in 3rd place on the ladder. However, injuries to key players like Fred and international duties for others hurt their performance. They only won two more matches that season. Still, they finished 6th, which was enough to make the finals. This was their best season yet.
Heart's first final was against Perth Glory, where they lost 3–0. On 1 February 2012, coach John van't Schip announced he would leave the club. This was due to family reasons.
On 8 May 2012, John Aloisi, the youth team coach, became the new head coach for three years. The team lost some young players but signed experienced ones like Richard Garcia and Vince Grella. They also signed international players Josip Tadić and Patrick Gerhardt.
Heart started the 2012–13 season with a 2–1 win over rivals Melbourne Victory. But they struggled with being consistent. They often played well in the first half but faded in the second. This left them in last place at the end of 2012. They finished the season in 9th place, their worst A-League finish. Several long-serving players left the club after this season.
The 2013–14 season was also tough for Melbourne Heart. They didn't win a game until 17 January 2014. They only managed six wins all season. A highlight was a big 4–0 win against derby rivals Melbourne Victory in March 2014. Striker David Williams scored 11 goals that season. Star players Orlando Engelaar and Harry Kewell played limited games due to injuries. Kewell retired from football at the end of the season. Melbourne Heart finished the 2013–14 A-League season in 10th place.
City Football Group Takes Over and First Trophy (2014–2019)
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On 23 January 2014, big news came out: the City Football Group bought Melbourne Heart. This group also owns Manchester City FC in England. They bought 80% of the club. The other 20% was owned by a group of business people linked to the Rugby league club Melbourne Storm.
On 5 June 2014, the team got a huge boost. Spanish World Cup winner David Villa joined on loan from New York City FC. New York City FC is another team owned by the City Football Group. Villa was expected to play in the A-League until New York City started playing in Major League Soccer in 2015.
Villa only played 4 matches, scoring twice, before being called back by New York. Even though the team didn't win any of those games, coach John van 't Schip said Villa brought a lot of attention to the new team. It was thought his presence tripled the club's attendance.
The City Football Group hoped that working together would help all their clubs. This includes Melbourne City FC, New York City FC, and Manchester City FC. They believed they could share ideas on scouting new players, training, and sports science.
In August 2015, the City Football Group bought the remaining shares. This gave them 100% ownership of Melbourne City Football Club. The 2015–16 season was City's best league finish so far, at fourth place. They also had their most wins in a season. They reached the semi-finals but lost 4–1 to Adelaide United. By the end of the season, Uruguayan striker Bruno Fornaroli scored 28 goals. He was the first player to score 20 goals before the finals. This was the most goals ever scored in a Melbourne City season.
In 2016, Melbourne City finally reached a major final. This was the 2016 FFA Cup final against Sydney FC on 30 November 2016. They won 1–0 at home to claim their first club trophy! Tim Cahill scored the only goal with a header. Bruno Fornaroli won the Mark Viduka Medal for best player. Over 18,000 fans watched the game.
Head Coach John van 't Schip left his job to go back to the Netherlands to care for his sick father. Michael Valkanis became the temporary head coach. City finished the league in fourth place again. They lost 2–0 in the elimination-finals to Perth Glory. After the season, Tim Cahill won the 2016–17 A-League Goal of the Year. This was for his amazing 35-yard goal in the Melbourne Derby in October 2016.
Englishman Warren Joyce became the new Head Coach for the 2017–18 season. Their FFA Cup defense in 2017 ended with a 2–0 loss to Sydney FC in the quarter-finals. City started the league season perfectly, winning their first four games. They equaled their biggest winning margin by beating Adelaide United 5–0 in January 2018. Sometimes, they had streaks without wins. This caused them to drop to second and third place. They finished in third place, their highest finish yet. They won their elimination-final 2–0 against Brisbane Roar. But they lost the semi-finals 2–1 to the Newcastle Jets. They were still one step away from their first A-League Grand Final.
