Sydney FC facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Sydney FC

Full name	Sydney Football Club
Nickname(s)	The Sky Blues
Short name	Sydney FC
Founded	8 September 2004; 20 years ago (8 September 2004)
Ground	Allianz Stadium
Ground Capacity	42,500
Ground Coordinates	33°53′21″S 151°13′31″E / 33.88917°S 151.22528°E / -33.88917; 151.22528
Chairman	Scott Barlow
Head Coach	Ufuk Talay
League	A-League Men
2022–23	5th of 12
Home colours Away colours

Sydney Football Club, known as Sydney FC, is a professional soccer team from Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. They play in the top men's league, A-League Men. Sydney FC started in 2004 and was one of the first eight teams in the 2005–06 A-League season.

Sydney FC has won more A-League Men Championships than any other team, with five titles. They have also won four A-League Men Premierships and two Australia Cups. In international games, they won the OFC Champions League once.

Before the 2018–19 season, Sydney FC played at the Allianz Stadium in Moore Park. When the stadium was rebuilt, the team played at other grounds like the Sydney Cricket Ground, Jubilee Oval, and Leichhardt Oval. In October 2022, they moved back to the new Allianz Stadium. In 2023, Sydney FC opened their new training center, Sky Park, in North Ryde.

For its first seven years, Sydney FC was the only A-League team in Sydney. This helped them gain many fans across the city. Sydney FC is Australia's most popular A-League club, with 693,000 fans in 2023. Their main fan group, "The Cove," is named after Sydney Cove, a bay in Sydney Harbour. Sydney FC plays in the local Sydney Derby against their rivals, Western Sydney Wanderers. They also have a big rivalry with Melbourne Victory, called The Big Blue, because both clubs have won many titles.

Alex Brosque is the club's top goal scorer, with 83 goals. Rhyan Grant has played the most games for the club, with 349 appearances.

History

Early Years (2004–2009)

Sydney FC playing the Los Angeles Galaxy at ANZ Stadium in 2007.

Sydney FC started in April 2004 when Football NSW wanted to join the new A-League. On November 1, 2004, Sydney FC officially became one of the eight founding teams.

In February 2005, Sydney FC signed many talented players, including Socceroos like Alvin Ceccoli and Clint Bolton. German coach Pierre Littbarski joined the team. Sydney FC played their first game on March 25, 2005, winning 6–1 against Manly United. They also signed former Manchester United star Dwight Yorke as their special "marquee player."

Sydney FC's first big competition was the 2005 Australian Club World Championship Qualifying Tournament. They won this tournament and then the 2005 Oceania Club Championship in Tahiti. This allowed them to play in the 2005 FIFA Club World Championship in Japan.

Sydney FC's first A-League season was very successful. They finished second and then won the 2006 A-League Grand Final 1–0 against Central Coast Mariners. Steve Corica scored the winning goal. However, coach Pierre Littbarski and star player Dwight Yorke left the club after this success.

The next few seasons were challenging. Sydney FC had some problems, including a penalty for breaking salary rules. They changed coaches several times, with Terry Butcher, Branko Čulina, and John Kosmina leading the team. Despite signing famous players like John Aloisi, the team struggled to reach the finals.

Lavicka's Time (2009–2012)

In 2009, Czech coach Vítězslav Lavička joined Sydney FC. He helped the club become a strong, professional team. In his first season, Sydney FC won their first Premiership. They then played Melbourne Victory in the 2010 A-League Grand Final. Sydney FC won the Grand Final 4–2 in a penalty shootout, earning their second A-League Championship.

Sydney vs Gold Coast United

The next season was tough, as many key players left. Sydney FC struggled and finished ninth, missing the finals. In the third season under Lavicka, the club signed former Blackburn Rovers player Brett Emerton. The team improved slightly, making it to the finals, but Lavicka's contract was not renewed.

Farina's Time (2012–2014)

Sydney FC playing against the Newcastle Jets in October 2012.

The 2012–13 season was exciting because the club signed international superstar Alessandro Del Piero. He became the highest-paid player in A-League history.

Coach Ian Crook resigned early in the season, and Frank Farina took over. Despite signing Socceroos captain Lucas Neill, Sydney FC finished seventh and missed the finals.

In the 2013–14 season, Sydney FC became the first A-League club to tour Europe. They played several games in Italy. The team had a difficult start to the season, but improved later and made it to the finals. They lost to Melbourne Victory in the first week, and Frank Farina left the club.

