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Melbourne Victory FC

Melbourne Victory Football Club is an Australian professional soccer club based in Melbourne, Victoria. Competing in the country's premier men's competition, the A-League Men, under licence from Australian Professional Leagues (APL), Victory entered the competition in the inaugural season as the only Victorian-based club in the newly revamped domestic Australian league.

Recognised as the second most successful club in the league to date, Victory has won four A-League Championships, three A-League Premierships, one Pre-Season Challenge Cup and two Australia Cups, the only club to have won all four domestic trophies in the modern era of Australian soccer. They have also competed in the AFC Champions League on seven occasions, most recently in 2020. Their furthest placement in the tournament was in the 2016 campaign and 2020 campaign, where they were knocked out in the Round of 16 by the eventual champion on both occasions.

The club's home ground is the Melbourne Rectangular Stadium, currently known as AAMI Park for sponsorship purposes, a 30,050-seat stadium on Olympic Boulevard in Melbourne's city centre. The Victory has previously played its home matches at other stadiums throughout Melbourne and surrounding areas, including Olympic Park Stadium, Docklands Stadium and Kardinia Park.

Although Victory is supported across the whole Melbourne metropolitan area, as well as regional cities in the state, it is based primarily in the city centre. The club has rivalries with Melbourne City (the Melbourne Derby), Sydney (The Big Blue), Adelaide United (The Original Rivalry), and Western United (the Westgate Derby/the Battle of the Bridge). The club's all-time leading goalscorer is Archie Thompson, with 97 goals to his name in all competitions. Leigh Broxham has the record for most matches played, with 405 appearances for the Victory.

Beginning (2004–2005)

Following the demise of the National Soccer League, Australia's first national soccer first tier competition, Melbourne Victory Football Club was unveiled as Melbourne's representative of the newly established A-League, along with seven other foundation clubs on 1 November 2004. Established as an unlisted public company, inaugural chairman Geoff Lord of Belgravia Leisure Pty Ltd was the largest financial backer of the club with support from other Melbourne-based business men consisting of Ron Peck, John Harris, future chief executive officer Richard Wilson, and future chairman Anthony Di Pietro. Despite a diverse range of owners of different industry backgrounds, the consortium managed to raise only $4.5 million of the $5 million budget minimum set by Football Federation Australia, thus resulting in the federation depositing the needed $500,000 to obtain the license with the condition of imposing one board member performing duties in the best interests of the federation to ensure return on investment.

The inaugural manager was Ernie Merrick who had signed his former Sunshine George Cross defender Kevin Muscat to be inaugural captain, alongside marquee Archie Thompson, both of whom would become legends of the soccer club in their own right. The club's first competitive match was against Newcastle Jets on 22 July 2005 in round one of the A-League Pre-Season Challenge Cup, finishing in a 1–1 draw in Newcastle. The club's first competitive home game would also prove to be the club's first win on 30 July 2005 in a 3–0 against Perth Glory in the cup's second round at Olympic Park.

Merrick Era and early glory (2005–2011)
The league's inaugural season of 2005–06 proved to be a disappointment in conclusion but also a glimpse into the glory that would follow in 2006–07 and 2008–09 seasons, with the club being first on the ladder mid-season but ultimately finishing second last. Future team of the decade players Danny Allsopp, Leigh Broxham, Archie Thompson, Grant Brebner, Adrian Leijer, Rodrigo Vargas, Michael Theoklitos under captain Kevin Muscat and manager Ernie Merrick would achieve glory in winning its first league premiership and championship in the 2006–07 season, qualifying for its inaugural AFC Champions League. Archie Thompson in A-League history is synonymous with the glory of famously scoring the first five goals in the 6–0 grand final win over Adelaide United in front of a current record crowd for a grand final of 55'436 at Docklands Stadium. The heavy defeat for Adelaide as well as an altercation between Muscat and manager John Kosmina earlier in the season   is culturally seen as the beginning of the rivalry,  earning the nicknames 'the cross-border rivalry' and 'the original rivalry'.

The 2007–08 season proved to be another disappointment with Victory narrowly missing the finals. Hindered by multiple injuries throughout the season and the inexperience of time & energy management whilst trying to compete in the club's inaugural AFC Champions League campaign of 2008 at full strength, Melbourne narrowly missed the finals but the season did bring long term positives. The acquisition of future team of the decade players Carlos Hernández, Matthew Kemp, and Tom Pondeljak would ensure on-field strength for next three seasons. The 2008–09 season brought more success for the club in achieving its first treble. The last A-League Pre-Season Challenge Cup of 2008, finishing top of the ladder as premiers resulting in qualifying a second time in the AFC Champions League for the 2010 campaign, and being crowned champions after defeating Adelaide United a second time in a grand final in front of a crowd of 53,273, which as of January 2019, is still the second largest attendance for an A-League grand final behind the 2007 final. The 2009–10 season saw Victory be serious competitors for first position but would ultimately and narrowly finish behind Sydney FC, whom Victory would lose 2–4 on penalties in the grand final weeks later. It would prove to be the last grand final for manager Ernie Merrick and for Kevin Muscat as captain, with Victory finishing fifth for the 2010–11 season, and losing to Gold Coast in first round of the finals.

Exit Lord, enter Di Pietro, and the rebuild (2011–2013)
The conclusion of the 2010–11 A-League season saw inaugural president Geoff Lord resign from the club, hailing from the success of two championships, two premierships and the last pre-season challenge cup. Fruit and vegetable heavyweight and shareholder Anthony Di Pietro became the second president in the club's history, hired internally after being an inaugural director alongside Lord from the beginning. Di Pietro was also an occasional stand-in president when Lord was unable to perform duties due to illness on multiple occasions in 2011, making his first public speech ever being stand in chairman at the time during a Victory in Business luncheon at the Crown Palladium Ballroom. Along with the resignation of Lord, inaugural chief executive officer Geoff Miles also resigned from the club, with mortgage firm businessman, shareholder and inaugural director Richard Wilson being hired internally prior to the 2011–12 season alongside Di Pietro. Ernie Merrick would depart as coach after Di Pietro & Wilson quickly sacked Merrick following multiple missed targets both on & off the field, with the 5–1 loss to Gamba Osaka in the 2011 AFC Champions League campaign being the last straw. Merrick would be replaced by Mehmet Duraković and later Jim Magilton for the 2011–12 season.

Kevin Muscat had announced during the respective season that he would retire as a player, and immediately became an assistant coach replacing Aaron Healy. Along with Merrick & Healy's departures would be inaugural director of football Gary Cole, and would be replaced by former team South Melbourne and Socceroo teammate, Francis Awaritefe.

The two new-coming executives famously won the race against Sydney FC and other soccer clubs world-wide to sign Socceroos hero Harry Kewell to the club, being declared at the time 'the biggest signing in the history of Australian sport' at the time. With much anticipation for the lead up to the 2011–12 A-League season, the season proved to be a disappointment in missing the finals for the time third in the club's history. Multiple aged players, a less experienced revamped coaching team led by Mehmet Durakovic who was promoted by default that would later be replaced mid-season by Jim Magilton, and a high maintenance Harry Kewell all contributed to the team falling short on multiple match day results. Late in the season, Magilton would sign future team of the decade players Mark Milligan and Adama Traoré. Durakovic's unsung legacy on the club would be the signing of then nineteen year-old Lawrence Thomas, who would later win multiple championships with the club under Kevin Muscat. Despite the disappointment, the lessons were learned and the club would have its most improved season to date as of 2019, finishing third in the 2012–13 season from eighth in the season prior, narrowly losing the preliminary final to premiers and eventual champions Central Coast Mariners 0–1. The season started with a major sense of optimism by signing by multiple Brisbane Roar and National Soccer League premiership and championship-winning coach Ange Postecoglou on a three-year deal, revamping the playing squad with the departure of fourteen players and the signings of fifteen players, including Gui Finkler and Nathan Coe who would achieve multiple club and personal accolades respectively in their own rite in the years to come.

Coaching Disruptions (2013–14 season)
Prior to the season, coach Ange Postecoglou had just begun the second year of his three-year contract with the club, but had also been cited as a possible replacement for departing Australian national team coach Holger Osieck, in the lead-up to the 2014 FIFA World Cup. This possibility became a reality the day before the round three clash against Postecoglou's former club Brisbane Roar on 25 October, which was his last match in charge. Victory were denied a compensation claim of one million Australian dollars for the early departure.

