Canberra Cosmos
Encyclopedia
Canberra Cosmos FC is a defunct Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...

n association football club based in Canberra
Canberra
Canberra is the capital city of Australia. With a population of over 345,000, it is Australia's largest inland city and the eighth-largest city overall. The city is located at the northern end of the Australian Capital Territory , south-west of Sydney, and north-east of Melbourne...

 in the ACT
Australian Capital Territory
The Australian Capital Territory, often abbreviated ACT, is the capital territory of the Commonwealth of Australia and is the smallest self-governing internal territory...

. It participated in the National Soccer League
National Soccer League
The National Soccer League is the former national association football competition in Australasia, overseen by Soccer Australia and later the Australian Soccer Association. The NSL spanned 28 seasons from its inception in 1977, until its demise in 2004...

 from the 1995/96 season until the end of the 2000/01 season, after which it folded, primarily due to financial difficulties. Throughout their tenure in the NSL, the club failed to attract supporters and had limited on-field success.

A new club

The Cosmos were founded in 1995 as a new franchise for entry into the 1995/96 NSL season. The club arose as a ‘community model’ consortium with shares held by ACT Soccer Federation
Capital Football
Capital Football is the trading name for the ACT Football Federation Incorporated, the state governing body for association football in the Australian Capital Territory...

 and a number of local clubs, with some support from the ACT Government.

Canberra finished respectably in their first season for a new club. In finishing ninth, they performed better than much more experienced teams Wollongong
Wollongong Wolves
The South Coast Wolves Football Club is an Australian Association football club based in the Illawarra region of New South Wales, Australia currently playing in the NSW Premier League.The club was formed in 2009 as a not for profit organisation, run and owned by the community since the financial...

, Newcastle Breakers
Newcastle Breakers
Newcastle Breakers are a defunct Australian association football club. Formed out of elements of the Newcastle Austral club, they participated in the National Soccer League from season 1991/1992, until their dissolution in 1999/2000. The club fared poorly on the field in its nine seasons in the...

 and Gippsland Falcons
Gippsland Falcons
Gippsland Falcons SC were an Australian association football team based in Morwell, Australia. It was the sole rural Victorian entrant in the forerunner to the A-League, the National Soccer League...

. Much of the credit could be given to experienced Socceroo captain Paul Wade
Paul Wade
Paul Wade is a retired Australian football player, who is best known for his long-term role as captain of the Socceroos, Australia's national football team.-Club career:...

. But 1995-96 also saw the revelation of talented Canberra-based youngsters Michael Musitano and Alex Castro
Alex Castro
Alex Castro is a Filipino singer, actor and performer signed to GMA Network, yet later transferred to its rival network ABS-CBN.- Performances/results :-Television:-Movies:-External links:...

, who were accordingly snapped up by other clubs in the 1996 off-season.

Wooden Spoons

Canberra's second season was much more forgettable however. In finishing last, the club ended the season 16 points behind second-last placed team. Despite a dreary end to the season, a positive action would revive the club in 1997 as computing company Novell
Novell
Novell, Inc. is a multinational software and services company. It is a wholly owned subsidiary of The Attachmate Group. It specializes in network operating systems, such as Novell NetWare; systems management solutions, such as Novell ZENworks; and collaboration solutions, such as Novell Groupwise...

 came on board with a stunningly large sponsorship deal. This allowed the Cosmos to recruit the 1996-97 coach of the year Branko Culina
Branko Culina
Branko Čulina is a football coach and former player. He is currently without a club after being sacked by Newcastle Jets.-Club career:...

 and after losing their best players the previous year, Canberra was a net importer of quality players for this season. New signings included Scottish
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...

 defender Gordon Hunter
Gordon Hunter (footballer)
Gordon Hunter is a retired Scottish association football player, who played as a defender for , Canberra Cosmos, , , and . Hunter was part of the team that won the 1991 Scottish League Cup Final and he was granted a testimonial match by Hibernian in 1996...

 from Hibernian
Hibernian F.C.
Hibernian Football Club are a Scottish professional football club based in Leith, in the north of Edinburgh. They are one of two Scottish Premier League clubs in the city, the other being their Edinburgh derby rivals, Hearts...