Arnold's Era (2014–2018)

Redmayne

Buijs

Wilkinson

Wilkshire

Zullo

Brillante

O'Neill

Mierzejewski

Ninković

Brosque (C)

Bobô

2017 FFA Cup Final starting lineup Sydney FC 2 – 1 Adelaide United

On May 8, 2014, Graham Arnold became the new head coach. He signed new players like Bernie Ibini-Isei, Shane Smeltz, and Alex Brosque. Austrian captain Marc Janko joined as the new marquee player. Sydney FC had a strong season, finishing second on the ladder. They broke many club records, including highest home attendance (41,213 fans). They reached the 2015 A-League Grand Final but lost 3–0 to Melbourne Victory.

The next season was not as successful in the league, but Sydney FC did well in the Asian Champions League. They reached the knockout stages for the first time.

Arnold rebuilt the team for the 2016–17 season, signing players like Alex Wilkinson, Michael Zullo, Joshua Brillante, Danny Vukovic, and Brazilian striker Bobô. The season started with a big 4–0 win over rivals Western Sydney. They went on a six-game winning streak. The club also reached the 2016 FFA Cup Final but lost 1–0 to Melbourne City.

Sydney FC continued their amazing form, going 19 games unbeaten. They won the Premier's Plate with four games left, breaking many A-League records for points, wins, fewest goals conceded, and clean sheets. Bobô was the top scorer with 15 goals. They also won the 2017 A-League Grand Final in a penalty shootout against Melbourne Victory, becoming "double winners."

In the 2017 FFA Cup, Sydney FC had another great run. They won against several teams, including a big 8–0 win over Darwin Rovers. They reached the 2017 FFA Cup Final and beat Adelaide United 2–1 in extra time, with Bobô scoring the winning goal. This was their first FFA Cup title.

The 2017–18 season was also very successful, as Sydney FC became the first club to win back-to-back Premierships in the A-League. Graham Arnold left the club after this season to coach the Australian national team.

Corica's Era (2018–2023)

Steve Corica became Sydney FC's head coach on May 16, 2018. He had been with the club for 13 years as a player and staff member. Key players like Jordy Buijs, Adrian Mierzejewski, and Bobô left the club. Sydney FC then signed former English Premier League player Adam Le Fondre and Dutch midfielder Siem de Jong.

During the 2018–19 season, Sydney FC played their home games at Jubilee Oval, the Sydney Cricket Ground, and Leichhardt Oval while their main stadium was being rebuilt. They finished second in the regular season. In the 2018 FFA Cup, they reached the final for the third year in a row but lost 2–1 to Adelaide United.

In the finals series, Sydney FC had a huge 6–1 win over Melbourne Victory in the semi-finals. They then traveled to Perth for the 2019 A-League Grand Final and defeated Perth Glory in a dramatic penalty shootout, winning 4–1. This was a great first season for Steve Corica as coach. However, their performance in the 2019 AFC Champions League was not as good, as they did not get past the group stage.

On April 7, 2021, Sydney FC became the first A-League club to reach 200 wins.

Sydney FC moved back to their new Sydney Football Stadium for the 2022–23 season. Their first game back was a 2–3 loss to Melbourne Victory. They reached the semi-finals that season but lost to Melbourne City.

The 2023–24 season started well, with Sydney FC winning the 2023 Australia Cup by beating Brisbane Roar 3–1 in the final. However, a poor start to the A-League season led to Corica resigning as coach after five full seasons.

Talay's Era (2023–Present)

The day after Steve Corica left, Sydney FC appointed another former player, Ufuk Talay, as their new head coach. Sydney FC will play in the new 2024–25 AFC Champions League Two competition.

Colours and Badge

Original logo. From 2004 to 2017

Sydney FC's main color is sky blue, which is the official color of New South Wales. Their other colors are navy blue, orange, and white. The orange color was removed from the club's badge redesign in 2017.

The current Sydney FC badge was released on May 17, 2017. It was based on a design from the club's fan group, The Cove. The badge shows the Sydney Opera House in white on a sky-blue background. Below that is a navy blue section with the Commonwealth Star.

• The Opera House is a famous landmark in Sydney.
• The sky-blue color represents the club and the state of New South Wales.
• The Commonwealth Star is a symbol from the Australian flag that represents the Federation of Australia.

The first Sydney FC badge, used from 2004, had a soccer ball in the middle. Above it were three shells of the Sydney Opera House, and below was the Commonwealth Star.

There is a silver star on top of the current badge with the number five inside it. This shows that the club has won five championships.

Stadiums

Sydney FC plays its home games at the new Sydney Football Stadium. They moved into this stadium for the 2022–23 A-League Men season. Their first game there was against Melbourne Victory on October 8, 2022, with 21,840 fans watching. Sydney lost that match 2–3.

