Melbourne City FC facts for kids
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| Full name | Melbourne City Football Club | |||
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| Nickname(s) | City, Hearts, Heart, City Boys, City Blues | |||
| Founded | 12 June 2009 (as Melbourne Heart) | |||
| Ground | AAMI Park | |||
| Capacity | 30,050 | |||
| Owner | City Football Group | |||
| Chairman | Khaldoon Al Mubarak | |||
| Head coach | Aurelio Vidmar | |||
| League | A-League Men | |||
| 2022–23 | 1st of 12 (premiers) | |||
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Melbourne City Football Club is a professional soccer team from Australia. They are based in Cranbourne East, a suburb of Melbourne, but play their games in the city center. They compete in the A-League Men, which is the top soccer league in Australia.
The club started in 2009 and was first known as Melbourne Heart. In 2014, a company called City Football Group (CFG) bought the club and changed its name to Melbourne City. CFG fully owned the club by 2015.
Since 2009, Melbourne City has won three A-League Men premierships and one championship. They also won the Australia Cup once, in 2016.
Melbourne City trains at the City Football Academy in Casey Fields. Their home games are played at Melbourne Rectangular Stadium, also known as AAMI Park. This stadium can hold 30,050 fans. The club also has a youth team and a senior women's team. The women's team plays in the A-League Women league.
Contents
Club History
Starting as Melbourne Heart (2009–2014)
After the old national soccer league ended in 2003, a new league called the A-League was planned. At first, only one team from Melbourne, Melbourne Victory, was allowed to join. This was to help them get established.
But soon, people wanted a second Melbourne team. In 2008, different groups tried to get a license for a new club. One group, called 'Melbourne Heart', won the right to join the A-League. This happened on June 12, 2009.
Melbourne Heart played their first game on August 5, 2010, at AAMI Park. They lost 1–0 to Central Coast Mariners. Their first goal was an own goal by an opponent. Their first win was 1–0 against North Queensland Fury on September 4, 2010.
On October 8, 2010, they played their first ever Melbourne Derby against Melbourne Victory and won 2–1. In their first season, they finished eighth and did not make the finals.
In their second season, Melbourne Heart finished sixth, which was good enough to make the finals. However, they lost their first finals game 3–0 to Perth Glory. Over the next two seasons, they kept winning against their local rivals. But they struggled in the league, finishing near the bottom and getting the "wooden spoon" (last place) in the 2013–14 season.
New Owners and First Trophy (2014–2019)
On January 23, 2014, the City Football Group bought Melbourne Heart. They bought 80% of the club for $12 million. Later, in 2015, CFG bought the remaining 20%, taking full ownership.
After the takeover, the team changed its name to Melbourne City FC. They also brought in famous players. For example, David Villa, a World Cup-winning striker from Spain, played for them on loan. Even though he only played four games, he helped bring a lot of attention to the new team.
Under coach John van 't Schip, the team became known for playing exciting, attacking soccer. In the 2015–16 season, they had a lot of success. The signing of Uruguayan striker Bruno Fornaroli was very important. He helped the team score many goals.
The men's team finished fourth in the league that season. The women's team had an amazing first season, winning all 14 of their regular games. They won both the premiership and championship.
In November 2016, the men's team won its first major trophy, the 2016 FFA Cup Final. They beat Sydney FC 1–0. Despite this, they often lost in the knockout finals of the league.
After van 't Schip left, Warren Joyce became the manager. He improved the team's defense. However, he did not win any trophies. He left in 2019.
Grand Final and League Wins (2019–Present)
In 2019, Erick Mombaerts became the new manager. New players like Jamie Maclaren joined the team. Maclaren became the main striker. City reached their second FFA Cup Final but lost 4–0 to Adelaide United.
The team finished second in the league, their highest ever finish. Maclaren won the Golden Boot award for scoring 22 goals. City reached their first ever Grand Final but lost 1–0 to Sydney FC in extra time.
Mombaerts left in 2020, and his assistant, Patrick Kisnorbo, took over. Under Kisnorbo, City had a fantastic 2020–21 season. They won their first A-League premiership with three games left.
Kisnorbo then led the team to win the 2020–21 A-League Championship, beating Sydney FC 3–1. This was a huge achievement for the club.
In 2022, City played in the AFC Champions League for the first time. They did not lose any games but still missed out on the knockout stages. They then won their second straight league premiership. However, they lost the grand final to Western United.
In the 2022–23 season, Melbourne City made history by winning their third consecutive premiership. They were the first club in Australian domestic league history to do this. However, they lost their fourth grand final to the Central Coast Mariners.
