PCYC Parramatta Eagles - last updated on 9 October 2008
(Courtesy of Johnny Beaufays)
Club name: PCYC Parramatta Eagles Football Club
Foundation: June 13th 1953
City: Sefton
Colours: Red and white
Website: www.pcycnsw.org/mosparts/eagles
Honours:
PCYC Parramatta Eagles has currently no honours.
A bit of history:
Melita Eagles have had a long and distinguished career in NSW soccer history. Their origins in the Maltese community stretch way back to the formation of the original NSW Federation of Soccer Clubs in 1957. Along with higher profile clubs like Prague, Hakoah and APIA Leichhardt they were party of the original breakaway movement which was the death of the old NSW Soccer Football Association in January 1957.
They were formed in October 1956 through the amalgamation of two existing clubs, Melita (formed in 1953) and Malta Eagles (formed in 1955). After the amalgamation they were called Melita Eagles United Soccer Football Club and using Arlington Oval as their home ground in the first two years.
Starting off in Second Division in 1957 and in this initial year of the Federation they finished as Premiers and Grand Final winners of the Second Division reserve grade competition. As more clubs joined the breakaway movement and the second division grew to two groups of ten teams each, Melita were then put in the third division in 1959. The Eagles were promoted back to the Second Division in 1962 adopting the name of Melita Eagles-Newtown and playing their home games at Fraser Park, Sydenham. At the end of the 1966 season where they finished third they played off for a spot in the first division with the wooden spooners
Corinthians. Winning the match 3-0 they progressed for their first stint in the top flight in 1967. Finishing in the bottom few clubs in '68 and '69 they were relegated at the end of the 1970 season when they finished last. By the end of 1976 they were lucky to avoid relegation to third division again when they finished last but with the establishment of the NSL they were given a reprieve and stayed into second division.
A complete transformation occured in 1977 when they finished premiers of second division and were awarded promotion into the first division again for the 1978 season. Making every post a winner they finished outright third behind Croatia and Sutherland. Fifth in 1979 saw the progressive club win the premiership in 1980 by a whopping six premiership points from Sydney Olympic. They did this again in the 1983 season where they lost just three games to finish in top spot. This was enough to earn Melita a crack at the National Soccer League but regretably they finished 10th out of the 12 teams and were again relegated to the NSW State League’s first division.
After premiership wins in 1986 and 1989 and Grand Final winners in 1985, 1988 and 1989, the ASF deemed Melita ready for another stint in the NSL. Although not one of the competitions glamour sides the hardworking Melita camp made two forays into the NSL finals with their best season being 5th in 1990/91. In the finals they bowed out to Marconi unhappily 3-5 on penalties. In 1992/93 they again finished 6th and launched another assault on the semi-finals only to lose 2-4 on aggregate to the Wollongong Wolves. The changing of the clubs name to Parramatta Eagles was in accordance with the demands of the ASF to remove ethnic origins from club names. The Eagles won the League Cup in 1990/91 and 1993/94, Challenge Cup in 1993/94 (Winners of Premiership Vs winner of NSL Cup, beating Marconi 2-0) and were the first Australian club ever to be included twice in World's top 100 clubs in 1993, 98th and 91st.
Sadly at the end of the 1994/5 Soccer Australia relegated (dumped) the Parramatta Eagles back to the NSW Super League competition where they made every post a winner in 1996.They reached the final of the Waratah Cup losing with a golden goal to Sydney United. Finishing on top of the second round table they played in the grand final against Adamstown Rosebud and won the match 5-3 on penalties with the game locked 1-1 at full-time. In 1997 a new coach in former Socceroo Doug Utjesenovic took them to the premiership. They demolished all opposition in the semi-final series and ultimately won the grand final 3 goals to 1 against Bonnyrigg White Eagles. That year they created a record which will never be broken. It might be equalled but never broken. The first grade, reserves and under 18 won their respective premiership and also were successful in the three grades winning their respective grand finals. A NSW Federation record to be sure.
1998 was a poor year for the club where they missed out on a semi-final spot to Eastern Suburbs finishing sixth. Coach Utjesenovic was out of a job and in came the youthful Roberto Viera who has overseen the club in season 1999.
A new competition was started in 2001 and were invited to pacticipate and the following season, in 2001/2002, Parramatta Melita Eagles under the head coach, Tammy Finlayson, won the Premiership and also the Grand Final.
The 2003 Executive Members of the club are President Mr Anthony Azzopardi, and Treasurer Mr Stephen Ellul.
The newly appointed coach is Trevor Morgan whose father in-law, Casey De Bruin was a player of Melita Eagles in the early seventies.
Club crests: (roll on the crest to get more informations)
PCYC Parramatta Eagles