The new stadium replaced the old Sydney Football Stadium, which was built in 1988. The old stadium was used for rugby league, soccer, and rugby union. It was torn down in 2019 to build a modern, world-class venue. The old stadium could hold 45,500 people. Sydney FC's last game at the old stadium was a 2–3 loss to Melbourne Victory in 2018.

While the new stadium was being built (from 2018 to 2022), Sydney FC played their home games at Leichhardt Oval and Jubilee Oval. The Sydney Cricket Ground was also used for some big games.

Sydney FC has also played matches at other venues in Sydney. They played an AFC Champions League game at Parramatta Stadium in 2007. A friendly match against Los Angeles Galaxy in 2007 was played at ANZ Stadium, drawing a huge crowd of 80,295 fans. They have also played regular season games at ANZ Stadium, WIN Stadium in Wollongong, and Campbelltown Stadium. In 2020, Sydney used CommBank Stadium for the 2019–20 A-League final series, where they won the Grand Final.

On May 17, 2017, the club extended its lease at the stadium for ten more years.

Allianz Stadium before Sydney FC defeated Melbourne Victory 2–0 to win the 2009–10 Hyundai A-League Premiership in front of 25,407 fans

Club Facilities

Sydney FC's main training ground is called Sky Park at Macquarie University in North Ryde. This facility is used by the men's team, the women's team, and all academy players. They also use the university's sports and aquatic center for recovery after games. Sometimes, players are seen recovering at local beaches like Coogee Beach, Bondi Beach, and Maroubra.

Sponsorship

AFC Competition Sponsorship

Supporters

Sydney supporters at the northern end of Allianz Stadium

Sydney FC is the most popular A-League club in Australia, with about 693,000 fans in 2023.

Since they were the only A-League team from Sydney until 2012, Sydney FC has fans from all over Greater Sydney. The main fan group is called "The Cove." They used to sit at the northern end of Allianz Stadium. Their name comes from Sydney Cove, where the first European settlement in Sydney began.

Members of The Cove go to every home game and travel to away games to cheer loudly for the team. In 2006, Australian rock singer Jimmy Barnes recorded a club song called 'Sydney FC for Me' with members of The Cove singing along. The Cove also helped design the modern Sydney FC badge.

Rivalries

Sydney supporters during a match against Melbourne Victory

• Melbourne Victory – The Big Blue
  • This is a historic rivalry between Australia's two biggest cities. Games between Sydney FC and Melbourne Victory are often very intense and physical.
• Western Sydney Wanderers – The Sydney Derby
  • When the Wanderers joined the league, Sydney FC finally had a local derby. Their first game was on October 20, 2012, which Sydney FC won 1–0. Sydney FC has won more Derby games (17) than the Wanderers (11), with 9 draws. Sydney FC has scored 57 Derby goals, while the Wanderers have scored 41.

Statistics and Records

Rhyan Grant has played the most games for Sydney FC, with 349 first-team matches from 2008 to 2024. The goalkeeper with the most appearances is Andrew Redmayne, with 235 games.

The club's all-time top goalscorer is Alex Brosque with 83 goals. Adam Le Fondre is second with 73 goals, and Bobô is third with 71 goals.

Sydney FC's highest home attendance for a league game was 41,213. This was for a Sydney Derby against the Western Sydney Wanderers on October 18, 2014, at the Sydney Football Stadium. The highest attendance for any game was 80,295 for a friendly match against LA Galaxy at Stadium Australia on November 27, 2007.

Win–Loss Record

• This list only contains teams currently in the A-League.

Players

First-Team Squad

No. Position Player 1 GK Andrew Redmayne 3 DF Aaron Gurd 4 DF Jordan Courtney-Perkins 5 DF Hayden Matthews 6 MF Corey Hollman (scholarship) 7 FW Adrian Segecic 8 MF Anas Ouahim 9 FW Patryk Klimala (on loan from Śląsk Wrocław) 10 FW Joe Lolley 11 FW Douglas Costa 12 GK Harrison Devenish-Meares 13 FW Patrick Wood 15 MF Léo Sena 16 DF Joel King

No. Position Player 17 MF Anthony Caceres (vice-captain) 19 FW Mitchell Glasson 20 FW Tiago Quintal 21 DF Zac De Jesus 22 MF Max Burgess 23 DF Rhyan Grant (captain) 24 MF Wataru Kamijo 25 FW Jaiden Kucharski 27 MF Lachie Middleton 28 FW Nathan Amanatidis 29 MF Joe Lacey 30 GK Gus Hoefsloot (scholarship) 33 MF Marin France 41 DF Alexandar Popovic (on loan from Gwangju)

Youth

Players who have played in a first-team match for Sydney FC:

No. Position Player 32 MF Nick Alfaro 37 DF Wil Kennedy

No. Position Player 39 FW Ayouk Mow

Out on Loan

No. Position Player 18 MF Matthew Scarcella (on loan to Newcastle Jets until 30 June 2025)

No. Position Player FW Alen Harbas (on loan to KTP until 31 December 2024)

Former Players

Club Captains

These are the official club captains for each season. It does not include players who were temporary captains.