The next season, 2018–19, wasn't much better. City again reached the quarter-finals of the FFA Cup. They finished fifth in the league. Their top goalscorer, Bruno Fornaroli, left the club in February 2019. He was replaced by new striker Jamie Maclaren and Englishman Shayon Harrison on loan. In the finals series, City lost 1–0 in extra time to Adelaide United. The goal was scored in the 119th minute. Warren Joyce's two-year contract was not renewed, and he left the club.
Grand Finals and Three Premierships (2019–Present)
Frenchman Erick Mombaerts became the new head coach for Melbourne City for the 2019–20 season. They reached the 2019 FFA Cup final but lost 4–0 to Adelaide United. They started the league season strongly, with only one loss in their first seven games. This kept City at the top of the table for a while.
The season was stopped in March 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic in Australia. Matches were played without fans. Teams had to travel to New South Wales to finish the season. City was unbeaten in their last three games. They finished in second place, qualifying for the semi-finals. After a strong 2–0 win in the semi-finals against Western United, City reached their first ever A-League Grand Final. They played against Sydney FC at Bankwest Stadium. City lost 1–0 in extra time. This meant City finished as runners-up in all three trophy competitions that year.
In the 2020–21 season, City couldn't play in the 2020 FFA Cup because it was canceled. They also couldn't play in the 2021 AFC Champions League because Australian clubs pulled out. City started their league season poorly, losing four of their first six games. But they quickly improved! They set a club record with six wins in a row. This included their biggest ever win, a 6–0 victory in the Melbourne Derby on 6 March 2021.
After this winning streak, they only lost one game. They then set another club record: ten matches unbeaten! During this streak, they set a new biggest win record, beating Melbourne Victory 7–0 on 17 April 2021. The final game of this unbeaten run was a 1–0 win against the Central Coast Mariners. This win, on 22 May 2021, meant City won their first ever A-League premiership with three games left to play.
Even though City had to play their home semi-final in Sydney, they won 2–0 against Macarthur FC. This set up a rematch of the previous Grand Final against Sydney FC. This time, the Grand Final was at a sold-out AAMI Park. City won their first A-League championship by beating Sydney 3–1. Goals were scored by Nathaniel Atkinson, Scott Jamieson, and Scott Galloway.
Their defense of both titles in the 2021–22 season started with a loss. They lost on penalties at home to the Wellington Phoenix in the FFA Cup quarter-finals. They had a good start to the league season, with only one loss in their first eight games. They battled Western United for the top spot. City then set a new club record of 11 matches unbeaten, which helped them hold first place.
City had a break from the league to play in the AFC Champions League in Pathum Thani, Thailand. They went unbeaten in their group but finished second. They didn't qualify as one of the best second-placed teams. When they returned to Australia, they had two league games left. They lost 2–0 away to bottom-placed Perth Glory. Their rivals, Melbourne Victory, were two points ahead with one match left. City played their final game at home against the Wellington Phoenix. City won 2–1 to win the premiership by one point! They became the second A-League Men club to win back-to-back premierships.
With a new rule for two-legged semi-finals, City played Adelaide United. They won 2–1 over both games. This sent them to their third Grand Final in a row. They played against local rivals Western United. City lost 2–0 in this Grand Final.
In the 2022–23 season, City were knocked out of the Australia Cup by Wellington Phoenix. They then went six matches unbeaten to start the league season. This was before the 2022 FIFA World Cup break. During the break, Head Coach Patrick Kisnorbo left the club to join a team in France. Rado Vidošić, who was the women's head coach, took over.
City lost their first game after the break and new coach. The following week, on Monday, 12 December 2022, the APL decided that the 2023, 2024, and 2025 Grand Finals would be held in Sydney. The club agreed, even though many fans and other clubs were upset. That Saturday, during the Melbourne Derby, there were fan protests, flares, and a pitch invasion by Victory fans. The match had to be stopped.
Throughout the rest of the season, City only lost two of their next 19 matches. They claimed a third consecutive premiership and went undefeated at home all season. Their two-legged semi-finals against Sydney FC were won 5–1 overall. This qualified them for their fourth Grand Final in a row. It was played at a neutral stadium, CommBank Stadium, for the second time. They played against the Central Coast Mariners but lost 6–1. This meant three Grand Final losses in their last four attempts.
