Essendon Lions
Encyclopedia
Essendon Lions is a now defunct football (soccer) club from Melbourne
suburb of Essendon, Victoria
. At the clubs peak in the 1960s and 1970s it played in the Victorian State League, the top league in Victoria
at the time.
(Coat of arms of Lviv
).
In 1960, the club came first in the Second Division and were promoted to the First Division.
In 1961, the club came first in the First Division and were promoted to the Victorian State League.
In 1971, a ten year lease in Victorian State League the club was relegated to Victorian Metropolitan League Division 1.
In 1974 club members of SC Croatia took over the financially struggling Essendon Lions. The first step occurred with the appointment of the influential SC Croatia figure Tony Vrzina as coach of the Essendon Lions late in the 1974 season, rescuing the club from relegation. With the completion of the season a total take-over of the club took place, with Croatia paying $25,000 to the Lions to take control of the club and the facilities at Montgomery Park in Essendon.
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
suburb of Essendon, Victoria
Essendon, Victoria
Essendon is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 10 km north-west from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area is the City of Moonee Valley...
. At the clubs peak in the 1960s and 1970s it played in the Victorian State League, the top league in Victoria
Victoria (Australia)
Victoria is the second most populous state in Australia. Geographically the smallest mainland state, Victoria is bordered by New South Wales, South Australia, and Tasmania on Boundary Islet to the north, west and south respectively....
at the time.
Honours
- Victorian Division 1 Champions – 1961 (North)
- Victorian Division 2 Champions – 1960
- Victorian Metropolitan League South Runners-Up: 1956, 1957
Club history
Essendon Lions was formed as the Lions Soccer Club in 1953 by migrants from Ukraine in Australia. The club was named after the capital of Western Ukraine, LvivLviv
Lviv is a city in western Ukraine. The city is regarded as one of the main cultural centres of today's Ukraine and historically has also been a major Polish and Jewish cultural center, as Poles and Jews were the two main ethnicities of the city until the outbreak of World War II and the following...
(Coat of arms of Lviv
Coat of arms of Lviv
thumb|right|150px|Coat of Arms of Lviv thumb|right|150px|Coat of arms thumb|right|150px|Historical coat of arms, used during the [[Soviet Union|Soviet]] period...
).
In 1960, the club came first in the Second Division and were promoted to the First Division.
In 1961, the club came first in the First Division and were promoted to the Victorian State League.
In 1971, a ten year lease in Victorian State League the club was relegated to Victorian Metropolitan League Division 1.
In 1974 club members of SC Croatia took over the financially struggling Essendon Lions. The first step occurred with the appointment of the influential SC Croatia figure Tony Vrzina as coach of the Essendon Lions late in the 1974 season, rescuing the club from relegation. With the completion of the season a total take-over of the club took place, with Croatia paying $25,000 to the Lions to take control of the club and the facilities at Montgomery Park in Essendon.