Queensland Lions FC

Summary

Queensland Lions Football Club, known as Lions FC, is a soccer club based in Brisbane, Australia. Founded in 1957 as Hollandia Inala Soccer Club, the club currently competes in the National Premier Leagues Queensland.

Lions FC
Full nameLions Football Club
Nickname(s)Lions
Founded1957
GroundLions Stadium
Capacity5,000
Head CoachDarren Sime
LeagueNPL Queensland
20235th of 12
WebsiteClub website

History edit

 
Queensland Lions crest

The club was founded in 1957 as Hollandia-Inala Soccer Club by Dutch immigrants. From the start they were based at grounds in the Brisbane suburb of Darra and then moved to Pine Road, Richlands, where they play today. In the early 1970s, all clubs were required to abandon 'ethnic' names and they then adopted the name Brisbane Lions.

In 1977 the Lions were invited to play in the National Soccer League and played in the league as Brisbane Lions until the end of the 1988 season. Former Manchester United and Northern Ireland legend George Best made four appearances for the team during the 1983/84 season. Notable players around this time include, Bob Latchford (1981, from Everton ), Col Bennet, Jim Hermiston, Ron Millman. From 1989 the Brisbane Lions played in the Brisbane Premier League. After coming to an agreement with the newly formed Brisbane Lions AFL club,[1] they changed their name to the current Queensland Lions.

In 2004 it was announced that the Lions had won the right to compete in the newly formed A-League. Operating as Queensland Roar the club was once again represented in an Australian national league.

Re-formation edit

Subsequent changes to the ownership structure of the Roar allowed the Queensland Lions to re-enter the Brisbane competition in Premier Division 1 in 2008.[2]

In 2012, Lions FC was accepted into the inaugural 2013 Brisbane Premier League, the top local competition in the Brisbane region.[2] In 2016, the club went back-to-back claiming the premiership and Grand Final.[2]

When the National Premier Leagues Queensland expanded in 2018, Lions FC were one of the clubs to join the competition. In its first season in the NPLQ, Lions won the league and grand final double.[3][4] In 2019, the club followed it up with a back-to-back premiership, winning the league with 2 games to spare.[5] However, in the finals series, Lions went down 2–1 to Olympic FC in the semi-final.[6]

Current squad edit

As of 30 June 2023[7]

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player
1 GK   NZL Aidan Munford
3 DF   AUS Jackson Hart-Phillips
4 DF   AUS Hassan Ramazani
5 DF   AUS Tommy Jarrard
6 MF   NZL Matthew Ridenton
7 MF   AUS Alex Fiechtner
8 DF   AUS Jesse Rigby
9 FW   AUS Andy Pengelly
10 MF   AUS Joe Duckworth
11 FW   SCO Nathan Shepherd
12 MF   AUS Shaun Carlos
14 MF   AUS Josh Brindell-South
15 MF   AUS Fletcher McDonald
No. Pos. Nation Player
16 MF   AUS Jake Minett
18 FW   AUS Dominic Horwood
21 GK   AUS Cody Oestreich
22   AUS Novak Kjlajic
23 FW   AUS Finn Beakhearst
DF   NZL Louis Fenton
DF   AUS Andrew Thompson
DF   AUS Ethan Docherty
MF   AUS Noah Mcgrath
FW   AUS Zach Maltby
FW   CRC Jean Carlos Solórzano

Youth edit

Players who have been featured in a first-team matchday squad for Lions in a competitive match

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player
- MF   AUS Ezekiel Lavender
- MF   AUS Cher Deng
- MF   AUS Cooper Nichols
No. Pos. Nation Player
- FW   AUS Sazdo Gjorgiev
- MF   AUS Kota Masuda

Club officials edit

Technical staff edit

Position Name
Head coach   Darren Sime
Assistant coach   Ross Davidson
Goalkeeping coach   Rob Farrow

Honours edit

References edit

  1. ^ "Brisbane wins right to keep Lions name". The Age. 18 February 1997. Archived from the original on 28 September 2013. Retrieved 22 August 2013.
  2. ^ a b c "About Us – Lions FC". Retrieved 25 September 2019.
  3. ^ "Ladder for NPL QLD". SportsTG. Retrieved 25 September 2019.
  4. ^ "Football Queensland - NPL Match Centre". SportsTG. Retrieved 25 September 2019.
  5. ^ "Ladder for NPL QLD 2019". SportsTG. Retrieved 25 September 2019.
  6. ^ "Results for NPL QLD 2019". SportsTG. Retrieved 25 September 2019.
  7. ^ "Competition Stats".

External links edit

  • Official website
  • OZ Football profile