Muscat era and glory again (2013–2019)

The era of Kevin Muscat becoming the first former player and captain to become manager began sooner than anticipated, but it would be an era that would restore the former early glory of Australia's biggest association football club. The era officially began following the untimely departure of Ange Postecoglou in round four of the 2013–14 season on 4 November 2013, in a 3–2 home victory over Wellington Phoenix at Docklands Stadium. Future grand final winners James Troisi, Kosta Barbarouses and Rashid Mahazi were signed to the club and would help strengthen the playing squad in the years to come. Muscat's first season would end in both heartbreak and controversy as Victory were denied obvious penalty decisions in the last minutes of both the A-League finals clash against Brisbane Roar, and in the last group stage clash against Jeonbuk in the 2014 AFC Champions League,   when in both games one extra goal was needed to win. Both controversial moments occurred only days in between each other, resulting in Muscat heavily criticizing referees in general.

The 2014–15 season saw a major recruiting drive in the signings of Besart Berisha, Carl Valeri, Daniel Georgievski, Fahid Ben Khalfallah and Mathieu Delpierre, who would all go onto achieve multiple personal and club accolades respectively. Late in the season on 28 March 2015, the club announced its team of the decade at the Crown palladium ballroom with five of the announced players still contracted to victory at the time, with then coach Kevin Muscat also being listed. This time of the season also saw captaincy of the club change with Adrian Leijer departing the Victory for Chinese Super League club Chongqing Lifan on an undisclosed transfer for a major salary increase, with teammate Mark Milligan becoming interim captain for the remainder of the season. After a six-year wait, Victory would finish first on the ladder and would later defeat Sydney FC 3–0 in the grand final. Team of the decade substitute goalkeeper Nathan Coe, who would miss the grand final due to injury announced his retirement shortly after the achievement.

The next two seasons were of mixed results, but the squad would remain competitive and be rewarded. The 2015–16 season was of mixed results in the A-League, but the squad would win the 2015 FFA Cup, and for the first time in the club's history, would progress to the round of sixteen in the Asian Champions League. Captain and marquee Mark Milligan departed the club during the preseason and was replaced by 2014 World Cup teammate Oliver Bozanic, with Carl Valeri given the captaincy role. Defender Thomas Deng would be promoted from the youth squad and feature occasionally throughout the season. Veterans Mathieu Delpierre and Archie Thompson retired at the season's conclusion and Deng would be loaned to Jong PSV, but the season would be mostly remembered for newly promoted captain Carl Valeri contracting a brain inflammation in December 2015, but would later return in the finals. The 2016–17 season saw an improvement in results in the A-League, with the squad finishing second on the ladder, ultimately losing in what was a demoralising defeat in the grand final to their superior rivals and premiers Sydney FC, making both clubs equal in premierships and championships. The season saw the returns of James Troisi and team of the decade winger Marco Rojas. Defender James Donachie joined from Brisbane Roar, and the club's youth squad would promote Christian Theoharous and Stefan Nigro.

The 2017–18 season ended in glory but would see multiple difficulties in the lead up to the finals. In the preseason, 2017 grand final Johnny Warren medalist Daniel Georgievski departed the club willfully, with Marco Rojas and Nick Ansell both being sold. Rhys Williams and Leroy George signed in the preseason and would prove to be crucial players. With mixed results throughout the season, coach Kevin Muscat was criticised for his 'stale' game plan. Mid-season, captain Mark Milligan and defender Jason Geria would both be sold, and Terry Antonis would join the club on a two-and-a-half-year deal. Despite pressure, the squad gained form towards the end of the season despite losing to premiers Sydney FC away at Sydney Football Stadium in the last round and finished fourth. Victory would beat Adelaide United in the elimination final 2–1, led by future coach Marco Kurz at Melbourne Rectangular Stadium, to then face Sydney FC in the semi-final away. In the lead up to the clash, Sydney captain Alex Brosque told the Sydney Morning Herald when asked regarding the reverse fixture with victory that "I know they'll be thinking about it as much as they'll try to forget about it." also stating that "It gives us a lot of confidence and psychologically I'm sure it will be playing on their minds,". In the warm up of the game, crucial defender Rhys Williams suffered an ankle injury that would rule him out of the game and the grand final if Victory would win. The Victory as underdogs would beat Sydney 3–2 in extra time, with victory physically scoring all five goals, with own goals by Stefan Nigro and Terry Antonis. Despite the unfortunate error, Nigro's efforts in the match being a late replacement for the injured Williams would secure him a start in the grand final. Antonis, a former youth product and five seasoned player of Sydney, conceded the own goal in the last minute of regular time to bring the score to 2–2, leading to extra time. In the 117th minute, loanee teammate Kenny Athiu would pass the ball to Antonis, surviving three tackle attempts in running from the centre line to within Sydney's eighteen yard box to score the winning goal, in what would later be recognised as the club's 2017–18 goal of the season. Victory would travel to Newcastle to face second placed Newcastle Jets, led by former and inaugural Victory manager Ernie Merrick. It would be the A-League's first ever regional grand final as well as one manager versing his former player as a manager in a grand final, and would be remembered for its controversy. Victory scored the earliest ever goal in a grand final from a Leroy George free kick that would be headed into the centre of the eighteen yard box by James Donachie then scored by Kosta Barbarouses in the ninth minute. Replays had shown that Donachie was offside upon George kicking the ball, but with the views of the linesman deceived by a Newcastle defender, the goal was allowed to stand as the video assistant referee had temporarily failed. Victory would win 1–0 against a ten men Newcastle after striker Roy O'Donovan desperately attempted to volley a high altitude ball from a free kick that infamously resulted in goalkeeper Lawrence Thomas being kicked in the face causing an altercation to follow. The incident resulted in a ten match ban for O'Donovan going into the 2018–19 season despite an appeal. Thomas later told The Guardian that he had accepted O'Donovan's immediate apology after full-time. The achievement made Victory leaders in the number of championships won by an A-League club, as well as being the first team to win a grand final after finishing fourth place in the regular season, the lowest ladder position. Weeks later, six grand final players departed the club, including Besart Berisha being sold for an undisclosed fee to Sanfrecce Hiroshima.

Despite the unexpected grand final achievement, Muscat would commence a recruiting drive that would see eight players join preseason, including 2018 World Cup players and Keisuke Honda and Ola Toivonen. Mid-season transfers saw the undisclosed sale of Nick Ansell, and the recruitment of Elvis Kamsoba and Anthony Lesiotis, this first ever former Melbourne City player to represent Victory. Despite being more competitive than the season prior considering that Honda was sidelined more over a third of the season with injury, it would ultimately end in disappointment. The squad would finish third by one point behind the second placed and eventual champions Sydney FC, meaning that Victory would not receive direct entrance into the group stage of the 2020 AFC Champions League, but would have to enter a play-off first. The true realization of the disappointment in finishing third would be realised in the semi-final against Sydney away, who would exact revenge for their 2017–18 semi final upset in which Victory were defeated 1–6 away. Despite having one more season on his contract, Muscat resigned from the club weeks later for personal reasons, closing a fourteen-year stint at the club as a player, captain, assistant manager, and head coach.

Post-Muscat era (2019–2021)
Following Muscat's early departure, the Melbourne Victory board interviewed multiple foreign and local coaches for the senior role. It was announced in late June 2019 that former Adelaide United coach Marco Kurz was signed on a two-year deal. During the recruitment process, nine players departed the club, including the retirement of captain Carl Valeri who would become an office administrator for the club. Eight senior players were signed including the return of team of the decade defender Adama Traoré, and the youth academy had promoted defensive players Benjamin Carrigan and Brandon Lauton. In early October, weeks before the first round of the 2019–20 season, Ola Toivonen was appointed captain.

