APIA Leichhardt Football Club, also known simply as APIA (Associazione Poli-sportiva Italo Australiana), is a semi-professional

soccer Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 Football player, players who almost exclusively use their feet to propel a Ball (association football), ball around a rectangular f ...

club based in the suburb of Leichhardt in Sydney, Australia. The club was formed in 1954 as APIA Leichhardt, by

Italian Australian Italian Australians () are Australian-born citizens who are fully or partially of Italian descent, whose ancestors were Italians who emigrated to Australia during the Italian diaspora, or Italian-born people in Australia. Italian Australia ...

s. APIA, winner of the national Australian championship of 1987, is currently a member of the NPL NSW. APIA Leichhardt are one of just three winners of the 1960s Australia Cup that are still active, the other being

Caroline Springs George Cross FC Caroline Springs George Cross Football Club is an Australian association football, soccer club based in Fraser Rise, Victoria, Fraser Rise, a north-western suburb of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, and plays in the Victorian Premier League, Vic ...

and

Hakoah Sydney City East FC Maccabi Hakoah Sydney City East FC, commonly known as Maccabi Hakoah, is an Australian semi-professional soccer club based in Sydney, New South Wales. The club was formed in 1939 as Sydney Hakoah by members of Sydney's Jewish community. They pla ...

History

The club was founded as the Associazione Poli-sportiva Italo Australiana ("APIA") in 1954 by members of the Italian-Australian community in Sydney's Inner West. After several years in the Canterbury District competition, the club joined the NSW Federation's state league. In the 1960s APIA became one of the foremost soccer clubs in Australia and won the Premiership of NSW of the years 1964, 1966, 1967 and 1975, which was the highest level of achievement in the absence of a national competition. Between 1966 and 1974 APIA also won three times the State Cup of NSW, then named after a sponsor ''Ampol Cup''. The 1974 final was considered "one of the most incredible finals" of the history of the club when skipper Jimmy Rooney and centreforward Peter Ollerton, who scored five goals, won 9–1 against Auburn in front of a crowd of 5210 at

Wentworth Park Wentworth Park is a park near the suburbs of Glebe and Ultimo in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. The park contains several multi-purpose sporting pitches, cricket nets and a number of fitness installations. There is a playground in the s ...

, the highest finals result ever. Rooney and Ollerton were also in the team that represented Australia a few months later in its first World Cup participation in Germany. In 1979 APIA was given access to the

National Soccer League The National Soccer League (NSL) was the top-level soccer league in Australia, run by Soccer Australia and later the Australian Soccer Association. The NSL, the A-League's predecessor, spanned 28 seasons from its inception in 1977 until its ...

, the top tier of Australian soccer since 1977. In 1987 APIA won the national championship, six points ahead of the Preston Makedonia Soccer Club from Melbourne, with then only two points awarded per win. The coach in that season was Rale Rasic.

Charlie Yankos Charlie Yankos (born 29 May 1961) is an Australian former footballer who played for the Australian national team 49 times and scored 7 international goals. He captained the national team on 30 occasions between 1986 and 1989. Charlie Yankos s ...

and Peter Katholos are probably the best known players from that side. The main cast of that year consisted of Tony Pezzano; Charlie Yankos, Arno Bertogna, Mark Brown,

Jean-Paul de Marigny Jean-Paul de Marigny (born 21 January 1964 in Mauritius) is a football coach and former player who currently works as assistant coach with the Australia women's national team. Managerial career Melbourne Victory de Marigny served as an assist ...

, Peter Tredinnick, Peter Katholos, Edward Lorens, Hilton Phillips, Gary Ward, Rod Brown and Tony Parison. In 1988 APIA won the National Soccer League Cup. By 1992 the APIA Leichhardt was overwhelmed by financial difficulties. The club was somewhat restructured and forthwith played on state level with the moniker "Tigers." In 2017, APIA won the

National Premier Leagues NSW The National Premier Leagues NSW is a semi-professional soccer competition in New South Wales, Australia. The competition is conducted by Football NSW, one of the two organising bodies in New South Wales (the other being the National Premier L ...

premiership, but lost the grand final to

Manly United FC Manly United Football Club is an Australian soccer club based in the Northern Beaches (Sydney), Northern Beaches area of Sydney. The club competes in the National Premier Leagues NSW and their home ground is Cromer Park, in the suburb of Dee Why ...

on penalties. APIA also made the grand final of the 2017 Waratah Cup, but lost 3–1 to

. In 2018, APIA won the 2018 Waratah Cup. On 21 August 2018, APIA defeated reigning

A-League A-League Men, also known as the Isuzu UTE A-League for sponsorship reasons, is a professional soccer league in Australia and New Zealand and the highest level of the Australian soccer league system. Established in 2004 as the A-League by the ...