, Sydney United
Sydney United
Sydney United Football Club are an Australian football club from Sydney, Australia, established in 1957 by Croatian Australians in the area...

 midfielder Ante Moric
Ante Moric
Ante Tomislav Moric is an Australian former professional soccer player who played as a midfielder.-Career:Moric played at club level in Australia and Croatia for St. George, AIS, Sydney United, Zadar, Canberra Cosmos, Sydney Olympic, Fraser Park, APIA Leichhardt Tigers and Rockdale City Suns.He...

 and the return of Michael Musitano. Unfortunately, this did not translate into on-field performance, winning only once in the first thirteen games – a run including an 8-0 loss to Wollongong – and only three times in the season (including a record 8-1 win over UTS). The Cosmos finished the 1997-98 season bottom of the table again which saw the departure of Culina and appointment of former Socceroos coach Rale Rasic
Ralé Rasic
Zvonimir "Ralé" Rašić OAM Zvonimir "Ralé" Rašić OAM Zvonimir "Ralé" Rašić OAM (born 26 December 1935 in Mostar, Littoral Banovina, Kingdom of Yugoslavia (now Bosnia and Herzegovina) is a Serbian-Australian former football player, coach and media personality....

.

New signings for 1998-99 including Melbourne Knights
Melbourne Knights
Melbourne Knights Football Club is a football club representing Melbourne, Australia in the Victorian Premier League . The club is one of the most successful football clubs in Australia, being a two-time championship and four-time premiership winner in the now defunct National Soccer League...

 goalkeeper Vilson Knezevic brought hope, but a winless start to the season for Rasic’s young side escalated tensions with the board and Rale departed seven weeks into the new season. The Cosmos continued to struggle in the national competition, finishing last for the third year in a row, ten points behind the second-last team.

The 1999-2000 season saw some on-field improvement by the club achieving nine wins and nine draws. However, the Cosmos remained unstable financially, and administrators were appointed on 30 June 2000 to oversee the clubs financial position.

In a time of general turmoil for the NSL, the 2000-01 season was reasonably successful for Canberra, finishing a respectable 11th place and remaining competitive throughout the year with eleven wins and four draws.

Exclusion

Soccer Australia determined in mid-2000 that it would review the NSL for the 2001-02 season, proposing to reduce the number of teams from 16 to 12. Carlton
Carlton S.C.
Carlton Soccer Club is a defunct Australian association football club. It participated in the National Soccer League from the 1997/98 season until round eight of the 2000/2001 season, after which it folded. The club was strongly linked to the Carlton Australian Rules club, and suffered from poor...

 and Eastern Pride
Gippsland Falcons
Gippsland Falcons SC were an Australian association football team based in Morwell, Australia. It was the sole rural Victorian entrant in the forerunner to the A-League, the National Soccer League...

 folded during the season, and Soccer Australia determined in June 2001 that Canberra Cosmos was not a 'going concern', excluding them from the league along with Brisbane Strikers
Brisbane Strikers
The Brisbane Strikers are an Australian football club from Brisbane, Queensland, Australia who play in the Queensland State League.-National Soccer League:...

.

Appeals by and on behalf of the ejected clubs followed seeking a reversal of the decision, criticising the process and criteria used. Eventually the Soccer Australia board, under pressure from stakeholders and political figures agreed to “re-admit” Canberra and Brisbane to the NSL for the 2001/2002 season.

The Cosmos stepped up planning for the new season, appointing new coaching staff and even forming a partnership with English Second Division
Football League Second Division
From 1892 until 1992, the Football League Second Division was the second highest division overall in English football.This ended with the creation of the FA Premier League, prior to the start of the 1992–93 season, which caused an administrative split between The Football League and the teams...

 club Swindon Town
Swindon Town F.C.
Swindon Town Football Club are a team based in Swindon, Wiltshire. Currently in League Two, Swindon have been managed by Paolo Di Canio since 23 May 2011...

