Brisbane Strikers

Infobox Football club
clubname = Brisbane Strikers


fullname = Brisbane Strikers Football Club
nickname = Strikers
shortname =
founded = 1994
dissolved =
ground = Perry Park
capacity = 5,000
chairman = Clem Jones
ceo = Steve Wilson
mgrtitle = Head Coach
manager = Stuart McLaren
league = Queensland State League
season = QSL 2008
position =
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body1=FFCC00 |rightarm1=FFCC00 |shorts1=FFCC00 |socks1=FFCC00
pattern_la2= |pattern_b2= |pattern_ra2= |leftarm2=0000CC
body2=0000CC |rightarm2=0000CC |shorts2=0000CC |socks2=0000CC

The Brisbane Strikers are an Australian football (soccer) club from Brisbane, Queensland, Australia who play in the Queensland State League and remain Brisbane's only non-ethnicly linked team.

History

National Soccer League

Brisbane's first representation in the National Soccer League (NSL) - (then known as the Philips Soccer League (PSL)) came from Brisbane City, who still play in the Brisbane competition, and Brisbane Lions. Brisbane City won the first two national knockout competitions, by defeating Marconi in 1977 and West Adelaide in 1978. Brisbane Lions won the knockout competition in 1981, also defeating West Adelaide. Brisbane City left the NSL in after the 1986 season and Brisbane Lions after the 1988 season.

The next Brisbane team in the NSL was Brisbane United, who played from 1991 to 1993. From their demise came the Brisbane Strikers.

The Brisbane Strikers won the National League during the 1996/97 season, then known as the Ericsson Cup in front of a record sell out crowd of over 40,000. The Strikers won the final 2-0 defeating Sydney United with goals from former Socceroos coach Frank Farina and NSL top goal scorer Rod Brown.

A-League Bid

The Brisbane Strikers were a prime candidate for the Brisbane position in the new A-League that kicked off in mid-2005. Football Federation Australia boss Frank Lowy AC was quoted at the time saying that the two Brisbane bids were outstanding, but the reality was that only one team would make it.

The A-League decided to go with the lesser club, who changed their name but retained their ethnic links.

Brisbane Premier League

The Strikers became associated with the North Star Soccer Club in Brisbane and now play under the Brisbane Strikers name in the Brisbane competition, playing out of Perry Park. In their first season in the local premier league, the Strikers made the semi-final, however were defeated in a two leg round against Palm Beach.

In the Strikers' second season of the Brisbane Premier League in 2006, they won the Premiership, Premier Cup and Grand Final of the Brisbane Premier League.

The Strikers also run a club in Logan, Logan City Football Club, who play out of Meakin Park in Slacks Creek.

The Strikers were runners-up in the Premiership and Grand Final in 2007.

Queensland State League

Queensland State League

Founded: 2008

Motto: Our State of Play

No. of teams: 10

Country(ies): Australia

Official website: www.qldsl.com.au

Inaugural Champions: Sunshine Coast FC

The Queensland State League is a ten team association football (soccer) competition in the Australian state of Queensland. It was created in 2008 to fill the gap between the national competition (the A-League) and the various city-based competitions in the state.

Plans are in place to expand the QSL for the 2009 season given the populartiy of the competition in it's first year. Expansion will be focussed on development of the game throughout regional Queensland. Hyundai has continued their support of football in Australia by signing on as a new major sponsor for the league toward the end of the inaugural season. Their support will continue into the QSL's second season.

Club Information

Notable Former Players

;Australia
*flagicon|Australia Clint Bolton
*flagicon|Australia Frank Farina
*flagicon|Australia Andy Harper
*flagicon|Australia Danny Invincibile
*flagicon|Australia Matt McKay
*flagicon|Australia Jade North
*flagicon|Australia Andrew Packer
*flagicon|Australia Kasey Wehrman
*flagicon|Australia Jon McKain
*flagicon|Australia Shane Stefanutto
*flagicon|Australia Callum Hilton

;Brazil
*flagicon|Brazil Fernando Rech

;Scotland
*flagicon|Scotland Stuart McLaren

External links

* [http://www.brisbanestrikers.com.au/ Official Website]
* [http://www.bssa.org.au/ Supporters Website]