In January 2020, after just 6 months in the role Kurz was dismissed by the club. Kurz left having managed the Victory for just thirteen competitive matches, for four wins, three draws and six losses. The six defeats were the most losses the Victory had suffered after thirteen games of a season. At the time of his dismissal, the Victory were sixth on the league ladder with fifteen points, their equal lowest points tally after thirteen games alongside the 2007–08 and 2011–12 seasons. Assistant coach Carlos Pérez Salvachúa was appointed as caretaker manager of the Victory until the conclusion of the season. However, on 30 May 2020, with 5 regular season A-League matches remaining in Melbourne Victory's season, Salvachúa departed the club to return to Europe to be closer to his family. Assistant coach and former player Grant Brebner was appointed as the Victory's caretaker manager for the remainder of the season; he was later appointed promoted to permanent manager on 24 August 2020.

Brebner's tenure as Melbourne Victory manager coincided with the worst run of results in Melbourne Victory's history. He was sacked as head coach shortly after Victory's 7–0 loss to local rivals Melbourne City in April 2021, a result which came only a month and a half after losing 6–0 to the same team. On 19 April 2021, Victory assistant coach Steve Kean was appointed as interim coach for the remainder of the 2020–21 A-League season as Victory plummeted to 12th place, becoming the first ever A-League side to finish 12th and Victory won their first ever wooden spoon.

Popovic era (2021–present)
On 22 April 2021, the Victory announced that Tony Popovic will take over as the club's manager from the beginning of the 2021–22 season. On 5 February 2022, the Victory defeated the Central Coast Mariners 2-1 at AAMI Park to win the 2021 FFA Cup, achieving Popovic's first trophy as manager of the club, as well as the Victory's second FFA Cup title. This was the last edition of the competition under the FFA Cup name; from 2022, the competition will be known as the Australia Cup.

In the lead up to the 2022–23 A-League Men season, the club announced the signing of former Manchester United and Portugal national team great Nani on Tuesday 12 July 2022, on a two-year contract, and was allocated the number seventeen jersey. On the following Friday 15 July 2022, the club played against Manchester United at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, as participant in United's 2022 pre-season tour of East Asia. Nani made his unofficial debut as substitute in front of the 74,157 spectators present, with the match finishing in 1–4 loss.

In the lead up to the opening 2022-23 A-League round, commentator Michael Zappone stated that 'for me, they're Melbourne Victory the favourites to win the title this season.' Following the World Cup break, on 12 December 2022, preceding the Christmas Melbourne Derby fixture, the Australian Professional Leagues announced an agreement with Destination NSW that would see the 2023, 2024, and 2025 A-League Men Grand Finals hosted in Sydney, as opposed to the traditional format of being hosted by the finalist that finished higher during the regular season. This announcement was met with widespread opposition from fans. A 20th minute walkout was staged by the former active groups of both clubs, Original Style Melbourne and City Terrace. In the 20th minute, the match was suspended by referee Alex King as flares were thrown onto both sides of the pitch. Tom Glover threw one of a flare back into the crowd of Victory supporters, sparking a pitch invasion where Glover was struck with a metal bucket. Security, a Channel 10 Cameraman, and referee Alex King were also subject to the violence. The pitch invasion forced the Derby's abandonment in the 22nd minute (score being 1-0 to City) due to concerns with player safety.

On December 18, 2022, Football Australia issued Melbourne Victory with a show cause notice, for the club to show cause on why they should not face serious sanctions for bringing the game into disrepute.

On December 23, 2022, Football Australia imposed interim sanctions on Melbourne Victory while the show cause process was worked through. These sanctions included:

 * No tickets sold in respect to Home matches.
 * Home and away active bays will be closed.

On January 9, 2023, following interim sanctions by FA which restricted active support, purchase of tickets to the general public and total North end blockage with tarps, the FA handed down the final sanctions to Melbourne Victory for the events at the Christmas Derby, after Melbourne Victory's show cause response was considered.

Football Australia found that Melbourne Victory FC brought the game into disrepute. Sanctions include:

In response to the show cause determination by FA, the Club stated that they would not appeal the decision and separately stated that they were ‘committed to the disbandment of any A-League Men's active supporter groups that were recognised at the time of the incident’. The Christmas Derby was resumed on Wednesday 5 April 2023 at the 21st minute, with the game ending 2-1 in favour of Melbourne City.
 * A total financial sanction of $550,000 AUD
 * No organised seating for away fans for the remainder of the season and finals series.
 * No organised home active support for the remainder of the season and finals series.
 * A suspended 10 point deduction triggered if fan behaviour results in the suspension of a game, ending at the conclusion of 2025/26 A-League season.

777Partners invested into Melbourne Victory FC in October 2022. In early February, Melbourne Victory's board approved 777Partners’ purchase of 70% of the club for 5 years.

The first half of Melbourne Victory's 2022-23 season was the worst in the club's history. They would only pick up 12 points in 14 matches and were at the bottom of the ladder.

Consequently, the Club looked to improve the squad in the January transfer window, signing Bruce Kamau, Damien Da Silva, Connor Chapman, Fernando Romero, the permanent signing of Bruno Fornaroli, and resignings of William Wilson, Matthew Bozinovski, and Ben Folami.

On 23 April 2023, Michael Zappone revealed that the Melbourne Victory board had supposedly chosen not to activate a second season clause in Luis Nani's contract, meaning that the marquee player who suffered a partial ACL tear would not return to the club in season 2023-24. However, head coach Tony Popovic stated that a decision has not been made on Nani's future.

Melbourne Victory completed the 2022-23 A-League Men's season with a 1-0 home loss to eventual 8th place Brisbane Roar, narrowly missing out on the wooden spoon which was avoided through a 94th-minute winner by Lleyton Brooks in the previous game against eventual wooden spooners and reigning Australia Cup winners Macarthur FC. Melbourne Victory finished the regular season in 11th place, condemning the club to a third bottom two finish in four years and another Australia Cup qualifier.

On May 3, 2023, the club hosted its annual Victory Medal. Former Melbourne City striker Bruno Fornaroli won the Player's Player of the Year and the TAC Golden Boot. Mid season Ligue 1 import Damien Da Silva won the prestigious Victory Medal, only playing 12 games in the season, a club record. Matthew Bozinovski won the Young Player of the Year award.

On May 4, 2023, following the conclusion of the 2022-23 A-League Men's season, Melbourne Victory announced the departure of first year signings Tomi Juric and 'Kadete', as well as the release of youngster Lleyton Brooks and keeper Matt Acton, who had been at the club for seven years. This would add to the departures of Noah Smith, Jay Barnett, Matthew Spiranovic, and Nick D'Agostino who all departed the club during the season.

On May 4, 2023, almost 5 hours after the departure of four Victory players were announced, the Club confirmed that Fabrizio Cammarata, Luciano Trani and Goalkeeper Coach, Peter Zois would not continue with the senior men's side in the 2023-24 season. The group of coaches were appointed by Tony Popovic when he joined the Club at the start of the 2021-22 season.

Main Melbourne Victory fan podcast For Vucks Sake stated that, in their opinion, the 2022-23 A-League Men's season was 'the worst in the club's history'.

Victory's 2023-24 season was much more successful, finishing third overall on the ladder with 10 wins and 12 draws. After beating Melbourne City in the Elimination Finals on penalties, the team then advanced to the semi-final, beating Wellington Phoenix 2-1 on aggregate, advancing to the Grand Final. With a 3-1 loss to the Central Coast Mariners, Victory finished the season as runners-up.

Colours and badge
Melbourne Victory's colours are navy blue, white and silver, which encompass the traditional state sporting colours of Victoria. The club's home kit is traditionally all-navy blue, with a white chevron design. Known colloquially as the "big V", it is a symbol associated with the Victoria Australian rules football team. The Victory's away kits have often featured a reversed colour scheme, with white shirts, shorts and socks, alongside a navy blue chevron. Grey and fluorescent yellow have both featured as away kit colours as well.

Currently, the home kit consists of a navy blue shirt with a chevron which fades from white at the bottom to navy blue at the top, paired with navy blue shorts and socks. The away kit is all white, with the shirt featuring a yoke consisting of a design reminiscent of the club's home ground AAMI Park, set inside an off-centre chevron.