. Despite looking forward, the Cosmos’ financial problems remained and were unable to recover from the initial exclusion decision. After being unable to pay their NSL affiliation fee, Soccer Australia determined that Cosmos FC had not met the required conditions of entry and on 26 September 2001 terminated its right to participate in the 2001/2002 NSL season.

Statistics

SeasonPldWDLGFGAPtsTable PositionAverage attendanceCup
1995/96 33 8 11 14 48 61 35 9th of 12 2934 Semi-final
1996/97 26 2 5 19 30 69 11 14th of 14 3176 First Round
1997/98 26 3 8 15 29 56 17 14th of 14 2719 Not held
1998/99 28 4 3 21 21 55 15 15th of 15 2337 Not held
1999/00 34 9 9 16 44 64 36 14th of 16 2428 Not held
2000/01 29 11 4 15 49 55 37 11th of 16 2184 Not held


(Pld)=Games Played, (W) = Wins, (D)=Draws, (L)=Losses, (GF)=Goals For, (GA)=Goals Against, (Pts)=Points, (Cup)= NSL Cup placing

Youth system

The club had only a single 'first team' during its existence with no incorporated reserves or youth development system, owing in part to the structure of the NSL. Local players were drawn from the ACT leagues and formed a major component of the squads.

While the National Youth League was in operation the ACT Academy of Sport provided the Cosmos youth side through the involvement of Soccer Canberra
Capital Football
Capital Football is the trading name for the ACT Football Federation Incorporated, the state governing body for association football in the Australian Capital Territory...

. The Canberran location provided a potential pathway for players from the AIS Football Squad, although no formal links were ever established. The program, aimed at developing players aged 16–17, also competed in the NYL independently. Few players graduated successfully from the ACTAS and AIS programs to the Cosmos squad.

Colours and badge

In their inaugural season, the Cosmos played in predominantly dark blue shirts and dark blue shorts, colours reflecting the original ‘shooting star’ logo, provided through sportswear manufacturer Asics
ASICS
ASICS is a Japanese athletic equipment company. ASICS produces professional footwear and sports equipment designed for football, running, netball, tennis, badminton, squash, martial arts, cricket, golf, wrestling, track & field, cross-training, volleyball, cheerleading, lacrosse, and for many other...

. The alternate strip was a white shirt and shorts, also with large stars in the trim. A yellow alternate strip with black shorts was later introduced. For the 97/98 season, the away colours of a white shirt with blue trim became the home colours, giving more prominence to the sponsor.
For the 1998/99 season, the club emblem was revised to a circle and star design. The home strip colours were changed to red shirt and shorts with a new change strip of yellow shirt and shorts, now manufactured under a new clothing deal with Admiral Sportswear. The logo featured a blue star over a gold circle, which was later revised to a black star over a red circle to closer reflect the new red home strip.

Stadium

The Cosmos home ground was Canberra Stadium
Canberra Stadium
Canberra Stadium is a facility primarily used for rugby league and rugby union games, located adjacent to the Australian Institute of Sport in Canberra, the capital of Australia...

. During major renovations to the stadium in 1997, home games were played at Seiffert Oval
Seiffert Oval
Seiffert Oval is a rugby league ground in Queanbeyan, New South Wales that served as the base of the Canberra Raiders for the first seven years of its existence . It also hosted an ACTRU v The British and Irish Lions fixture in 1989. It is now used to host games of the Queanbeyan Blues Rugby League...

 in Queanbeyan. A small number of games were also played on AIS
Australian Institute of Sport
The Australian Institute of Sport is a sports training institution in Australia with world class facilities and support services. The Institute's headquarters is situated in Canberra, the capital city of Australia. The 66.0 hectare site campus is in the northern suburb of Bruce, but some of the...

 grounds.

Supporters

The Cosmos failed to attract significant support within the Canberra community which was reflected in poor attendances at games.

A small but loyal group of fans formed Cosmos FC Supporters Group and were particularly active in promoting the game to the Canberra community. The group were consistently in attendance at home games and often travelled to away fixtures, particularly matches against the seven clubs located in New South Wales
New South Wales
New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...

.

