Mandurah City FC

Mandurah City
Full nameMandurah City Football Club
Nickname(s)Dolphins
Founded1970
GroundSecuritas Protect Stadium
Capacity2,000
PresidentGary Byrne (2024-Present)
ManagerPete Taylor and John Baird
LeagueState League 1
20244th of 12
Websitehttp://www.mandurahcityfc.com.au/

Mandurah City Football Club is an Australian professional football club based in Mandurah, Western Australia. Their home ground is Peelwood Reserve in Halls Head. The club has over 300 registered players which also includes Juniors, Social, Women, Semi-pro and Masters teams. They currently (2023) compete in the Football West State League Division 1.

History

Founded in 1970, Mandurah City played their inaugural competitive season in the South West Soccer League, and won the league in 1972.[1] The club then joined the Western Australian Amateur and Social Soccer Association (WASSA), where it remained until 2002. During this period in the amateurs, the club won the amateur championship in 1995 under the guidance of coach Jim Mayers.

In 2002, the club left the amateur ranks and joined the Western Australian Semi professional league and were crowned Division 1 champions in 2007, gaining promotion to the Premier League for the 2008 season.[2] After four seasons in the top flight, the club was relegated after the 2011 season.

In 2013, the club unsuccessfully applied for entry into the National Premier Leagues Western Australia, and then entered into a rebuilding and restructuring phase. Doug Hesketh was appointed Director of Football and 1st team manager in 2015.[1] Under the NPL structure, promotion and relegation was re-established for the 2016 season; Mandurah City were 2015 Division 1 Champions, but didn't meet all of the Football West eligibility criteria to be promoted. After coming second in the league in the 2016 State League Division 1 it was announced that Mandurah City would compete in the 2017 National Premier Leagues,[3] but they only lasted in the top flight for a single season.

2020 started a fresh era for Mandurah City FC with the appointment of John Baird, a seasoned Scottish professional, as player, coach and director of football. Under his leadership the first team

Home ground

The Club's home ground is Peelwood Reserve (known for sponsorship reasons as PoolMart Stadium), which is one of the premier football stadiums in the league. The venue has hosted a number of A-League friendly matches and the Singapore national team.[1]

Current squad

As of March 2022[4][5]

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

No. Pos. Nation Player
1 GK England ENG Alfie Brincat
5 DF Australia AUS Silas Becsi
6 MF Australia AUS Daniel Sorensen (vice-captain)
7 MF Australia AUS Blair Morris (captain)
9 FW England ENG Joe O'Brien
10 FW England ENG Craig Barker
11 FW England ENG Alex Grayson
14 DF England ENG Dylan Rodgers
16 DF Australia AUS Reece Allan
No. Pos. Nation Player
18 MF Australia AUS Hamish Van Dieken
19 DF Australia AUS Lydon Hodgkiss
23 MF England ENG James Paylor
24 MF England ENG Zak Byrne
29 MF Scotland SCO John Baird
33 GK Australia AUS Dylan Wilson
44 MF Scotland SCO Murray Mackintosh
FW Scotland SCO Leigh Griffiths

References

  1. ^ a b c "Mandurah City – Our History". Mandurah City FC. Retrieved 24 May 2016.
  2. ^ Kreider, R.N. (2012) Paddocks to Pitches. The Definitive History of Western Australian Football. Published by SportsWest Media
  3. ^ "Football West confirm JUFC'S Place in a 14- team NPL". Archived from the original on 1 December 2016.
  4. ^ "2020 Season Preview". www.footballwa.net. Retrieved 3 May 2020.
  5. ^ "The Swan - Swan United Football Club Match Day Programmme - Swan United v Mandurah City". Swan United Football Club. 30 September 2018.
  • Black and White – The Official Magazine of Mandurah City FC- Feb 15