A new kit was introduced for the 2008 AFC Champions League due to AFC rules requiring kits to have player numbers on the front of the uniform as well as the back, which would not fit well with the 'V' on the Victory's regular kit. For the 2009–10 season, Melbourne changed their away shirt to be a reverse of their home shirt; white with a blue chevron. In 2010, Melbourne wore the TAC 'seatbelt' shirt against Perth Glory in a charity event to raise awareness for the necessary use of seat belts in cars. Adidas were announced as the club's official kit manufacturer for five years beginning in the 2011–12 season, after the initial deal for Reebok to supply all A-League clubs had expired. The new kits were announced via the club's YouTube channel, and featured a controversial change to a fluoro yellow away shirt. For their 2013–14 kits, Melbourne Victory received backlash from supporters, as the away kits featured a much lighter blue, bearing a large resemblance to fierce rivals Sydney FC.

Kit evolution

 * Home
 * Away

Sponsorship
On 5 December 2005, South Korean electronics giant Samsung became the club's major sponsor in a two-year deal, giving Samsung logo placement on the front and the back of Victory's home and away kits. Prior to the 2006–07 season, KFC were announced as Victory's sleeve sponsor, with their logo appearing on the sleeve of Victory's home and away kits. On 28 January 2009, Samsung announced that they would not renew their sponsorship for the 2009–10 A-League season. Intralot became the Melbourne Victory's new major sponsor when they signed a two-season $2 million contract on 4 May 2009. Their logo subsequently featured on the front of Melbourne Victory's playing strip, starting from the 2009–10 season. On 6 August 2010, it was announced that law firm Florin Burhala Lawyers would be Melbourne Victory's official shorts sponsor for the 2010–11 season. On 1 June 2011, it was announced that human resources company Adecco Group signed a three-year deal as the club's major sponsor, replacing Intralot. As part of the deal, Adecco's logo appeared on the front of the club's playing strip. Melbourne Victory announced on 16 June 2011 that they had signed a five-year deal with global sportswear giant Adidas as the club's official kit manufacturer.

Club songs
A number of different songs have become synonymous with Melbourne Victory, being both sung by supporters and played over the PA at different moments before, during and after games.

 * "Stand By Me" by Ben E. King. This is sung as the team enters the pitch prior to kick-off, with fans holding their scarves above their heads throughout.
 * "Seven Nation Army" by The White Stripes. The chorus melody is chanted as a goal celebration, with fans waving their scarves in the air as they sing. It has also been adapted as a player chant for former striker Besart Berisha.
 * "Victory The Brave", a rearrangement of Scotland The Brave, penned by Jim Keays of The Masters Apprentices, with Glenn Wheatley helping to compose the song. This song is played after every home win.
 * "Freed from Desire" by Gala. In January 2022, Melbourne Victory ran a fan poll to choose a post-match victory song to be played after every Melbourne Victory home win; Freed from Desire received the most votes in the post, becoming the post-match victory song of the club, with the song played after the conclusion of Victory the Brave.

Stadiums
Melbourne Victory currently plays all of its home games at Melbourne Rectangular Stadium, known as AAMI Park for sponsorship purposes.

Olympic Park Stadium
The club was originally based at the 50-year-old Olympic Park Stadium, where they played all home matches during the 2005–06 A-League season. This stadium had seated areas only on the wings, with standing-room sandy terraces on the north and south ends. The average crowd during the first year was 14,158, 77% of its capacity of 18,500. As a result, the match-day atmosphere would prove to be a marketing asset not just for Melbourne Victory, but also for the rest of the league. It also proved to be a major factor in the club's decision to relocate home games to Docklands Stadium, then known as 'Telstra Dome', from the 2006–07 season onwards, for both safety reasons, and simplicity in membership and match-day attendance expansion. Despite the club permanently relocating to Docklands Stadium, the venue was still used occasionally for both the 2006–07 and 2007–08 seasons, until being permanently closed in 2009.

Docklands Stadium
On 2 September 2006, Melbourne Victory played its first ever match against Sydney FC at the 56,000 capacity Marvel Stadium in a 3–2 victory. The match proved to be a runaway success in terms of crowds, with 39,730 in attendance. As a result, the club moved all but one of their home games to the ground. This move to such a large stadium proved to be an outstanding success, with the Grand Final held there. The average attendance rose to 27,728 for the 2006–07 season, 10,000 above the next highest in the A-League.

During the construction of the Melbourne Rectangular Stadium, Marvel Stadium continued to serve as the club's only home ground until the completion of the club's new permanent home, which began hosting games from the 2010–11 A-League season. On 11 March 2016, it was announced that th club had committed to a further lease of 10 years for the continued use of limited blockbuster matches at the venue, ending at the conclusion of the 2026–27 season. This agreement was mutually ended in July 2021, when the club announced it would no longer play any further home matches at Docklands Stadium and would play every future home match at Melbourne Rectangular Stadium.

To date, Melbourne Victory have celebrated the 2006–07 and 2008–09 premiership and championship victories at the venue. The stadium was also the permanent venue and operational base of the club during the 2008 Pre-Season Cup, although the grand final was won in Wellington, New Zealand.

Melbourne Rectangular Stadium

Prior to the 2006–07 season the club had planned to move to a new $190 million stadium being built to the east of the current Olympic Park complex. The new stadium was originally expected to sit approximately 20,000 spectators (expandable to 25,000) and was to be completed by 2009.

These plans were revised after the Victory refused to commit to playing at such a small capacity stadium. On 23 May 2007, the club announced it had signed as a founding co-tenant of the new stadium, which would now be built to accommodate a maximum of 30,050 spectators with further renovations to 50,000 possible. However, further expansion in the near-term is unlikely as it was discovered during Australia's World Cup Bid process that to build such an expansion would be prohibitively expensive.

Today, the venue is the home of the club's operations, administration, and the majority of the senior team's home matches, as well as occasional home matches of the NYL/NPL & W-League teams. The club currently holds the highest attendance of any association football (soccer) match played at the venue, and second overall for any sporting event at the venue. The record was set in the 2015 A-League Grand Final on 17 May 2015, with an attendance of 29,843 witnessing Melbourne win its third title, and first at the venue in the club's history. The venue was also the place of celebration with club celebrating the 2014–15 premiership and the 2015 FFA Cup victories.

Kardinia Park
On 22 August 2007, the club played its first competitive match at Kardinia Park, then known as GMHBA Stadium, against Newcastle Jets in the 2007 Pre-Season Cup.

On 15 February 2014, Melbourne Victory was forced to play at the Geelong-based stadium, in playing their Asian Champions League qualifying game against Muangthong United at Simonds Stadium due to AAMI Park and Marvel Stadium being unavailable.

Prior to the start of the 2014–15 season, Melbourne Victory signed a three-year deal to play one home game a year at the venue for the 2014–15, 2015–16 and 2016–17 seasons. In January 2017, the deal was extended to the conclusion of the 2018–19 season.

Support
In 2007 Melbourne Victory had the largest supporter base in Australia. Known for their extreme passion and atmosphere, the North End are the largest of the active support groups associated with Victory.

In January 2011, the Victory supporting Horda group was suspected to have stolen a banner from Melbourne Heart's Yarraside active group. In the following games, Horda banners were banned, which led to great protest from the Northern Terrace active members.

Fans anger further escalated as they were subjected to a rising police presence at games. In response, on 2nd February 2011, the fans from the North Terrace organised a silent protest for the Melbourne Victory – Newcastle Jets match. They left the North Terrace empty, and had a banner saying "No fans no past no future – without us you are nothing NT United". The banner was later confiscated by the police.

In February 2011, Victoria Police said they were reluctant to cover Melbourne Victory games because of behaviour by fans that they claimed was unacceptable. Problems included violence, anti-social behaviour and the lighting of flares.

On 3 January 2014, Football Federation Australia charged both Melbourne Victory and Western Sydney Wanderers with bringing the game into disrepute following violent fan behaviour before and during their game on 28 December 2013.