Name	Nat	Period
Mark Rudan		2005–07
Tony Popovic		2007–08
Steve Corica		2008–10
Terry McFlynn		2010–13
Alessandro Del Piero		2013–14
Alex Brosque		2014–19
Alex Wilkinson		2019–23
Luke Brattan		2023–24
Rhyan Grant		2024–

Academy

On December 21, 2009, Sydney FC started an academy to help young players grow. The academy's main goal is to train better players and find new talent for the National Youth League and A-League. This shows Sydney FC's commitment to developing young soccer players. The first group of 26 players, aged 14–18, came from NSW State League clubs and began training at Macquarie University.

Non-Playing Staff

Coaching Staff

Position	Name
Manager	Ufuk Talay
Assistant Manager	John Maisano
Assistant Manager	Jim van Weeren
Goalkeeping coach	Matthew Nash

Corporate Hierarchy

Managerial History

The club's most recent manager was Steve Corica. The club's previous manager was Graham Arnold, who is the most successful manager, leading the club from August 2014 to 2018. There have been nine permanent managers and one temporary manager for Sydney FC since Pierre Littbarski became the first professional manager in 2005.

Chairmen History

Club Awards

Hall of Fame

On March 16, 2015, Sydney FC started its Hall of Fame, adding eight members at a special lunch. More people are added to the Hall of Fame each year at the Sky Blue Ball awards night.

Name	Role	Date Inducted
Steve Corica	Foundation player (2005–2010) and captain (2008–2010)	16 March 2015
Dwight Yorke	First Marquee player (2005–2006)
Mark Rudan	First captain (2005–2008)
Clint Bolton	Foundation player (goalkeeper), 142 games (2005–2010)
Terry McFlynn	Foundation player, captain (2010–2013), most games (214) over 9 seasons (2005–2014)
Alessandro Del Piero	International Marquee player (2012–2014), captain (2013–14)
Pierre Littbarski	First coach (2005–2006), won OFC Club Championship (2005) and A-League Championship (2006)
Vítězslav Lavička	Coach (2009–2012), won A-League Premiership and Championship in 2010
Alen Stajcic	W-League Coach (2008–2014), Premiers (2009, 2010–11) Champions (2009, 2013)	14 June 2016
Alex Brosque	Captain (2014–2019); most successful – two premierships, two championships, one FFA Cup Player (2006–2011, 2014–2019); most games (265) and goals (83), three Player of the Year awards (2007–2010)	3 June 2019
Alex Wilkinson	Captain (2019–2023); Player (2016–2023); one Player of the Year award (2021)	9 June 2023
Teresa Polias	Captain (2014–2021); Player (2010–2021); two premierships, two championships, three Player of the Year awards (2012, 2013, 2019); most A–League Women games (157)

Team of the Decade

In April 2015, Sydney FC also announced its Team of the Decade at their annual awards night.

Clint Bolton

Simon Colosimo

Mark Rudan

Sebastian Ryall

Alvin Ceccoli

Terry McFlynn

Karol Kisel

Alex Brosque

Steve Corica (c)

Alessandro Del Piero

Marc Janko

Substitutes: Vedran Janjetovic, Byun Sung-Hwan, Milos Dimitrijevic, Terry Antonis, Dwight Yorke
Coach: Vitezslav Lavicka

