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Melbourne City FC

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Melbourne Heart FC is an Australian professional football (soccer) club based in Melbourne, Victoria which will be the 11th official franchise in the A-League, and the 12th to have played in the league.[1][2] The club was formed in 2008, and was awarded an A-League licence in 2009 to compete in the 2010-2011 season of the A-League. The club plays its home matches at AAMI Park.[3]

Melbourne Heart FC
Full nameMelbourne Heart FC
Short nameHeart
Founded2008
GroundAAMI Park
Capacity30,050
ChairmanAustralia Peter Sidwell
Head CoachNetherlands John van 't Schip
LeagueA-League

Bidding Process

Strong crowd numbers for Melbourne Victory in their second A-League season suggested to the FFA that the Melbourne market could support a second A-League side, but due to a five year exclusivity clause that exists to protect the original 8 A-League sides, no new Melbourne team could be introduced until the 2010 season. During February 2007, Victorian Major Projects Minister Theo Theophanous floated the idea of a second Melbourne franchise being formed to be tenants at the Melbourne Rectangular Stadium, should Melbourne Victory choose not to move to the new stadium.[4]

On February 12, 2007 the South Melbourne (Association) Football Club revealed that they were courting approaches from private investors with a view to being the second A-League club in Melbourne.[5] As part of the South Melbourne bid, the club was to be privatised and the bid name was to be 'Southern Cross FC'.[6]

On March 1, 2008 former Carlton (Australian) Football Club vice-president and businessman Colin DeLutis expressed his interest in a second Melbourne A League side, with an approach to the FFA to become sole owner of the second licence with the bid name of 'Melbourne City'.[7] FFA chief executive Ben Buckley raised the possibility of expanding the A-League from 8 to 12 teams in May 2008, in readiness for the 2009-10 season. Buckley also revealed the existence of a third Melbourne bid tentatively known as 'Melbourne Heart' backed by Peter Sidwell, who had some former involvement with Melbourne Victory as a potential investor . This was alongside the two other 'Southern Cross FC' and 'Melbourne City' bids.[8]

On 25 July 2008, the 'Melbourne City' bid dropped out of the bidding process leaving the 'Melbourne Heart' and 'Southern Cross FC' bids as the last two bids standing.[9]

File:MelbHeartSyn.png
The winning bid for the 2nd Melbourne A-League licence

By September 2008, the Melbourne Heart[10] bid was awarded exclusive negotiating rights for the league's 11th licence, beating out the 'Southern Cross FC' bid backed by South Melbourne. Negotiations continued until Sidwell's group was awarded the license to join the A-League's 2010-11 season by the FFA on 12 June 2009.[11]

Sponsors

On the 16th of February 2010, leading financial institution Westpac[12] teamed up with the Melbourne Heart for a three-year agreement believed to be worth close to $2 million. They will be their principal partner and the Westpac logo will appear on the Melbourne Heart kit. The club will also host 3 'Westpac' community camps across Victoria.[13]

First Signings

Players

Peter Sidwell has stated that he is keen on signing Socceroo Striker Mark Viduka[14] and Josip Skoko. Skoko announced on October 29 that he was in preliminary discussions with the new Melbourne franchise over a deal to allow him to return home.[15] John Didulica stated on Melbourne radio station SEN 1116 on October 27 that the club had not spoken to Viduka about joining the club or any other European based players for that matter.

Newcastle Jets skipper Matt Thompson and Adelaide United and former Melbourne Victory midfielder Kristian Sarkies joined the new A-League club on Monday November 23, 2009.[16] Dean Heffernan (formerly of Central Coast) also joined in late November. AIS striker Eli Babalj and midfielder Kamal Ibrahim signed for the club in late December [17] Jets player Jason Hoffman signed with the club on the 8 January. Sydney FC goalkeeper Clint Bolton was announced as having been signed on the 16th of February 2010. John Aloisi was signed in late March for a one year deal.