Notable supporters

 * Ted Baillieu
 * Eddie Betts
 * George Calombaris
 * Brad Green
 * Denis Napthine
 * Laura Pausini

Rivalries

 * Melbourne City (Melbourne Derby): Melbourne Victory's local rival is Melbourne City, which entered the competition in the 2010–11 season (as Melbourne Heart, before the name change in 2014), becoming the 2nd club in Melbourne. The rivalry reached a whole new level when Victory skipper Kevin Muscat was red carded for a tackle on Heart player Adrian Zahra. Currently six former Victory players have switched to Melbourne Heart (City), with Mate Dugandžić doing the first ever direct switch from Victory to City in 2011. Anthony Lesiotis is currently the only play to have ever gone the other way (City to Victory). In the 2020-21 A-League season, City beat Victory 6–0 at Marvel Stadium, then 7–0 in the return leg at AAMI Park, with striker Jamie Maclaren scoring 5 goals in the latter, along with former Victory player Andrew Nabbout scoring the opener. The 40th Melbourne Derby on 17 December 2022 was unprecedented in its volatility, with the match marred with poor crowd behaviour, including multiple flares ignited and thrown onto the pitch by supporters of both teams. In the 20th minute of the match, Melbourne City goalkeeper Tom Glover threw back a flare sent from the crowd, sparking a pitch invasion which saw both Glover and referee Alex King assaulted by pitch invaders, and causing the match to be abandoned.  In response Football Australia implemented interim sanctions closing active supporter bays for both clubs for all matches up to and including 15 January 2023.
 * Sydney FC (The Big Blue): Sydney is considered Melbourne's major interstate rival, due to Melbourne and Sydney being Australia's two largest cities (see Melbourne-Sydney rivalry). Matches between the two teams are regularly the league's most spiteful encounters with narratives spanning from the inception of the A-League itself. Supporters from both sides cite each other as their most hated and competitive rivals due to the extensive history of the fixture while also acknowledging both their positions as the biggest teams in the league. The rivalry between the two teams first intensified beyond being just an interstate feud after Sydney beat Melbourne in the final match of the 2009–10 season to claim the A-League Premiership over the Victory by a single point. This was followed up with another Sydney triumph in the 2010 A-League Grand Final where the Sky Blues became the first team to win the league's Championship as the away team. However, in season 2014/15, Victory reversed these defeats, by first pipping Sydney to the A-League Premiership during the league season and weeks later beat them in the 2015 A-League Grand Final. In the 2016/17 grand final, Melbourne Victory succumbed to a 4–2 penalty shootout defeat to Sydney FC (losing to Sydney in a penalty shootout for the second time). Victory avenged that loss on 28 April 2018 in a semifinal encounter with their old rivals with a 117th minute extra time strike from Terry Antonis to win 3–2 on the night. Melbourne would meet Sydney in the following season again in the A-League semifinals where a rampant Sydney would deliver a devestating 6-1 humbling, marking the end of Victory club legend, Kevin Muscat's, managerial tenure.
 * Adelaide United (The Original Derby / The Original Rivalry): Melbourne Victory also has a rivalry with Adelaide United. This rivalry stems from the other football codes, where the interstate rivalry is big between Victorians and South Australians (see South Australia-Victoria rivalry). There have also been altercations between sets of opposing fans in Melbourne and Adelaide. The rivalry has built up from previous encounters, when an incident between the then Adelaide United manager, John Kosmina, and Victory skipper Kevin Muscat took place during a sideline altercation during a match in the 2006–07 season, and when Victory striker Ney Fabiano spat in the direction of Adelaide defender Robert Cornthwaite during Round 4 in the 2008–09 season.  Fabiano was banned for nine matches; but this was reduced to six after a successful appeal. Victory and Adelaide contested both the 2006–07 and 2008–09 Grand Finals, with Melbourne winning both.
 * Western United (The Westgate Derby / The Battle of the Bridge): Melbourne Victory has developed a rivalry with Western United, which entered the competition in the 2019–20 season, becoming the 3rd club in Melbourne.       Despite the rivalry's short existence, it has garnered a reputation for producing talking points, controversy, tension, goals and drama. In the team's first meeting, in November 2019 at Marvel Stadium, Western United won 3-2 despite going 2-0 down within the first 7 minutes. In February 2021 at Marvel Stadium, despite conceding the first goal of the match and despite being reduced to 10 men for the final half-hour of the match, Western United won 4–3, with Victor Sanchez scoring in the final minute of stoppage time. For the first 5 meetings between the two teams, Western United had 4 wins and a draw. On 28 May 2021, Melbourne Victory ended their losing run against Western United in emphatic fashion, winning 6–1 at AAMI Park. Currently six former Victory players have played for Western United (four have played for the Victory senior team, two have represented the Victory's youth or NPL teams without making an appearance for the senior team).

Youth

 * Players to have been featured in a first-team matchday squad for Melbourne Victory.

Corporate
Melbourne Victory Football Club has been and is currently owned by unlisted public company 'Melbourne Victory Ltd', since its inception. Ownership of the holding company consists of many minor shareholders from the city of Melbourne, with shareholders consisting of Premier Fresh Australia chief executive Anthony Di Pietro,   owners of Metricon and U.S. Triestina the Biasin family,  and Miami based private investment firm 777 partners. Despite the diverse shareholding by local families from Melbourne to Venture Capitalists, the club is not a "for profit" business, and as such the shareholders have never taken a dividend.

Prior to the establishment of the A-League Men, the newly established club struggled to raise the initial $5 million equity capital to join the League in its first season, resulting in Football Australia contributing approximately $500,000 to secure the club's position in the league, with the eventual intention to sell its stake. As a result, the federation took a ten per cent holding in the club in return, as well as having a representative on the Victory board. From humble beginnings, the club has become a commercial success, with the club's value increasing from 19.2 million AUD in November 2014 to 40 million in 2018, with the most recent evaluation being 50 million AUD following the 2022 partial purhcase of the club by 777 Partners.

Board members

 * Chairman: John Dovaston
 * Managing Director: Caroline Carnegie
 * Director: Donald Dransfield
 * Director: Carl Valeri
 * Director: Kerry Anne Smith

Managerial history
* Italic denotes caretaker head coach.

A-League

 * A-League Men Championship
 * Winners (4): 2007, 2009, 2015, 2018
 * Runners-up (3): 2010, 2017, 2024
 * A-League Men Premiership
 * Winners (3): 2006–07, 2008–09, 2014–15
 * Runners-up (3): 2009–10, 2016–17, 2021–22

Cups

 * Australia Cup
 * Winners (2): 2015, 2021

Doubles and Trebles

 * Doubles
 * A-League Premiership and A-League Championship (3): 2006–07, 2008–09, 2014–15

Notable players

 * Australia
 * Danny Allsopp
 * Terry Antonis
 * Nathan Coe
 * Jason Davidson
 * Thomas Deng
 * Eugene Galekovic
 * Harry Kewell
 * Robbie Kruse
 * Mitchell Langerak
 * Adrian Leijer
 * Mark Milligan
 * Kevin Muscat
 * Mitch Nichols
 * Tom Pondeljak
 * Simon Storey
 * Michael Theo
 * Lawrence Thomas
 * Archie Thompson
 * James Troisi
 * Carl Valeri
 * Leigh Broxham
 * Rodrigo Vargas
 * Joshua Brillante
 * Nicholas D'Agostino
 * Danny Vukovic
 * Tom Rogić
 * Albania and Kosovo
 * 🇦🇱 Besart Berisha
 * Argentina
 * 🇦🇷 Marcos Flores
 * Brazil
 * 🇧🇷 Guilherme Finkler
 * 🇧🇷 Fred
 * Chile
 * 🇨🇱 Pablo Contreras
 * Costa Rica
 * 🇨🇷 Carlos Hernández
 * England
 * 🏴 Callum McManaman
 * France
 * 🇫🇷 Matthieu Delpierre
 * 🇫🇷 Damien Da Silva
 * Ivory Coast
 * Adama Traoré
 * Japan
 * 🇯🇵 Keisuke Honda
 * Netherlands
 * 🇳🇱 Leroy George
 * New Zealand
 * 🇳🇿Kosta Barbarouses
 * 🇳🇿 Marco Rojas
 * North Macedonia
 * 🇲🇰 Daniel Georgievski
 * Scotland
 * 🏴 Grant Brebner
 * Spain
 * 🇪🇸 Rai Marchán
 * Sweden
 * 🇸🇪 Ola Toivonen
 * Thailand
 * 🇹🇭 Surat Sukha
 * Tunisia
 * 🇹🇳 Fahid Ben Khalfallah

Season-by-season record

 * Key
 * DNQ = Did not qualify
 * DNPQ = Did not pre-qualify
 * NC = Tournament not contested
 * Pos. af. = Position in league during finals series
 * Pos. s. = Position in league during regular season
 * TBD = Tournament in progress, outcome to be determined
 * Tms. = Number of teams

title: Melbourne Victory FC


text: User talk:81.229.165.15

license: Creative Commons - Attribution Share-Alike - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

title: User talk:81.229.165.15


text: User talk:69.156.142.12

title: User talk:69.156.142.12


text:
Zurracapote

Zurracapote (sometimes abbreviated as zurra) is a popular Spanish alcoholic mixed drink, similar to sangría. It consists of red wine mixed with fruit such as peaches and lemons, sugar, and cinnamon. The concoction is then traditionally left to steep for several days, though some recipes call for the addition of other alcoholic beverages, juices, and fruit extracts. The result is a mild-to-medium alcoholic drink, similar to sangría.

