Marconi Stallions FC

Club Marconi was founded as a bocce club in 1956[5] by 106 members of the Italian community in the western suburbs of Sydney. It is named after the Italian inventor and electrical engineer Guglielmo Marconi, whose wireless company sent the first direct radio message from Great Britain to Australia. It was inaugural president Oscar Michelini who first suggested the name Marconi at the second meeting of the club's provisional committee.[6] A statue of Guglielmo Marconi was donated by the Italian government in 1959 and it remains inside the main foyer of the club, inscribed with the message “Guglielmo Marconi, 1874 – 1937, immortal genius of the Italian nation who first with science’s wonders and spiritual wings linked Australia with the world.”[7]

Italo-Australian artist Guido Zuliani, born in 1927, designed Club Marconi's emblem, which remains in use by the social club today. It incorporates a globe, a boomerang to symbolise Indigenous Australian culture, with the colours of green, white and red to represent the Italian heritage. The emblem is encased by Marconi’s invention of wireless communication, further portrayed as a radio tower.[8] The club's home base in Bossley Park, next to where Marconi Stadium now stands, was offered for $6900 by the brothers Ruben and Provino Sartor, two inaugural members who had visited the Yoogali Club in the rural town of Griffith, New South Wales to learn how the Italian community there had founded their own social organisation.[9]

The soccer club first appeared in 1958 as a youth team, and the first senior side competed in the 1961 NSW amateur championship that it won by 8 points.[10]

The club gradually moved up the ranks in the NSW soccer system, eventually gaining promotion to the NSW 1st Division in 1970. By this point the club had come of age. Marconi became back-to-back champions of the NSW 1st Division in 1972 and 1973, and continued to challenge for honours up until 1976. The next year, 1977, Marconi and 13 other clubs formed the first ever truly national sports competition in Australia, the National Soccer League.

In its first season in the NSL in 1977, Marconi finished second on goal difference to Eastern Suburbs (Sydney City). In 1979, Marconi was Australian champions. The club won the NSL Cup in 1980.

Ahead of the 1981 National Soccer League season, Marconi signed a sponsorship deal with car manufacturer Datsun under which the club were known as Marconi-Datsun Leopards.[11][12]

What is generally described as the club's "golden era" started in the late 1980s, when some of the finest players in Australia made their way to what was then known as "the Palace". The club made three consecutive Grand Final appearances in 1988, 1989 and 1989–90, winning the 1988 and 1989 Grand Finals, but lost the 1989–90 decider. Marconi were also minor premiers in 1989 and 1989–90, and won the 1992–93 Grand Final.

In 1995–96 under former Socceroo Manfred Schaefer, Marconi won another Minor Premiership, finishing one point ahead of Melbourne Knights and Sydney Olympic. In the finals series, Marconi made it to yet another Grand Final, this time going down 2–1 to Melbourne Knights at Olympic Park in Melbourne.

Marconi made the finals for the next five years in a row, before experiencing two poor seasons. In 2003–04, the final NSL season, Marconi again made the Finals, but the 1995–96 minor premiership ended up being the final trophy win during the club's time in the NSL.

After the 2003–04 NSL season the competition was ceased. Marconi entered the NSW Premier League for the 2004–05 season. Between 2004 and 2011 in the NSW Premier League the club had mixed results, with their best season in 2009 when they finished second.[13]

In 2012 the club rebounded and the Marconi Stallions were the Champions of the NSW Premier League.[14] After a third placed league finish, Marconi beat Sydney Olympic 2–0 in the Qualifying Final, then lost to Bonnyrigg White Eagles FC 2–0 in the Major Semi-Final. In the Preliminary Final they faced Blacktown City Demons who led 2–1 at half time, but Marconi scored 3 unanswered goals in the second half to win 4–2. In the Grand Final, they came up against the minor premiers and favourites Bonnyrigg at their ground. Bonnyrigg had won the league by 15 points and had already beaten Marconi in the finals series, but Marconi won the Championship with two second half goals to win 2–0.[15]

In late 2013 the Marconi Stallions were accepted into the newly formed National Premier Leagues NSW. The NPL NSW replaced the previous NSW Premier League. In their first season in the NPL NSW in 2014, Marconi finished in 8th place in the 12-team division.

Marconi was relegated to the NPL NSW 2 on 16 August 2015, after enduring the worst season in its history. The Stallions earned just seven points all season and, after a mass player exodus, ended the season with ten consecutive defeats.[16]

The Stallions began their rebuilding campaign in October 2015 with the aim of getting straight back in the top state division. They signed former A-League players Sean Rooney, Mirjan Pavlović and Marko Ješić.[17] Marconi qualified for the 2016 FFA Cup[18] and drew Victorian side Hume City in the Round of 32.[19] Marconi sacked head coach Jeff Suzor in mid-July 2016.[20] Marconi were defeated by Hume City despite taking the lead in the first half of extra time, as Hume managed a 117th-minute equaliser and then won the clash on penalties.[21] Marconi finished the NPL 2 season in 4th place, failing to achieve its target of promotion, despite Rooney, Pavlovic and Jesic scoring 51 goals between them.[22]

In September 2017, Marconi won the NPL NSW 2 Grand Final, having already won the premiership by 18 points, and returned to the New South Wales top flight.[23] Sean Rooney won the league golden boot with 27 goals.[24] In January 2018 Marconi signed AFC Champions League-winning midfielder Mateo Poljak.[25] The Stallions finished in 6th place in its first season back in the top-flight.[26]

Marconi won the 2019 Waratah Cup, defeating Sydney United 58 FC 2-1.[27]

As of 5 February 2023

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player 1 GK  AUS Nathan Foster 2 DF  AUS Nathan Millgate 3 DF  AUS Giorgio Speranza 4 DF  AUS Roberto Speranza 5 MF  AUS Liam McGing 6 MF  AUS Domenico Costanzo 7 FW  AUS Christopher Hatfield 8 FW  JPN Hiroaki Aoyama 9 FW  AUS Jordan Swibel 10 FW  AUS Marko Jesic 11 MF  AUS Daniel Bouman

No. Pos. Nation Player 13 MF  AUS Aleksandar Duricic 15 DF  AUS Luka Raso 16 MF  AUS Liam Youlley 17 MF  AUS Martin Fernandez 18 FW  AUS Luka Knezevic 19 FW  AUS Kyle Cimenti 20 GK  AUS Jack Gibson 22 DF  AUS Taylor McDonald 23 DF  AUS Brandon Vella 24 DF  AUS Dominic Brischetto —  AUS Matt Hatch

Source:[28]

Key to league competitions:

• NSL Championship

Champions (4) – 1979, 1988, 1989, 1992–93

• NSL Premiership

Minor Premiers (3) – 1989, 1989–90, 1995–96

• NSL Cup

Winners (1) – 1980

• National Premier Leagues NSW Championship

Champions (3): 1972, 1973, 2012

• National Premier Leagues NSW 2 Premiership

Premiers (1): 2017

• National Premier Leagues NSW 2 Championship

Champions (1): 2017

• National Youth League Championship

Champions (2): 1988, 1995–96

• Brad Maloney won the Johnny Warren Medal while playing for Marconi in the 1998–99 NSL season.