Chief executive Scott Munn confirmed on February 2, 2010 that the club had been in constant discussions with Viduka and that "even if he doesn't sign with us to play, he could still have a role at the club."[18]

Staff

The Heart offered a three year contract to secure the services of Dutch coach Henk van Stee, however the Dutchman rejected the contract offer due to family reasons.[19][20] Scott Munn was appointed as chief executive.[21] Melbourne Heart have named John van 't Schip as their inaugral coach [22]

Melbourne Heart have also secured the services of John Didulica, brother of former Croatian international Joey Didulica as the club's new football operations manager.[23]

Melbourne Heart have signed ex-Manchester United and Denmark International winger Jesper Olsen and ex-Socceroo striker Ante Milicic as assistant coaches.[24]

In an article about Melbourne Heart Goalkeeper Clint Bolton, It mentioned that Peter Zois would be the clubs inaugural Goalkeeper Coach.[25]

Name, colours and badge

File:MelbHeartLogo2.jpg
Alternate badge

In October 2009, an online competition held by the Herald Sun gave the public the opportunity to submit their preferences for the name of the new Melbourne team. The preferred names were released on the Herald Sun website on November 13, 2009. The four options were 'Sporting Melbourne FC', 'Melburnians', 'Melbourne Revolution' and 'Melbourne Heart FC'. Some pondered if 'Revolution' had some context considering its intimation to the Eureka Stockade, the closest Australia has come to revolution.[26] The name of the new club was to be announced before the end of 2009,[27] but this was delayed until early 2010 due to AFL objections to the use of the words Melbourne, Football and Club [28] in the name. The Lord Mayor's Charitable Foundation expressed concern that the name Melbourne Heart was too similar to its annual Heart of Melbourne Appeal, and lodged a protest with IP Australia On January 22.[29]

Initially, a colour scheme of either black and white, or red and white were the two options for the club. On November 11, 2009, the Herald Sun suggested that the options for the club's kit were red and white stripes, red and white hoops, red and white sash or an Ajax derivative with a red band down the middle, in part to replicate a Reds v Blues rivalry with Melbourne Victory that is common in so many football leagues, in particular European competitions.

The club's badge was lodged to IP Australia on the 29th of January by the FFA.[30][31] On 2 February 2010, the name of the club was announced as Melbourne Heart FC.[32][33]

The club's away kit was revealed on April 27.[34]

Training Facilities

 
Melbourne Rectangular Stadium

Melbourne Heart will base its traning and administrative facilities at La Trobe University. CEO Scott Munn has indicated a preference to have the players housed at the one location.[35]

2010/11 Squads

Senior Squad

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 Clint Bolton [36]
2 DF   AUS Michael Marrone [37]
3 DF   AUS Dean Heffernan [38]
4 DF   AUS Simon Colosimo [39]
5 DF   AUS Michael Beauchamp [40]
6 MF   AUS Matt Thompson [41]
7 FW   NED Rutger Worm [42]
8 MF   AUS Kristian Sarkies [39]
9 FW   NED Gerald Sibon [43]
No. Pos. Nation Player
10 MF   AUS Wayne Srhoj [44]
11 FW   BRA Alex [45]
13 MF   AUS Kamal Ibrahim (Youth)[46]
15 FW   AUS John Aloisi [47]
17 DF   AUS Brendan Hamill (Youth)[48]
18 FW   AUS Eli Babalj (Youth)[48]
19 FW   AUS Jason Hoffman [49]
20 MF   AUS Josip Skoko
23 MF   AUS Kliment Taseski (Youth)[48]

Personnel

Year-by-year history

Melbourne League History
Season Teams Pre-Season Premiership Ladder
Position		 Finals
Qualification		 Final Ladder
Position		 ACL Qualification ACL Placing
2010–11 11 - To be played
Ladder		 - - DNQ

Supporters

Melbourne Heart director Joe Mirabella said the aim was for a "people's club...with strong links to grass-roots soccer and community groups...The idea is to have a team for the whole Melbourne public". He also intimated supporters would be able to purchase small stakes in the club in a move that would be a first for any A-League franchise.[50]