The drink is normally prepared in large receptacles during local festivals with many local variations in recipe. It was first drunk in Calahorra, where "Peña Phillips" developed the recipe through several competitions. It is the typical drink of the La Rioja area and nearby areas such as northern Burgos, Soria, Ribera Navarra, and the Basque Country. It is also prepared in other Spanish provinces, such as Albacete, northern Granada, Ciudad Real, Cuenca, and Guadalajara.

title: Zurracapote


text:
Central Coast Mariners FC

Central Coast Mariners Football Club is an Australian professional soccer club based in Gosford, on the Central Coast of New South Wales. It competes in the A-League Men, under licence from the Australian Professional Leagues (APL).

The Mariners were founded in 2004 and are one of the eight original A-League teams. It is the first professional sports club from the Gosford region to compete in a national competition. Despite being one of the smallest clubs in the league, the Central Coast Mariners have claimed three A-League Championships from six Grand Final appearances and topped the table to win the A-League Premiership three times. The club has also appeared in the AFC Champions League five times and won the AFC Cup once.

The club plays matches at Central Coast Stadium, a 20,059-seat stadium in Gosford; its purpose-built training facility, Mariners Centre of Excellence, is located in the suburb of Tuggerah. The facility is also home to a youth team that competes in the A-League Youth. The Mariners' main supporters' group is known as the Yellow Army, for the colour of the club's home kit. The club shares a rivalry with Newcastle Jets, known as the F3 Derby, after the previous name of the highway that connects the cities of the teams. Matt Simon is the Mariners' all-time leading goalscorer as of May 2022, with 66 goals in all competitions. The team record for matches played is held by John Hutchinson, who has appeared in 263 games for the Mariners.

Formation (2004)
Central Coast Mariners' bid for a franchise in the Football Federation Australia's new A-League competition was aimed at filling the one spot for a regional team that was designated by the FFA. Media speculation prior to the announcement of the franchises in the new league suggested that the Mariners' bid may be favourable due to its new blood. Backing from former Australian international player and club technical director Alex Tobin, as well as Clean Up Australia personality Ian Kiernan—who would act as inaugural club chairman—also strengthened its proposal. As the only regional bidder, Central Coast was expected to make it into the league by default. Following a reported signed deal with the FFA, the club signed former Northern Spirit coach Lawrie McKinna as manager and Ian Ferguson, a former Rangers and Northern Spirit player, as coach. To aid the FFA's goals of building the profile of the sport, the Mariners created formal links with local state league team Central Coast United. On 1 November 2004, after much expectation, the club was announced as one of eight teams to become part of FFA's domestic competition, the A-League. The decision made Central Coast Mariners the first Gosford-based professional sports team to play in a national competition.

At the time of the formation of the new league in 2004, the club was owned by Spirits Sports and Leisure Group. The club announced its search for a star player under the league's allowance for one star player outside of the $1.5 million salary cap, insisting that the player should not look at the position as a retirement fund. Coach Lawrie McKinna sought interest from Australia national football team players Ante Milicic and Simon Colosimo, and announced that he may sign more than the three under-20 players required by league rules. Early concerns for the club focussed on concerns over financial stability, but after forming a partnership with technology company Toshiba and a cash injection from local businessman John Singleton, the club's financial worries were eased. McKinna was keen to sign local player Damien Brown of Bateau Bay, formerly of the Newcastle Jets. In a decision which prompted the player to declare that he was "over the moon", Brown became the first player to sign with the club. Club chairman Lyall Gorman was pleased that a local had become a "foundation player" and part of Brown's role would be to assist with selection of younger players from the local area. By early December 2004, the club had created a steady foundation of player signings and began negotiations with former Perth Glory striker Nik Mrdja, signing him later in the month as its star attacker. Mrjda was one of the most prominent players in the last season of the National Soccer League, scoring the final goal to secure Perth Glory's finals win. The club's management was reluctant to sign a star player outside of the $1.5 million salary cap, stipulating that they "would have to contribute on the pitch and get people to come to the ground."

Lawrie McKinna era (2004–2010)
The Mariners' inaugural season was considered a resounding success by most; the team reached the 2006 A-League Grand Final after finishing third during the regular season. Central Coast was defeated by Sydney FC 1–0 in front of a crowd of 41,689—a competition record at the time. The Mariners also won the 2005 Pre-Season Cup, defeating Perth Glory in the final 1–0. Before the 2006–07 A-League season, the Mariners secured the services of then-Australian international Tony Vidmar from NAC Breda for two years. This was the club's first marquee signing, following the lead of Sydney FC (Dwight Yorke) and Adelaide United (Qu Shengqing). Central Coast again reached the grand final in the 2006 Pre-Season Cup, losing to Adelaide United 5–4 on penalties after the score was tied 1–1 after extra time. The Mariners then participated in the 2006–07 A-League season, but was unable to gain a spot in the final series, finishing sixth after the regular season.

Club captain Noel Spencer was released by the Mariners, then signed to participate in the Asian Champions League by Sydney FC after the 2006–07 season, and Alex Wilkinson was appointed the new captain. Only 22 years of age at the time, Wilkinson had played every possible competitive match for the Mariners up to his appointment. In February 2008, Central Coast Mariners signed an arrangement with English Football League Championship side Sheffield United. The partnership was one of several connections the Mariners made with foreign clubs; other partner clubs included Ferencváros of Hungary, Chengdu Blades of China and São Paulo of Brazil. The agreement benefits the club by providing an opportunity for the youth programme and senior side to draw from the roster of Sheffield United through transfers. The teams also formed a property development joint venture, in the hopes that Central Coast could use its share of income to expand and bolster their Mariners Youth Academy.

The 2007–08 season saw Central Coast win its first premiership on goal difference ahead of Newcastle, following a final round that began with Central Coast and three other clubs level on 31 points. The final series began with a 2–0 loss to Newcastle in the first leg of its major semi-final, but the Mariners forced the tie to extra time by holding a 2–0 lead in the second leg after 90 minutes. A 94th-minute goal by Sasho Petrovski, who had scored earlier to level the tie, gave Central Coast a 3–2 win on aggregate, putting the Mariners through to the 2008 A-League Grand Final. In a rematch with Newcastle, the Jets defeated Central Coast 1–0 in the Grand Final, which ended in controversy due to an uncalled handball against Newcastle in Central Coast Mariners penalty box during the closing seconds of the match. If called, the foul would have given Central Coast a penalty kick and a chance to equalise. As Mariners players disputed referee Mark Shield's decision, goalkeeper Danny Vuković struck Shield on the arm, resulting in an immediate sending off and later suspension. Vuković was suspended from both domestic and international competition for nine months, with an additional six-months' suspended ban; the latter period was reduced to three months on appeal. Despite further appeals, the ban was eventually confirmed by FIFA in June, to include banning the young keeper from competing at the 2008 Olympic Games. The ban lasted into October; in response, Central Coast signed former Manchester United and Australian international keeper Mark Bosnich on a seven-week contract.

Before the 2008–09 season, Central Coast was predicted to be among the A-League leaders, but had a run of three losses in a row to end the regular season. Even with the losing streak, the club narrowly qualified for the finals, finishing in fourth, two points ahead of Sydney F.C. and Wellington Phoenix. Central Coast lost 4–1 on aggregate in their minor semi-final against Queensland Roar, ending the team's season.