champions

Melbourne Victory FC Melbourne Victory Football Club is an Australian professional soccer club based in Melbourne, Victoria (Australia), Victoria. Competing in the country's premier men's competition, the A-League Men, under North American professional sports leag ...

in the Round of 16 of the 2018 FFA Cup, becoming the seventh state-league side to beat a top-tier team in the knockout tournament. The result was billed as one of the biggest upsets in the tournament's history. APIA won the

Grand Final with a 2–1 victory over Sydney United in 2019. This was the first final ever played at Bankwest Stadium. When the Football Federation Australia repealed its controversial National Club Identification Policy, which effectively banned clubs from having ethnic identities APIA dropped the "Tigers" moniker and reverted to its original badge. The club was announced on 20 November 2023, as one of the eight foundation teams for the National Second Division, due to start either March or April 2025. They will continue to play in the NPL NSW for the 2024 season, before transitioning to the new league. The 2024 season will go down as one of the most remarkable campaigns in recent memory, marked by an unprecedented offensive display and a prestigious title triumph. Scoring a staggering 118 goals, a record-breaking achievement, the team showcased relentless attacking prowess and thrilling football throughout the year. The crowning glory of the season came in the Waratah Cup, where the team battled through tough opponents to lift the coveted trophy. In the league, consistency and resilience saw the team secure a commendable third-place finish in a fiercely competitive competition.

Venues

Lambert Park in Leichhardt is the club's traditional home ground. It was opened in 1954 and has, over the years, been used for most of the club's home games. It is still APIA's main ground and hosts all of the club's NPL matches. APIA has also hosted home games at a number of other venues, including

Henson Park Henson Park is a multi purpose sports ground in Marrickville, New South Wales, Australia. History Henson Park was established in 1933 on the site of Daley's brick pit, Thomas Daley operated the Standsure Brick Company from 1886 to 1914. The br ...

and, most notably,

Leichhardt Oval Leichhardt Oval is a rugby league and soccer stadium in Lilyfield, New South Wales, Australia. It is currently one of three home grounds for the Wests Tigers National Rugby League (NRL) team, along with Campbelltown Stadium and Western Syd ...

, where

Australia Cup The Australia Cup (currently known as the Hahn Australia Cup for sponsorship reasons) is the national association football, soccer single-elimination tournament, knockout cup competition in Australia. This annual competition is organised by Fo ...

ties against high-profile teams have typically been hosted.

Current squad

''Updated February 2025.''

Seasons

; Key to league competitions * Div. 1 = Division One * NSL =

* NSD = National Second Division * NSWSL =

NSW Super League The Football NSW League is an Australian soccer league based in New South Wales New South Wales (commonly abbreviated as NSW) is a States and territories of Australia, state on the Eastern states of Australia, east coast of :Australia. It b ...

* NSWPL =

NSW Premier League The National Premier Leagues NSW is a semi-professional soccer competition in New South Wales, Australia. The competition is conducted by Football NSW, one of the two organising bodies in New South Wales (the other being the National Premier Lea ...

* NPL NSW =

^P Draws went to penalty shoot-outs during the 1993–1995 seasons (2 points for win, 1 point for loss).

¹ Stage 1 of 1996 NSW Super League *

² Stage 1 of 1996 NSW Super League ;Key to position colours and symbols: ; Key to cup competitions * AMP = Ampol Cup * NPLF = National Premier Leagues Finals ; Key to cup and finals results * 1R, 2R, 3R...7R = 1st Round, 2nd Round, 3rd Round...7th Round * GS = Group Stage * EF = Elimination Final * PF = Preliminary Final * PO = Playoff Final * R32 = Round of 32 * R16 = Round of 16 * QF = Quarterfinals * SF = Semifinals * RU = Runners-Up * W = Winners * Unk = Result unknown Correct as of 9th June 2025 Sourc
OzFootball
*APIA Leichhardt FC Women's Correct as of 10th September 2024

Honours

Regional

**Premiers (6): 1964, 1966, 1967, 1975,

2017 2017 was designated as the International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development by the United Nations General Assembly. Events January * January 1 – Istanbul nightclub shooting: A gunman dressed as Santa Claus opens fire at the ...

2023 Catastrophic natural disasters in 2023 included the Lists of 21st-century earthquakes, 5th-deadliest earthquake of the 21st century 2023 Turkey–Syria earthquakes, striking Turkey and Syria, leaving up to 62,000 people dead; Cyclone Freddy ...

**Runners-Up (11): 1959, 1960, 1963, 1974, 1976, 1977, 1997, 2002–03,

2015 2015 was designated by the United Nations as: * International Year of Light * International Year of Soil __TOC__ Events January * January 1 – Lithuania officially adopts the euro as its currency, replacing the litas, and becomes ...

2018 Events January * January 1 – Bulgaria takes over the Presidency of the Council of the European Union, after the Estonian presidency. * January 4 – SPLM-IO rebels loyal to Chan Garang Lual start a raid against Juba, capital of ...