On 10 February 2010, the first meeting of the 'Melbourne Heart FC Supporters Association' took place at The Imperial Hotel in Melbourne. The MHFCSA are an incorporated association dedicated to assist in the building of a fan base for Melbourne Heart and to act as the voice of the supporters to MHFC. On 1 March 2010, the MHFCSA took official ownership of the supporters forum. [citation needed]

The "Yarra-side" boys are the first supporter group of the club, and were formed after attending the club's first game against Whittlesea Zebras on the 28th of April 2010. The group is completely independent of the club and Supporter Association, and is against sponsored support. The group stands in Bay 17 in the Southern Tribune of AAMI Park, and are solely concerned with replicating the passion and colour of Tribunes across the world, with flags, standards and large tifo displays. [51]

See also

References

  1. ^ Ritson, Jon (4 August 2009). "Victory Skipper Is All Heart". FourFourTwo (Australia). Retrieved 18 August 2009.
  2. ^ Aidan, Ormond (4 August 2009). "'A-League Will Hit The Big-Time'". FourFourTwo (Australia). Retrieved 18 August 2009.
  3. ^ "Dome Deal Still To Be Signed". Australian FourFourTwo. 2010-03-29. Retrieved 2010-05-18.
  4. ^ "South Melbourne wants to be second Victorian a-league club". The Age. 14 February 2007. Retrieved 12 October 2009.
  5. ^ "Investors Chase South Melbourne FC For A League Bid". South Melbourne FC. 2007-02-12. Retrieved 2010-05-18.
  6. ^ "South Melbourne's A-League Bid". Australian FourFourTwo. 2008-04-06. Retrieved 2010-05-18.
  7. ^ March 01, 2008 12:00AM (2008-03-01). "DeLutis wants soccer team". Herald Sun. Retrieved 2010-05-18.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  8. ^ "A-League set for Melbourne derby". tThe Age. 2008-04-30. Retrieved 2010-05-18.
  9. ^ "Sidwell bid tipped to win second franchise". The Age. 2008-07-24. Retrieved 2010-05-18.
  10. ^ "Melbourne Heart FC". Melbourneheartsyn.com. Retrieved 2010-05-18.
  11. ^ Reed, Ron (13 June 2009). "Melbourne awarded licence for second A-League team". Fox Sports (Australia). Retrieved 12 October 2009.
  12. ^ "Heart and WESTPAC Unite To Bring Football To Community". Melbourne Heart FC. 2010-02-16. Retrieved 2010-05-18.
  13. ^ "Melbourne Heart signs Clint Bolton, chases John Aloisi". Herald Sun. 2010-02-17. Retrieved 2010-05-18.
  14. ^ Smithies, Tom (1 October 2008). "Melbourne Heart 'will sign' Viduka". Fox Sports (Australia). Retrieved 18 August 2009.
  15. ^ "Heart's desire for Skoko". SBS. 2009-11-29. Retrieved 2010-05-18.
  16. ^ "Double signing a Heart starter". Fox Sports. 2009-11-24. Retrieved 2010-05-18.
  17. ^ Lee Gaskin (2009-12-26). "Giant striker Babalj has plenty of heart". The Canberra Times. Retrieved 2010-05-18.
  18. ^ Melbourne Heart FC name and logo confirmed, The Roar, Retrieved on 3 February 2010
  19. ^ Slevison, Andrew (31 August 2009). "Dutchman van Stee likely to coach Melbourne Heart". Tribalfootball (Australia). Retrieved 22 September 2009.
  20. ^ Davutovic & Bernard, David & Grantley (10 September 2009). "Dutch coach Henk van Stee rejects Melbourne Heart offer". Fox Sports (Australia). Retrieved 22 September 2009.
