History of soccer in Newcastle, New South Wales facts for kids
The sport of soccer, also known as association football, has a long and exciting history in Newcastle, New South Wales and the wider Hunter Region of Australia. Many teams from this area have played in national competitions since 1978. Today, the region is proudly represented by the Newcastle Jets in the top-tier A-League competition.
Before the Jets, other Newcastle teams played in the NSL, including Newcastle KB United, Adamstown Rosebuds (who played as Newcastle Rosebud United), and the Newcastle Breakers. In 2000, Newcastle United was formed. This team continued even after the NSL ended in 2004 and eventually became the Newcastle Jets, playing in the A-League.
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Early Days of Soccer in Newcastle
In 1951, a group of immigrants from different backgrounds, who were living at the Greta camp, came together because they loved soccer. They decided to form their own team.
This new team was called the Austral club. They started in a lower division in northern New South Wales but quickly became very successful. Austral won their first major championship in 1966 and again in 1969. They continued to do well throughout the 1970s and 1980s. In 1988, Newcastle Austral joined the NSW state league's top division and even reached the semi-finals in their very first try!
Newcastle KB United: The First National Team
| Full name | Newcastle KB United | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Nickname(s) | KB | ||
| Founded | 1977 | ||
| Dissolved | 1984 | ||
| Ground | International Sports Centre, Newcastle |
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| League | National Soccer League | ||
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The very first team from Newcastle to play in a national soccer league was Newcastle KB United. This club was created in 1978, just one year after the National Soccer League (NSL) began.
KB United had a huge number of fans in their first few seasons. Over 15,000 people came to their first home game at the International Sports Centre on March 5, 1978. Even though they lost 4-1 to Hakoah Eastern Suburbs, the crowds kept coming. In 1979, a record crowd of over 18,000 fans attended a game, and the average crowd for the season was around 10,000 people. Famous English player Bobby Charlton and local talent Craig Johnston both played at least one game for KB United.
KB United was usually a middle-to-lower-ranked team in the league. However, they did achieve some success in the national cup competition in 1984. They traveled to Melbourne and won 1-0 against Melbourne Knights, which was their only major trophy.
Due to their performance not being very exciting and growing money problems, KB United's NSL license was taken over in April 1984. The new owners were Adamstown Rosebuds, who changed their name to Newcastle Rosebud United while playing in the NSL. The Rosebuds couldn't bring the team back to its former glory in the National League and were eventually moved down to a lower league in 1986.
KB United and Rosebuds: League Results
This table shows how Newcastle KB United and Newcastle Rosebud United performed in the league and cup competitions each year. The number in brackets shows the total number of teams in the competition that season.
| Year | Position | W | D | L | GF | GA | Cup Pos | Ave Home Crowd |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1978 | 11 (14) | 6 | 10 | 10 | 33 | 40 | =3 (32) | 8500 |
| 1979 | 6 (14) | 11 | 9 | 6 | 43 | 30 | =3 (32) | 10200 |
| 1980 | 6 (14) | 12 | 6 | 8 | 32 | 31 | =9 (32) | 6400 |
| 1981 | 10 (16) | 11 | 8 | 11 | 41 | 41 | =29 (36) | 5300 |
| 1982 | 12 (16) | 10 | 7 | 13 | 43 | 52 | =9 (16) | 4400 |
| 1983 | 5 (16) | 14 | 7 | 9 | 45 | 26 | =5 (16) | 2900 |
| 1984 † ‡ | 8 (12) | 11 | 4 | 13 | 35 | 52 | 1 (24) | 1700 |
| 1985 † ‡ | 12 (12) | 4 | 4 | 14 | 20 | 45 | =3 (24) | 1500 |
| 1986 † ‡ | 6 (12) | 9 | 6 | 7 | 36 | 33 | =9 (32) | 1800 |
- † From 1984, the NSL was split into two groups, and Newcastle played in the Northern Conference.
- ‡ The results from six matches in the 1984 season are for Newcastle Rosebud United.
Newcastle Breakers: A New Era
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| Full name | Newcastle Breakers FC | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Nickname(s) | The Breakers | ||
| Founded | 1991 | ||
| Dissolved | 2000 | ||
| Ground | Breakers Stadium, Newcastle |
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| Manager | Lee Sterrey | ||
| League | National Soccer League | ||
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After Newcastle Rosebuds were moved down from the National Soccer League, a new organization called Newcastle Football Ltd took over their license in 1987. This group played in the NSW State League. In 1988, they became Newcastle Australs.
For five years, Newcastle didn't have a team in the national league. Then, in 1991, the Newcastle Breakers were formed from the NSW state league club, Newcastle Australs. The Breakers played their home games at Breakers Stadium in Birmingham Gardens, a suburb in the western part of the city. After the Breakers team ended in 2000, the stadium was empty until 2005. It was then rebuilt into a facility for greyhound racing. Most of the original stadium, except for the main grandstand and lights, was removed.