The official Canberra Cosmos mascot known as ‘Cosmo’ appeared at most home games throughout the club’s tenure. Adorned in a blue white and silver helmet and jumpsuit, Cosmo would ride a unicycle, juggle and entertain the crowd from the sideline and during pre-game and halftime, notably being sent to the stands by the referee during one game for allegedly inciting the crowd to violence.

Notable players

  Australia
  • Jason Polak
    Jason Polak
    Jason Polak is an Australian former association football player.-Club career:Polak began his National Soccer League career with Sydney Olympic in 1989 after having spent three years at the Australian Institute of Sport...

     (1999-2000)
  • David Arranz
  • Damien Brown
    Damien Brown
    Damien Brown is an Australian football player and former school teacher. He most recently played as a left midfielder for the Australian A-League club the Central Coast Mariners....

  • Peter Buljan
    Peter Buljan
    Peter Buljan is an Australian football player. -External links:***...

  • Alex Castro
    Alex Castro
    Alex Castro is a Filipino singer, actor and performer signed to GMA Network, yet later transferred to its rival network ABS-CBN.- Performances/results :-Television:-Movies:-External links:...

  • Andrew Clark
    Andrew Clark (footballer)
    Andrew Clark is an Australian football player. He is currently the Fitness and Conditioning coach for the Central Coast Mariners.-External links:* *...

  • Anthony Giannasca
  • Robbie Hooker
    Robbie Hooker
    Robert Hooker is a former Australian football player and current manager. He is currently the assistant manager of the Australia national association football team.-Playing career:...

  • Harry James
    Harry James
    Henry Haag “Harry” James was a trumpeter who led a jazz swing band during the Big Band Era of the 1930s and 1940s. He was especially known among musicians for his astonishing technical proficiency as well as his superior tone.-Biography:He was born in Albany, Georgia, the son of a bandleader of a...

  • John Koch
    John Koch
    John Koch was an American painter, and an important figure in 20th century realist painting. His early work may be considered Impressionist...

  • John Markovski
    John Markovski
    John Markovski is an Australian football coach and former player.Markovski played in the National Soccer League for Sunshine George Cross, Preston Lions , Morwell Falcons, Canberra Cosmos, Auckland Kingz, Carlton SC, Melbourne Knights and Perth Glory FC and was known Australia wide for his...



  Japan
  • Naoki Imaya
    Naoki Imaya
    Naoki Imaya was a Japanese footballer who played as a midfielder or forward.-Career:As a child he moved to Sydney Australia with his parents at age 10. He played for various Australian clubs before moving to Switzerland...



  Uruguay
  • Milton Cortes


  Northern Ireland
  • Norman Kelly
    Norman Kelly (footballer)
    Norman Kelly is a Northern Irish former footballer who played for a number of clubs throughout his career.Kelly began his career with Oldham Athletic and spent time on loan with Wigan Athletic before spells in Scotland with Fife sides Dunfermline Athletic and Raith Rovers...

     (1995-99)



  • David Milin
  • Danny Milosevic
    Danny Milosevic
    Danny Milosevic is a football player who was most recently a goalkeeper for the New Zealand Knights in the Hyundai A-League before joining West Australian club Inglewood United...

  • Nik Mrdja
    Nik Mrdja
    Nik Mrdja is an Australian football player of Serbian ethnicity. He currently plays as a striker for the Australian A-League club the Central Coast Mariners.-Club career:...

  • Ilija Prenzoski
  • Nic Purdue
  • Lindsay Wilson
    Lindsay Wilson (footballer)
    Lindsay Wilson is an Australian former international soccer player who played professionally in Australia, the Netherlands, and Scotland, as a defender...

  • Paul Wade
    Paul Wade
    Paul Wade is a retired Australian football player, who is best known for his long-term role as captain of the Socceroos, Australia's national football team.-Club career:...

     (1995-97)
  • Toplica Popovich (1995-96, 1997-2001)
  • Michael Musitano (1995-96, 1997-2000)
  • Paul Dee
    Paul Dee
    Paul Dee is the former General Counsel and Athletic Director of the University of Miami in Coral Gables, Florida. He held the position of AD from 1993 until 2008, when he stepped down and Kirby Hocutt was tabbed as his replacement....