Team Name, Colours, and Badge
Naming the Melbourne Heart
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| Melbourne Heart's first home kit |
In 2009, fans helped choose the name for the new Melbourne team. Options included 'Sporting Melbourne FC' and 'Melbourne Heart FC'.
The name 'Melbourne Heart FC' was announced on February 2, 2010. There were some discussions with other groups about using the words "Melbourne" and "Heart."
For their first home kit, Melbourne Heart chose red and white stripes. Their away kit had a red sash on a white jersey. They also had a third kit each season, designed by fans.
Changing to Melbourne City
When the City Football Group took over in 2014, there was talk about changing the club's name and colours. Many thought they would change to sky blue, like Manchester City, another club owned by CFG.
The club applied to trademark "Melbourne City Football Club." However, Sydney FC complained about the proposed colour change to sky blue. Sydney FC already used sky blue and felt it was their unique colour in the league.
In May 2014, it was reported that the FFA (Football Federation Australia) agreed with Sydney FC. But Melbourne Heart said they were still discussing it.
Finally, on June 5, 2014, the club was officially renamed Melbourne City FC.
In 2016, the FFA agreed to let Melbourne City use "City Blue" for their home kit. This change happened for the 2017–18 season. Sydney FC kept their "Sky Blue" as unique.
Team Kits
Melbourne City's home kit since the 2017–18 season is all "city blue." The shorts and socks are also blue.
For many years, their away kit was red and white striped. This changed to a white zebra design with black shorts and socks in 2019–20. The red and white stripes are now their Away kit for the 2022–23 season. City also wore an all-black third kit in 2018–19.
Between 2014 and 2016, the home kit was mostly white with a blue stripe. In 2016–17, it was still mostly white but had light blue sleeves and collar.
The away kit from 2014 to 2016 used red and white stripes, similar to the old Melbourne Heart kits. This was to remember the club's history. The away strip changed to a red and white gradient in 2016–17.
Some fans were not happy about the change from Heart to City, especially losing the red and white colours. To help with this, red was included in supporter scarves and in the design of the away kits.
Sponsors
Melbourne City's sponsors often work with other clubs in the City Football Group. After the takeover, Nike supplied their kits, and Etihad Airways became a sponsor. Etihad is still a sponsor. In 2019, Puma became the new kit supplier for five years.
Before CFG, Melbourne Heart's first sponsor was Westpac, a financial company. Other main sponsors included Drake International and Public Transport Victoria. The club also had a two-year deal with kit supplier Kappa starting in 2012.
| Period | Kit manufacturer | Front shirt sponsor | Back shirt sponsor | Sleeve sponsor | Front short sponsor | Back short sponsor |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010–2011 | Reebok | Westpac | PKF | Drake International | Metlink | Solo |
| 2011–2012* | ISC | |||||
| 2012–2013* | Kappa | BDO International | AXF Group (Home)
MatchWorks (Away) |
PTV | Foxtel | |
| 2013–2014* | Alcatel onetouch | Diabetes College | ||||
| 2014 | Nike | Etihad | Hostplus | CoCo Joy (Home)
MatchWorks (Away) |
Westpac | |
| 2015–2018 | ||||||
| 2019– | Puma | Origin Energy | ||||
| Nissan | My Republic |
AFC Competition Sponsorship
| Year | Kit Manufacturer | Shirt Sponsor |
|---|---|---|
| 2022 | Puma | Etihad |
| 2023-24 |
Home Stadium
Melbourne City plays its home games at Melbourne Rectangular Stadium, also known as AAMI Park. The highest average attendance for a season was 11,047 fans in 2015–16. The most fans at a single home game was 26,457 against Melbourne Victory in 2012–13.
Team Statistics and Records
Defender Curtis Good has played the most games for Melbourne City, with 162 matches. Scott Jamieson is second with 161 games. The goalkeeper with the most appearances is Tom Glover, who played 79 times.
Jamie Maclaren is the club's top goalscorer. He has scored 109 goals in all competitions since 2019. He passed Bruno Fornaroli's record of 57 goals in May 2021. Maclaren also holds the record for most goals in the league, with 97.
The highest attendance for a Melbourne City home game was 26,759. This was for an A-League Men match against Melbourne Victory on November 23, 2011, at AAMI Park. City won that game 3–2.
In 2016–17, Melbourne City's team had the highest player wages in Australian soccer history, totaling $9.15 million.
Players
First-team Squad
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Youth Players
These players have been part of the first-team squad for Melbourne City.
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Players on Loan
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Club Staff
The current head coach of Melbourne City is Aurelio Vidmar. Before him, Rado Vidošić was the coach until 2023. Since 2009, Melbourne City has had seven main managers. John van 't Schip was the longest-serving manager, from 2013 to 2017.