Newcastle Breakers: League Results
This table shows how the Newcastle Breakers performed in the league and cup competitions each year. The number in brackets shows the total number of teams in the competition that season.
| Year | Position | W | D | L | GF | GA | Cup Pos | Ave Home Crowd |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1991-92 | 11 (14) | 7 | 8 | 11 | 28 | 39 | =8 (14) | 4200 |
| 1992-93 | 8 (14) | 10 | 8 | 8 | 38 | 29 | =9 (14) | 3700 |
| 1993-94 | 12 (14) | 5 | 8 | 13 | 28 | 47 | =8 (14) | 2800 |
| 1995-96 | 12 (12) | 4 | 5 | 24 | 35 | 77 | 2 (12) | 3700 |
| 1996-97 | 11 (14) | 7 | 9 | 10 | 40 | 46 | ? | ? |
| 1997-98 | 13 (14) | 4 | 9 | 13 | 30 | 50 | ? | ? |
| 1998-99 | 8 (15) | 11 | 7 | 10 | 29 | 33 | ? | ? |
| 1999-2000 | 7 (16) | 14 | 9 | 11 | 44 | 44 | ? | ? |
Note: The Breakers did not play in the 1994–95 season of the NSL.
Newcastle United: A New Beginning
Newcastle United was formed in 2000 by a businessman named Con Constantine. This new team was created from what was left of the Newcastle Breakers club. The Breakers had lost their license to play in the NSL at the end of the 1999/2000 season. When Newcastle United was formed, their home games moved back to the stadium where Newcastle KB United used to play, which is now known as EnergyAustralia Stadium.
Newcastle United: League Results
This table shows how Newcastle United performed in the league each year. The number in brackets shows the total number of teams in the competition that season.
        Newcastle United Strip 2000-04
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| Year | Position | W | D | L | GF | GA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000-01 | 14 (15) | 5 | 9 | 14 | 37 | 56 |
| 2001-02 † | 2 (13) | 10 | 12 | 2 | 33 | 21 |
| 2002-03 ‡ | 4 (13) | 10 | 7 | 7 | 37 | 25 |
| 2003-04 | 11 (13) | 6 | 6 | 12 | 18 | 33 |
- † Newcastle United reached the finals for the first time. They lost to Perth Glory in the semi-final and were then knocked out by Sydney Olympic in another final match.
- ‡ Newcastle made the finals again. This season, the top six teams played a round-robin competition to decide who would play in the Grand Final. Newcastle finished sixth in this competition.
Newcastle United Jets: The A-League Era
| Full name | Newcastle United Jets Football Club | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Nickname(s) | Jets | ||
| Founded | 2000 | ||
| Ground | EnergyAustralia Stadium, Newcastle |
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| Capacity | 33,000 | ||
| Manager |  Branko Culina |
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| League | A-League | ||
| 2011-12 | TBD | ||
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Newcastle United changed its name to Newcastle United Jets when it joined the new A-League in its very first season, 2005-06. The club was renamed to create a fresh identity and to avoid being confused with the famous English club, Newcastle United.
The name "Jets" is a nod to RAAF Base Williamtown, an air force base located just 20 kilometers north of Newcastle. The club's logo even features three F/A-18 Hornet fighter jets, which are flown by the Royal Australian Air Force from Williamtown.
After the NSL ended in 2003-04, the Jets team went through a big change. All player contracts were cancelled, so each club had to build their team from scratch. Newcastle put together a strong squad with players like Jade North, Nick Carle, and the well-known former Socceroo star Ned Zelic, who became the team's first captain. English coach Richard Money was appointed, with Gary van Egmond as his assistant.
In their first regular season, the Jets finished in 4th place. They lost a two-game playoff against the Central Coast Mariners, who ended up as runners-up that year. After this, coach Richard Money left the club, and Nick Theodorakopoulos took over. Ned Zelic also left, but the team brought in new players like Joel Griffiths, Paul Okon, and Colombian player Milton Rodriguez.
Due to a difficult start to the next season, Theodorakopoulos was replaced by his assistant, van Egmond. The team improved a lot for the rest of the season and finished third. They beat Sydney FC in a semi-final match but then lost the preliminary final to Adelaide United in a penalty shootout after the game ended 1-1.
In their third season, Okon retired, and Rodriguez and Carle left, leaving the Jets with fewer experienced players. Con Constantine brought in Mario Jardel, a player who had won the European Golden Boot award, but he was past his best playing days and didn't stay for the whole season. Despite this, with many young players, the Jets finished 2nd in the regular season based on goal difference. They then made history by becoming Champions after beating their rivals, Central Coast Mariners, 1-0 in the Grand Final. This was the first time a Newcastle football team had won a national championship! In the 2008-09 season, the Jets represented the A-League in the AFC Asian Champions League.
Newcastle United Jets: League History
This table shows the Newcastle United Jets' performance in the A-League. The numbers in brackets include statistics from the A-League finals matches.
| Season | P | W | D | L | F | A | Teams | Minor Ladder Position |
Finals Position |
ACL Qualification | ACL Placing |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2005-06 | 21 (23) | 9 (9) | 4 (5) | 8 (9) | 27 (28) | 29 (31) | 8 | 4th | Minor Semi-Final | DNQ | n/a |
| 2006-07 | 21 (24) | 8 (9) | 6 (6) | 7 (9) | 32 (36) | 30 (33) | 8 | 3rd | Preliminary Final | DNQ | DNQ |
| 2007-08 | 21 (25) | 9 (12) | 7 (7) | 5 (6) | 25 (31) | 21 (26) | 8 | 2nd | Champions | Qualified for 2009 | Round of 16 |
| 2008-09 | 21 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 8th | DNQ | DNQ | DNQ |