Graham Arnold and Phil Moss era (2010–2015)
In February 2010, following the club's 2009–10 season, McKinna chose to move into a new role, becoming Central Coast's Football and Commercial Operations Manager. Socceroos assistant manager Graham Arnold was appointed as the club's new manager, becoming its second manager. In the lead-up to the 2010–11 season, numerous transfers resulted in changes to the club's squad. The Mariners announced the signing of 2005 Under 20s World Cup winner Patricio Pérez of Argentina in June 2010, followed by Dutch defender Patrick Zwaanswijk. In July 2010, it was announced that the Mariners' women's team would not compete in the 2010–11 W-League competition. The club stated that financial reasons were behind the decision, after Football NSW withdrew its funding.

In spite of relatively low expectations in the lead up to the season, the 2010–11 season was more successful for the club than 2009–10; the A-League and youth league teams both finished second in their respective leagues in the regular season. The senior team was then defeated by the premiers, Brisbane Roar, 4–2 on aggregate over two legs in the major semi-final, before defeating Gold Coast United 1–0 in the Preliminary Final to qualify for the 2011 A-League Grand Final against Brisbane. By reaching the Grand Final, the club also qualified for the 2012 AFC Champions League. In a championship match that the A-League's website called "classic", Central Coast was defeated 4–2 in a penalty shootout after leading 2–0 with three minutes remaining in extra time to finish runners-up for the third time.

The 2011–12 season was similarly successful, as the club won the premiership for the second time in its history with 51 points, two more than second-place Brisbane. The club failed to qualify for a second successive Grand Final, though, losing 5–2 on aggregate to Brisbane in the major semi-final and 5–3 on penalties after a 1–1 draw with Perth Glory in the Grand Final Qualifier.

On 21 April 2013, after three losses in Grand Finals, Central Coast won its first A-League title, defeating first-year side Western Sydney Wanderers 2–0 in the Grand Final at Allianz Stadium. Arnold re-signed with the club for a further two seasons on 30 August 2013, but on 14 November it was confirmed that he had signed a two-year contract to become manager of J. League Division 1 side Vegalta Sendai, starting in January 2014. Former assistant manager Phil Moss was named the new head coach. Mariners general manager Peter Turnbull left the club as well, and New Zealand international Michael McGlinchey moved to the J. League to play for Arnold's new side. Central Coast finished the 2013–14 A-League regular season in third place, behind runner-up Western Sydney on goal difference. In the semi-final, the Mariners' championship hopes ended with a 2–0 loss to Western Sydney; the game came three days after the team was eliminated from the 2014 AFC Champions League after losing to Japanese club Sanfrecce Hiroshima 1–0 to finish last in their group.

In what was Moss's first pre-season as coach, he did little to change what Arnold had built at the club. The only major changes in the side were with the addition of Senegalese international Malick Mané and Hungarian Richárd Vernes, and Marcos Flores leaving the club, with Mile Sterjovski retiring. Mariners began the season on a high, progressing to the semi-finals of the 2014 FFA Cup and defeating local rivals Newcastle Jets 1–0 at home in the opening round of the A-League. However the season soon turned with the team failing to secure a win for the remainder of the year. After their elimination from the 2015 AFC Champions League qualifying play-off by Chinese side Guangzhou R&F and a continued poor league record after a short mid-season break, the club stood down Moss as head coach. The decision was made on 6 March 2015, with Mariners appointing technical director Tony Walmsley in an interim capacity and captain John Hutchinson in a dual player-coach role, until the end of the season. Portuguese player Fábio Ferreira also joined the team at the tail end of the season. On 15 April Walmsley was announced as Central Coast's permanent technical director and head coach for the 2015–16 season. The announcement came despite an end to the season in which the club finished the league in eighth position.

Post-Arnold era (2015–2020)
Central Coast had their equal-worst A-League performance to date in the 2015–16 season. Their 13 points, the fewest in club history, resulted in a last-place finish, and they set a league record by losing 20 games while winning only 3, a record low for the Mariners. Central Coast allowed 70 goals, the most in league history, and had a goal difference of −37, the worst by an A-League team. The Mariners' totals of goals conceded at home and away (32 and 38 respectively) were also A-League records, and they went the entire season without a clean sheet.

In the 2016 FFA Cup, Central Coast suffered a 2–1 loss to Green Gully SC at Green Gully Reserve, becoming just the second A-League team to be eliminated by a state league team in the FFA Cup. Following this loss the club sacked Walmsley on 8 August 2016, with coaching duties in the leadup to the 2016–17 season taken up by assistant coach John Hutchinson in a caretaker role.

On 29 August 2016, Paul Okon was hired as Central Coast's full-time coach, succeeding the sacked Tony Walmsley. In Okon's debut as Central Coast manager, the Mariners drew 3–3 with Perth Glory at Nib Stadium, after coming back from 3–0 down at half time. Okon achieved his first win as Central Coast manager in his fifth game in charge: a 2–1 win over defending champions Adelaide United at Hindmarsh Stadium on 6 November 2016. However, the Mariners ended the season in eighth.

On 2 August 2017, for the second consecutive year, the Mariners were knocked out of the FFA Cup by a state league team in the first round, after losing 3–2 to Blacktown City. During the 2017–18 A-League season, the Mariners were in the top four at one stage, but after a run of 11 games without a win the club dropped down the table. Okon resigned as manager with Central Coast in ninth entering the last four rounds of the regular season; Wayne O'Sullivan served as an interim manager following Okon's departure. With a six-game losing streak at the end of the season, the team finished last for the second time in three years. Former Brisbane manager Mike Mulvey was hired by Central Coast in 2018. In the first 21 matches of the 2018–19 A-League season, the Mariners won only once. Mulvey was replaced as manager by Alen Stajcic, the former head coach of the Australia women's national team. Despite two wins in his six games as a caretaker manager, the Mariners were unable to avoid finishing at the bottom of the table again. Stajcic was given a three-year contract after the season.

On 4 August 2020, after playing their last game of the 2019–20 season, the Mariners were put up for sale by owner Michael Charlesworth, putting the club at risk of leaving the Central Coast. If no buyer is found, the Mariners' A-League license will be handed back to the FFA.

Resurgence (2020–present)
In his second full season at the club, in 2020–21, Stajcic made some large signings, re-acquiring the services of former player Oliver Bozanic and signing Costa Rican international Marco Urena. The season had begun well with the Mariners beating local rivals Sydney FC in Sydney for the first time in seven years. The Mariners sat in first place after 16 rounds, but would drop points during the later rounds to finish in third place. This qualified the club for their first finals appearance in seven years. They would then lose to Macarthur FC 2–0 in the elimination finals on 12 June 2021.

Stajcic resigned ahead of the 2021–22 season the club, and was replaced by Nick Montgomery. Montgomery's first season continued on the success of previous one. He brought the club to its first ever FFA Cup final where they lost 2–1 to Melbourne Victory on 5 February 2022. The Mariners also finished fifth in the A-League which qualified the club for a second consecutive finals series. They were again knocked out in the elimination finals, this time by Adelaide United, losing 3–1 on 15 May 2022.

On 3 June 2023, Central Coast played against Melbourne City in the 2023 A-League Men Grand Final. The Mariners defeated Melbourne City 6–1 to win their second A-League Championship, and their first in a decade, with Jason Cummings winning the Joe Marston Medal for best on ground.

Ahead of the new season, Championship winning coach Nick Montgomery departed the club to become the head coach of Hibernian, and was replaced by former MK Dons coach Mark Jackson for the title defence. The 2023-24 season saw further success for the club, winning the A-League Premiership for finishing top of the table in the regular season, their first continental title after defeating Al Ahed in the 2024 AFC Cup final, and qualification for the upcoming A-League Finals Series. The Mariners would go on to beat Melbourne Victory 3–1 in extra time in the 2024 A-League Men Grand Final. This Achievement would mean that they had won the treble.