End of Season Awards

Year	Player of the Season	Member's	U-20's	Player's Player / Rising Star	Ref
2006	Clint Bolton	N/A	N/A	N/A
2007	Robbie Middleby	N/A	N/A	N/A
2008	Alex Brosque	N/A	N/A	N/A
2009	Alex Brosque (2)	N/A	N/A	N/A
2010	Alex Brosque (3)	N/A	N/A	N/A
2011	unknown or not awarded	N/A	N/A	N/A
2012	Necevski, IvanIvan Necevski	Carle, NickNick Carle	Hagi Gligor	N/A
2013	Del Piero, AlessandroAlessandro Del Piero	Del Piero, AlessandroAlessandro Del Piero	Triantis, PeterPeter Triantis	Grant, RhyanRhyan Grant
2014	Nikola Petković	Abbas, AliAli Abbas	Christopher Naumoff	Abbas, AliAli Abbas
2015	Miloš Dimitrijević	Miloš Dimitrijević	George Blackwood	Miloš Dimitrijević
2016	Matthew Jurman	Matthew Jurman	Daniel Araujo	Matthew Jurman
2017	Miloš Ninković	Miloš Ninković	Andrea Agamemnonos	Miloš Ninković
2018	Bobô	Adrian Mierzejewski	Jeremy Cox	Marco Tilio
2019	Brandon O'Neill	Grant, RhyanRhyan Grant	Luke Ivanovic	Teague, RyanRyan Teague
2020	Luke Brattan	Redmayne, AndrewAndrew Redmayne	King, JoelJoel King	Pavlesic, AdamAdam Pavlesic
2021	Alex Wilkinson	Miloš Ninković (2)	Wood, PatrickPatrick Wood	Segecic, AdrianAdrian Segecic
2022	Anthony Caceres	Anthony Caceres	Yazbek, PatrickPatrick Yazbek	Jake Girdwood-Reich
2023	Róbert Mak	Max Burgess	Patrick Wood (2)	Mitchell Glasson
2024	Lolley, JoeJoe Lolley	Lolley, JoeJoe Lolley	Hollman, CoreyCorey Hollman	Marin France

AFC Club Ranking

Current Rank Team 74 Foolad F.C. 1437 75 Persipura Jayapura 1376 76 Sydney FC 1379 77 PFC Navbahor Namangan 1343 78 Suwon FC 1373

Honours

Domestic Competitions

Chart of yearly table positions for Sydney FC in A-League Men

• A-League Men Championship
  • Winners (5) : 2006, 2010, 2017, 2019, 2020 (a record!)
  • Runners-up (2): 2015, 2021
• A-League Men Premiership
  • Winners (4) : 2009–10, 2016–17, 2017–18, 2019–20 (a record!)
  • Runners-up (4): 2005–06, 2014–15, 2018–19, 2020–21
• Australia Cup
  • Winners (2): 2017, 2023
  • Runners-up (2): 2016, 2018
• Australian Club World Championship Qualifying Tournament
  • Winners (1): 2005

Continental Competitions

• OFC Champions League
  • Winners (1): 2005

Other Achievements

International Record

Season	Competition	Round	Club	Home	Away	Position
2005	OFC Club Championship	Group A	Auckland City	3–2	1st
			Sobou	9–2
			AS Pirae	6–1
		Semi-final	Tafea	6–0
		Final	AS Magenta	2–0	Champions
2005	FIFA Club World Championship	Quarter-final	Deportivo Saprissa	0–1
		Fifth place Playoff	Al Ahly	2–1	Fifth place
2007	AFC Champions League	Group E	Shanghai Shenhua	0–0	2–1	2nd
			Urawa Red Diamonds	2–2	0–0
			Persik Kediri	3–0	1–2
2011	AFC Champions League	Group H	Suwon Samsung Bluewings	0–0	1–3	3rd
			Shanghai Shenhua	1–1	3–2
			Kashima Antlers	0–3	1–2
2016	AFC Champions League	Group H	Urawa Red Diamonds	0–0	0–2	1st
			Guangzhou Evergrande	2–1	0–1
			Pohang Steelers	1–0	1–0
		Round of 16	Shandong Luneng	2–2	1–1	3–3 (a)
2018	AFC Champions League	Group H	Suwon Samsung Bluewings	0–2	4–1	3rd
			Shanghai Shenhua	0–0	2–2
			Kashima Antlers	0–2	1–1
2019	AFC Champions League	Group H	Ulsan Hyundai	0–0	0–1	4th
			Shanghai SIPG	3–3	2–2
			Kawasaki Frontale	0–4	0–1
2020	AFC Champions League	Group H	Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors	2–2	1–0	4th
			Shanghai SIPG	1–2	0–4
			Yokohama F. Marinos	1–1	0–4
2022	AFC Champions League	Preliminary round	Kaya–Iloilo	5–0
		Play-off round	Changchun Yatai	w/o
		Group H	Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors	2–3	0–0	4th
			Hoang Anh Gia Lai	1–1	0–1
			Yokohama F. Marinos	0–1	0–3
2024–25	AFC Champions League Two	Group E	Eastern	5–0		TBD
			Kaya–Iloilo		3–1
			Sanfrecce Hiroshima	0–1	1–2

Images for kids

• 

  Sydney supporters during a match in 2008

See Also

In Spanish: Sydney Football Club para niños

• List of Sydney FC seasons
• Sydney FC in international competition
• Sydney FC W-League