  21. ^ Bernard, Grantley (18 August 2009). "Heart set on Dutch". Herald Sun. Retrieved 18 August 2009.
  22. ^ "van't Schip unveiled as Melbourne Heart coach | A League News". tribalfootball.com. Retrieved 2010-05-18.
  23. ^ "Melbourne Heart to name Didulica as new football chief". Tribalfootball (Australia). 21 September 2009. Retrieved 22 September 2009.
  24. ^ "Olsen and Milicic unveiled as Melbourne Heart's assistants | A League News". tribalfootball.com. Retrieved 2010-05-18.
  25. ^ "Bolton: I've Been Reborn". Australian FourFourTwo. 2010-04-15. Retrieved 2010-05-18.
  26. ^ "The Melbourne Heart name saga rolls on". The Roar. 2009-11-18. Retrieved 2010-05-18.
  27. ^ "Postcard From Europe". Melbourneheartsyn.com. 2009-12-18. Retrieved 2010-05-18.
  28. ^ "Heart to make early start, but stars may be missing". The Age. 2010-01-27. Retrieved 2010-05-18.
  29. ^ February 03, 2010 8:57AM (2010-02-03). "Charity protests at Melbourne Heart's logo". Herald Sun. Retrieved 2010-05-18.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  30. ^ "Images for Trade Mark 1342740". Pericles.ipaustralia.gov.au. Retrieved 2010-05-18.
  31. ^ "Images for Trade Mark 1342741". Pericles.ipaustralia.gov.au. Retrieved 2010-05-18.
  32. ^ The World Game - Melbourne Heart FC Unveiled
  33. ^ Melbourne Heart FC name and logo confirmed, The Roar, Retrieved on 4 February 2010
  34. ^ "Drake International Pledges Its Heart To Melbourne As Away Strip Is Unveiled". MHFCSA. 2010-05-27. Retrieved 2010-05-27.
  35. ^ "Heart To Establish Base At La Trobe University". Melbourne Heart FC. 2010-04-01. Retrieved 2010-05-18.
  36. ^ "Heart sign Bolton". Sportal Australia. 2010-02-16. Retrieved 2010-05-18.
  37. ^ "Marrone Signs For Heart's Inaugural Campaign". Melbourne Heart FC. 2010-04-30. Retrieved 2010-05-18.
  38. ^ "Heart 'Snare Three More'". Australian FourFourTwo. 2009-11-24. Retrieved 2010-05-18.
  39. ^ a b "Con: Matt's Off To Heart". Australian FourFourTwo. 2009-11-19. Retrieved 2010-05-18.
  40. ^ "Heart signs Socceroo Beauchamp". The Age. Retrieved 2010-05-18.
  41. ^ "Joe Marston Medal Winner Simon Colosimo Joins Heart". Melbourne Heart FC. 2010-03-31. Retrieved 2010-05-18.
  42. ^ "Melbourne Heart Sign NEC Attacker Rutger Worm". Goal.com. 2010-02-23. Retrieved 2010-05-18.
  43. ^ "Heart Sign Former Ajax and PSV Star Gerald Sibon". Melbourne Heart FC. 2010-05-21. Retrieved 2010-05-21.
  44. ^ "Srhoj Becomes Player Number 10". Melbourne Heart FC. 2010-04-13. Retrieved 2010-05-18.
  45. ^ "Heart Sign Brazilian Alex". Australian FourFourTwo. 2010-05-10. Retrieved 2010-05-18.
  46. ^ "Heart sign 17-year-old to A-League deal". News.smh.com.au. 2010-02-26. Retrieved 2010-05-18.
  47. ^ "John Aloisi signs for Melbourne Heart". Herald Sun. 2010-03-29. Retrieved 2010-05-18.
  48. ^ a b c "Heart Sign Qantas Young Socceroo Trio". Melbourne Heart FC. 2010-04-23. Retrieved 2010-05-18.
  49. ^ "Hoffman moves to Heart". A-league.com.au. 2010-01-08. Retrieved 2010-05-18.
  50. ^ "Victory blow: Mirabella turns on Heart light". The Age. 2009-04-23. Retrieved 2010-05-18.
  51. ^ http://yarraside.net/blog/2010/05/it-begins/
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