2023–24 AFC Cup champions
Central Coast returned to the continental tournament after 9 years since their 2015 AFC Champions League appearance and also making their debut in the AFC Cup. The Mariners were drawn in Group G alongside Malaysian side Terengganu, Indonesian side Bali United and Philippines side Stallion Laguna. On 20 September 2023, Central Coast played their debut match in a 1–0 away lost against Terengganu. In the next match on 4 October, the Mariners recorded their highest ever continental win thrashing Stallion Laguna to a whopping 9–1 victory. Central Coast went on to top the group as leaders with 13 points in which they qualified to the knockout stage. In the knockout stage which is also known as the zonal semi-finals, the Mariners faced Cambodian side Phnom Penh Crown on 13 February 2024, Central Coast went on to win the match 4–0 with Ryan Edmondson scoring a hat-trick to secured the club advancing to the zonal finals facing against Macarthur FC on 22 February, Central Coast went on to win the match in a narrow 3–2 win in extra time thus qualifying to the Inter-zone play-off semi-finals facing off Indian side Odisha winning them 4–0 on aggregate and advanced to the Inter-zone play-off finals facing off against Kyrgyzstani side Abdysh-Ata Kant where the Mariners won 4–1 on aggregate thus qualified to the 2024 AFC Cup final facing against  Lebanese side Al Ahed. On 5 May, Central Coast played their final match at the Sultan Qaboos Sports Complex in Oman where in the 84th minute, super sub Alou Kuol scored the only goal in the match to win the AFC Cup for Central Coast.

Colours and badge
The home jersey worn by the Mariners is mostly yellow with sleeves that are navy blue. The away uniform is a mostly plain navy blue jersey with yellow as a secondary colour. In the 2011–12 season, the club had its kits manufactured by Hummel, as the A-League's Reebok deal had expired at the conclusion of the 2010–11 season. In September 2012, it was announced that the Mariners had signed a two-year deal with Kappa for them to be the official apparel supplier. The team logo is a yellow football at the centre of a blue curling wave, which symbolises the beaches of the Central Coast.

Since 2012, the Mariners have worn special pink kits for one match in October to raise money and awareness for Pink Ribbon Day, part of National Breast Cancer Awareness Month. The Mariners club collected donations at the ground, as well as auctioning the match-worn kits on online auction site eBay with proceeds going to the charity.

Kit Evolution

 * Home

Stadium
Central Coast Mariners plays home games at Central Coast Stadium, Gosford. It is located in Grahame Park, between the Gosford Central Business District and the Brisbane Water foreshore. It is constructed to make the most of its location, being open at the southern end, giving filtered views of Brisbane Water through a row of large palm trees. It is within walking distance of Gosford railway station and is adjacent to the Central Coast Leagues Club.

The stadium has a capacity of 20,059, and the highest attendance for a Mariners game was a sold-out 21,379 in the 2024 Grand Final, assisted with portable seating at the southern end of the ground. Difficulties in drawing spectators led the Mariners to schedule matches in the 2013–14 and 2014–15 seasons away from Central Coast Stadium, at North Sydney Oval and Brookvale Oval. The club's goal was to play closer to its fan base in north Sydney, which majority owner Michael Charlesworth estimated to be about 20% of its total supporters. Following attendances at North Sydney Oval that were similar to those at Central Coast Stadium, Football Federation Australia CEO David Gallop suggested in December 2014 that it would be unlikely that the club would be permitted to continue playing in north Sydney.

Supporters and rivalries
The active supporters' group for the Mariners is called the Yellow Army, who sit in bay 16 of Central Coast Stadium during home games. In addition to the Yellow Army, there is a Central Coast Mariners Official Supporters Club, which was established during 2013. The Central Coast region has about 300,000 residents, which gives the Mariners the A-League's smallest local fan base. Accordingly, the Mariners acquired a small-market image among commentators.

The Mariners developed a strong rivalry with Newcastle Jets throughout their first season, often referred to as the F3 Derby. The naming is a title previously used for the Sydney–Newcastle Freeway, the major motorway which joins the two clubs' cities. The rivalry's origins date back to before the teams played against each other in the A-League. A May 2005 Oceania Club Championship qualification match, which went to a penalty shootout that the Mariners won, helped create hostility between the sides. In the game, a tackle by Central Coast's Mrdja broke one of Newcastle player Andrew Durante's legs, causing him to miss the following A-League season; Mrdja offered no apology for the tackle, upsetting Jets players. Fans of the clubs battled verbally before and after one 2011 derby match, leading the Newcastle Herald's Josh Leeson to call their actions "immature and laughable." In more recent seasons, the F3 Derby has gained less attention in the press than the derbies in Melbourne and Sydney, but Central Coast player Nicholas Fitzgerald maintains that "the players and fans still take it very seriously."

Central Coast also have a rivalry with Sydney FC. Like Newcastle, Sydney FC is close in proximity to Central Coast. In 2006, the Central Coast Express Advocate's Richard Noone called the Central Coast–Sydney rivalry "Arguably A-League's fiercest".

Affiliated clubs
Through an investment in the Mariners by Sheffield United the club has the following international affiliations:
 * 🏴 Sheffield United
 * 🇧🇷 São Paulo
 * 🇭🇺 Ferencváros

In addition, the club has a player development partnership with the following international clubs: The club has formal relationships with the following organisations in Australia: The club previously had formal relationships with the following organisations in Australia:
 * 🏴 Everton
 * 🇭🇰 Southern
 * 🇵🇹 Portimonense
 * Central Coast United
 * Northbridge (as North Shore Mariners Academy 2014–2020)

Retired numbers

 * 19 – 🇦🇺 Matt Simon (forward, 2006–12, 2013–15, 2018–22)

Records
John Hutchinson currently holds the team record for number of total games played with 271 matches in all competitions. Former captain Matt Simon has the second most appearances for the club with 238 matches. Alex Wilkinson is the third most capped player with 206 appearances. As of 2020, Central Coast's all-time highest goalscorers in all competitions is Matt Simon with 66 goals, twenty-three more than Adam Kwasnik. Daniel McBreen has scored the third most goals for the club with 30.

Central Coast's highest attendance at its home stadium, Central Coast Stadium, was 19,238 against Newcastle Jets in their round 19 match of the 2007–08 season. This was the second highest crowd at the ground for any sport since the first match at Central Coast Stadium in February 2000. This record attendance at Central Coast stadium was broken during the 2022–23 season for the second leg of the A-league semi-final against Adelaide United FC. The Mariners won 2–0 (4–1 on aggregate) in front of a sell-out crowd of 20,059 people. The attendance record was further broken at the 2024 Grand Final, where 21,379 attended the game, ending in a 3–1 win for the Mariners after extra time.

A-League

 * A-League Men Championship
 * Winners (3): 2013, 2023, 2024
 * Runners-up (3): 2006, 2008, 2011
 * A-League Men Premiership
 * Winners (3): 2007–08, 2011–12, 2023–24
 * Runners-up (3): 2010–11, 2012–13, 2022–23

Cups

 * Australia Cup
 * Runners-up (1): 2021
 * A-League Pre-Season Challenge Cup
 * Winners (1): 2005
 * Runners-up (1): 2006

Continental

 * AFC Cup / AFC Champions League Two
 * Winners (1): 2023–24

title: Central Coast Mariners FC


text:
Apollonius Molon

Apollonius Molon or Molo of Rhodes (or simply Molon; Ἀπολλώνιος ὁ Μόλων), was a Greek rhetorician. He was a native of Alabanda, a pupil of Menecles, and settled at Rhodes, where he opened a school of rhetoric. Prior to that, he twice visited Rome as an ambassador from Rhodes. Marcus Tullius Cicero studied with him during his trip to Greece in 79–77 BC, as did Gaius Julius Caesar a few years later. Perhaps it is at least partially due to Apollonius Molon's instruction that Caesar, and Cicero especially, achieved fame as orators in the Roman Republic. Molon is reputed to have quoted Demosthenes in telling his pupils that the first three elements in rhetoric were "Delivery, Delivery and Delivery." He had a stellar reputation in Roman Law courts, and was even invited to address the Roman Senate in Greek – an honor not usually bestowed upon foreign ambassadors.

Molon wrote on Homer and endeavored to moderate the florid Asiatic style of rhetoric. According to Josephus, in Against Apion, Apollonius Molon slandered the Jews.

title: Apollonius Molon


text:
User talk:Kaf

Welcome to the Wikipedia
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Feel free to contact me personally with any questions you might have. The Village pump is also a good place to go for quick answers to general questions. You can sign your name by typing 4 tildes, like this: ~.

Be Bold!

[[User:Sam Spade|Sam Spade Wants you to vote!]] 23:16, 8 Dec 2004 (UTC)

 * Thank you very much! Kaf

title: User talk:Kaf