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Rocklea United Football Club is a football (soccer) club based in Rocklea, an inner city south-west suburb of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. The clubs top team currently plays in the Brisbane Premier League Division 1. The club also has metro teams, a women's team and caters for junior teams of all ages. The club colours are red, white and blue reflecting the club's Croatian heritage.
NEW FARM SC
The club was first established by Croatian immigrant Australians under the name 'New Farm Soccer Club' in 1971. The club was unofficially esembled the year prior in 1970, but were made unable to register with the Qld Soccer Federation, so the team ended up playing for Acacia Ridge soccer club (reserves) who were low on players that year.
The foundation year saw the club take 2nd place behind 'Irish Rovers' in division 4 and lose 2-1 in the grand final to the same team but still gained promotion along with the Irish club.
In 1972 success came quickly to the club as it won Division 3C by 9 points undefeated also winning the grand final in convincing style, beating 'Gold Coast' 5-1. That same year the Qld record was established, One of the clubs players named Franky Vukovic scored 68 goals in one season! This record still stands today. It was obvious the team was headed for bigger and better things. For 3 years, 1972, 1973 and 1974 the team never lost a game. People called them the "invincibles", gaining promotion every year.
SUNNYSIDE UNITED SC
1975 saw the club change it's name to Sunnyside United under unusual circumstances. Club secretary John Ivica Mesic was thought to have secured land to build and make a new and permanent home for the club in the suburb of Sunnybank. A formal application was then put through to the federation to change the club's name from New Farm to Sunnybank United. Then somewhere along the line the federation made a slight mistake by puting the name as Sunnyside United instead, then after all that the land the club thought it had secured in Sunnybank, fell through with the council deciding to make it a residential housing site instead. So as destiny would have it, the clubs new name of Sunnyside United stayed.
The club played in division 1 for 3 years 1975, 1976 and 1977 and eventually reached it's alltime goal of playing in the top division in Brisbane by coming 2nd behind Grange Thistle in 1977 and won promotion. The club's dream had come true!!!
1978 was the first year the club had played in the top division in Brisbane and understandably found it quite tough finnishing 3rd last in 10th place. In 1979 the Qld soccer federation re-structured it's competitions creating a new 'state league' and Sunnyside was put in division 1 again, 1 below the new top league in Brisbane. Towards the end of 1979 a major turning point for the club took place where members had a urgent meeting at the Shafton Hotel where it was decided that something needed to be done to secure the clubs future for the people and generations to come. A vote was then put forward and passed that the club would purchase land secretary John Ivica Mesic had found, comprising of 52 acres in the Rocklea area costing $46.000 and where the club currently exists today. Construction of a tent/shed like clubhouse and a field took place soon after and was used in 1980
For 4 years 1979, 1980, 1981, and 1982 the club played in division 1 and had varying degrees of success mostly finnishing lower-mid table until in 1982 when the club finnished 3rd behind Grange Thistle and Mt Gravatt and won promotion to the 'Premier League' after the 'state league' was scrapped.
The club consolidated it's position in the Premier league in 1983 coming 8th but the club was then again put back down into a new "Intermediate league" by the Qld soccer federation. In seasons 1984, 1985 and 1986 the club battled hard to get back up to the premier division but with no luck. The club did have some success in 1985 making the grand final of the "AMPOL STATE CUP" eventually losing to North Star in the final 5-0. Sunnyside were considered GIANT KILLERS as they beat Toowoomba, North Qld and Bundaberg on the way to the final. Not bad for a "division 1" club.
CROATIA SOCCER CLUB
1987 saw the club again change it's name this time to "Croatia SC". This was due to the politics and war and fighting happening overseas and in Australia where it created a new sence of patriotism among the people who played and sociallised at the club, where every major city in Australia by this stage had hundreds of thousands of Croatian Immigrants. The club were Champions of 'division 2' and won promotion to the Premier league once again.
BRISBANE CROATIA SOCCER CLUB
After a slight name change again in 1988, the club found life difficult in the premier league and came 2nd last and relegated. Circumstances abroad took it's toll on the players and people at the club. The club picked itself back up again in 1989 after a disapointing year and just missed out on promotion by 2 points, coming 3rd.
Finally in 1990 the club came 2nd to Nerang in division 2 and won promotion back to the premier league where in 1991 it finnished a strong 5th place, the best the club had done at the time. The pinnicle of the club success to date then came in 1992 where it came 3rd tied on points with 2nd place Rochedale Rovers and only 2 points behind North Star in 1st place. The last game of that season saw Brisbane Croatia play North Star where if Brisbane Croatia won they would have won the premier league. But the match ended 1-1 with Brisbane Croatia pushing until the last minute but just had no luck on the day. The team finnished with clearly the best defencive record in the league with only 19 goals against out of 22 games.
more to come soon.................
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- Professional sports team