Corporate Management
| Position | Name |
|---|---|
| Owners | City Football Group |
| Chairman |  Khaldoon Al Mubarak |
| Chief Executive Officer |  Brad Rowse |
| Football Operations Manager | Michael Petrillo |
Team Management
| Position | Name |
|---|---|
| Head coach | Aurelio Vidmar |
| Assistant coach | Ralph Napoli |
| Assistant coach | Scott Jamieson |
| Goalkeeping coach |  Sander Krabbendam |
| Technical director |  Alain Fiard |
| Head of Human Performance | Andrew McKenzie |
| Football Logistics Manager | Josh Bondin |
Team Captains
| Dates | Name | Notes | Honours (as captain) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2010–2011 | Simon Colosimo |
First club captain | |
| 2011–2013 |  Fred |
First captain from another country | |
| 2013–2014 | Harry Kewell |
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| 2014–2016 | Patrick Kisnorbo |
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| 2016–2018 |  Bruno Fornaroli |
2016 FFA Cup | |
| 2018–2023 | Scott Jamieson |
2020–21 A-League Premiership 2020–21 A-League Championship 2021–22 A-League Premiership 2022–23 A-League Premiership |
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| 2023–2024 | Jamie Maclaren |
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| 2024– | Aziz Behich |
Team Achievements
Domestic Competitions
- A-League Men Championship
- Winners (1): 2021
- Runners-up (3): 2020, 2022, 2023
- A-League Men Premiership
- Winners (3): 2020–21, 2021–22, 2022–23
- Runners-up (1): 2019–20
- Australia Cup
- Winners (1): 2016
- Runners-up (1): 2019
AFC Club Ranking
| Rank | Team | Points |
|---|---|---|
| 40 |  Dempo |
1,430 |
| 41 |  Wuhan Three Towns F.C. |
1,430 |
| 42 | Melbourne City |
1,429 |
| 43 |  El Jaish SC |
1,427 |
| 44 |  FC Tokyo |
1,422 |
Continental Competition Record
| Season | Competition | Round | Club | Home | Away | Position |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | AFC Champions League | Group G |  BG Pathum United |
0–0 | 1–1 | 2nd |
 United City |
3–0 | 3–0 | ||||
 Jeonnam Dragons |
2–1 | 1–1 | ||||
| 2023–24 | AFC Champions League | Group H | Ventforet Kofu |
0–0 | 3–3 | 2nd |
| Zhejiang |
1–1 | 2–1 | ||||
| Buriram United |
0–1 | 2–0 |
Melbourne City Women's Team
The Melbourne City Women's team is the women's soccer club connected to Melbourne City. This team holds the record for winning the most championships in a row.
Melbourne City Women are one of the most successful teams in the A-League Women. When they first joined the W-League, they won three championships in a row: in 2016, 2017, and 2018. They won a fourth championship in 2020.
Club Facilities
For its first five years, Melbourne City trained at La Trobe University. The training facilities were quite basic. Players even used wheelie bins filled with ice instead of proper ice baths.
After the City Football Group bought the club, they built new, world-class training facilities. These were called the "City Football Academy" and cost $15 million.
In December 2020, Melbourne City announced they would move their training to Casey Fields in Cranbourne East. This new facility will have four floodlit pitches and a two-story building for staff. There's also space for a future stadium that could hold 4,000 people. The youth and women's teams started moving in 2021, and the whole club will be there when construction finishes in 2022.
Team Rivalries
Melbourne City's main local rival is Melbourne Victory. Their matches are called the Melbourne Derby. It was the first derby between two teams from the same city in the A-League.
The first derby game saw Melbourne City (then Melbourne Heart) win 2–1. Over 25,000 fans watched this sold-out match. These derby games are often exciting and attract large crowds.
The rivalry became more intense in 2011. A Melbourne Victory player, Kevin Muscat, made a bad tackle that injured a Melbourne Heart player.
The two teams have only met once in a finals series match. City lost 0–3 to Melbourne Victory in the 2014–15 season. City did beat Victory 2–0 in an FFA Cup semi-final.
The 40th Melbourne Derby on December 17, 2022, had some bad crowd behavior. Some supporters threw flares onto the field. During the game, a Melbourne City goalkeeper threw a flare back. This led to some fans entering the field, and the game had to be stopped. As a result, Football Australia temporarily closed the active supporter sections for both clubs.
See also
In Spanish: Melbourne City Football Club para niños
- Manchester City FC
- New York City FC
- Montevideo City Torque
- Mumbai City FC
- Expansion of the A-League