, 2019 * National Premier Leagues NSW Grand Finals **Championships (6): 1964, 1965, 1969, 1976, 2002–03, 2019 **Runners-Up (7): 1959, 1963, 1966, 1967, 1975, 2017, 2018, *

Waratah Cup The Waratah Cup is a knockout cup competition in New South Wales, run by the governing body of football in NSW, Football NSW. Teams competing in the Waratah Cup come from the National Premier Leagues NSW, NSW League One, NSW League Two, and n ...

**Winners (6): 1962, 1966, 1975,

2013 2013 was the first year since 1987 to contain four unique digits (a span of 26 years). 2013 was designated as: *International Year of Water Cooperation *International Year of Quinoa Events January * January 5 – 2013 Craig, Alask ...

2024 The year saw the list of ongoing armed conflicts, continuation of major armed conflicts, including the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the Myanmar civil war (2021–present), Myanmar civil war, the Sudanese civil war (2023–present), Sudane ...

**Runners-Up (4): 2006,

2012 2012 was designated as: *International Year of Cooperatives *International Year of Sustainable Energy for All Events January *January 4 – The Cicada 3301 internet hunt begins. * January 12 – Peaceful protests begin in the R ...

, 2023 *Johnny Warren Cup **Winners (1): 2007 *Ampol Cup **Winners (3): 1966, 1970, 1974

National

**Champions (1): 1987 **Premiers (1):

1987 National Soccer League The 1987 National Soccer League season was the 11th season of the National Soccer League, the former top Australian professional league for association football clubs since its establishment in 1977. The season saw the format returned to a singl ...

**Winners (1):

1966 Events January * January 1 – In a coup, Colonel Jean-Bédel Bokassa takes over as military ruler of the Central African Republic, ousting President David Dacko. * January 3 – 1966 Upper Voltan coup d'état: President Maurice Yaméogo i ...

**Runners-Up (3):

1964 Events January * January 1 – The Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland is dissolved. * January 5 – In the first meeting between leaders of the Roman Catholic and Orthodox churches since the fifteenth century, Pope Paul VI and Patria ...

1965 Events January–February * January 14 – The First Minister of Northern Ireland and the Taoiseach of the Republic of Ireland meet for the first time in 43 years. * January 20 ** Lyndon B. Johnson is Second inauguration of Lynd ...

1967 Events January * January 1 – Canada begins a year-long celebration of the 100th anniversary of Canadian Confederation, Confederation, featuring the Expo 67 World's Fair. * January 6 – Vietnam War: United States Marine Corps and Army of ...

NSL Cup The National Soccer League Cup (known most commonly as the NSL Cup) was an annual knockout football competition in men's domestic Australian soccer organised by the Australian Soccer Federation between 1977 and 1997. History The NSL Cup was or ...

**Winners (2):

1982 Events January * January 1 – In Malaysia and Singapore, clocks are adjusted to the same time zone, UTC+8 (GMT+8.00). * January 13 – Air Florida Flight 90 crashes shortly after takeoff into the 14th Street Bridge in Washington, D.C. ...

1988 1988 was a crucial year in the early history of the Internet—it was the year of the first well-known computer virus, the Morris worm, 1988 Internet worm. The first permanent intercontinental Internet link was made between the United State ...

Individual honours

National

* National Soccer League Coach of the Year (1) **Rale Rasic - 1987

Regional

* NPL NSW Premier League Player of the year (5) ** George Blues - 1970 ** Terry Butler - 1978 ** Franco Parisi - 2015 ** Sean Symons - 2017 ** Tasuku Sekiya - 2018 * NPL NSW Premier League Coach of the Year (2) ** Franco Parisi - 2023 ** Danial Cummins - 2017 * Robbie Slater Award (1) ** Sean Symons - 2019 * NPL NSW Premier Leagues Golden Boot (9) ** Jordan Murray (23) - 2018 ** Blake Powell (21) - 2015 ** Robert Younis (21) - 2008 ** Paul Ollerton (17) - 1975 ** Paul Ollerton (18) - 1974 ** John Giacometti (22) - 1967 ** John Giacometti (20) - 1966 ** John Giacometti (21) - 1965 ** John Watkiss (24) - 1964 * NPL NSW Goalkeeper of the Year (2) ** Ivan Necevski - 2023 ** Anthony Bouzanis - 2024 * NPL NSW Goal of the Year (1) ** Blake Powell - 2015

Notes

References

External links

*
Oz Football Profile

NPL NSW Fixtures & Results
{{NSWSF original clubs National Premier Leagues clubs National Soccer League (Australia) clubs National Premier Leagues NSW Association football clubs established in 1954 1954 establishments in Australia Italian-Australian backed sports clubs of New South Wales