     (1995-98)
  • Vince Grella
    Vince Grella
    Vincenzo "Vince" Grella is an Australian football player, who plays as a midfielder for Blackburn Rovers in the English Premier League...

     (1996-97)


Managers

Mick Lyons (Jun 1995 - May 1997) Branko Čulina
Branko Culina
Branko Čulina is a football coach and former player. He is currently without a club after being sacked by Newcastle Jets.-Club career:...

 (Jun 1997 - Mar 1998) Rale Rasic
Ralé Rasic
Zvonimir "Ralé" Rašić OAM Zvonimir "Ralé" Rašić OAM Zvonimir "Ralé" Rašić OAM (born 26 December 1935 in Mostar, Littoral Banovina, Kingdom of Yugoslavia (now Bosnia and Herzegovina) is a Serbian-Australian former football player, coach and media personality....

 (Mar - Nov 1998) Tony Brennan
Tony Brennan
James Anthony Brennan , better known as Tony Brennan, was an Irish sportsperson. He played hurling with his local club Clonoulty-Rossmore and with the Tipperary senior inter-county team from 1939 until 1953...

 (caretaker) (Nov 1998 - Jan 1999) Tom Sermanni
Tom Sermanni
Tom Sermanni is a Scottish association football coach and former professional player. He currently coaches Australia women.-Playing career:...

 (Jan 1999 - Mar 2001) Milan Milovanovic (Mar - Jul 2001) Antonio Alzamendi
Antonio Alzamendi
Antonio Alzamendi Casas was a Uruguayan football player who retired in 1991.His official debut was with the Uruguayan team Wanderers de Durazno. Alzamendi played for Uruguay at the 1986 and 1990 FIFA World Cups, scoring against West Germany in 1986...

 (Jul 2001 (appointed then terminated shortly after)) Leon (Bill) Gardikiotis (Aug - Sep 2001)

Records

  • Biggest win: 8-1 v UTS Olympic, 5 January 1998, Seiffert Oval
    Seiffert Oval
    Seiffert Oval is a rugby league ground in Queanbeyan, New South Wales that served as the base of the Canberra Raiders for the first seven years of its existence . It also hosted an ACTRU v The British and Irish Lions fixture in 1989. It is now used to host games of the Queanbeyan Blues Rugby League...

  • Biggest loss: 0-8 v Wollongong City
    Wollongong Wolves
    The South Coast Wolves Football Club is an Australian Association football club based in the Illawarra region of New South Wales, Australia currently playing in the NSW Premier League.The club was formed in 2009 as a not for profit organisation, run and owned by the community since the financial...

    , 5 December 1997, Brandon Park, Wollongong
  • Highest scoring match: 5-5 v Newcastle Breakers
    Newcastle Breakers
    Newcastle Breakers are a defunct Australian association football club. Formed out of elements of the Newcastle Austral club, they participated in the National Soccer League from season 1991/1992, until their dissolution in 1999/2000. The club fared poorly on the field in its nine seasons in the...

    , 16 February 1996, Breakers Stadium
    Breakers Stadium
    Breakers Stadium was an Australian stadium, located in Newcastle, New South Wales. It was the former home of the Newcastle Breakers Football Club, who played in the National Soccer League until 2000. It was also the home ground of the short-lived Hunter Mariners rugby league team who participated...

    , Newcastle
    Newcastle, New South Wales
    The Newcastle metropolitan area is the second most populated area in the Australian state of New South Wales and includes most of the Newcastle and Lake Macquarie Local Government Areas...

  • Most Capped Player: Toplica Popovich (124 games)
  • All time top scorer: Peter Buljan
    Peter Buljan
    Peter Buljan is an Australian football player. -External links:***...

     (21 goals)
  • Highest attendance: 9,421 - 1 November 1996 (1-1 v Newcastle Breakers
    Newcastle Breakers
    Newcastle Breakers are a defunct Australian association football club. Formed out of elements of the Newcastle Austral club, they participated in the National Soccer League from season 1991/1992, until their dissolution in 1999/2000. The club fared poorly on the field in its nine seasons in the...

    )

External links

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