Five former Blacktown City players selected in the Socceroos World Cup squad

With five former players in the Socceroos’ 26-man World Cup squad, Blacktown City FC has stamped its authority as Australia’s premier football production line.

There must be something in the water in Blacktown.

As the Socceroos prepare for their opening World Cup match against France next Wednesday, Blacktown City FC has once again proved itself to be the country’s greatest football nursery.

Of the 26 footballers chosen for the tournament in Qatar, five have come through the system at Blacktown City FC in some capacity.

That’s just under 20 per cent of the entire squad who have donned the famous black and red jersey over the years.

It’s a record that is unlikely to be matched the world over, let alone in Australia.

They include skipper Mat Ryan, midfield maestro Aaron Mooy, defender Miloš Degenek, striker Mitch Duke and midfielder Keanu Baccus.

Throw in goalkeeper coach John Crawley – a former Blacktown City junior, senior and coach – and you could almost play Blacktown versus the rest at training.

Mat Ryan is one of Blacktown City’s most famous former players.

Realistically, Blacktown could potentially have up to four starters when Graham Arnold names his side for the tournament opener against the defending world champions.

And while not all of the Blacktown Five spent their entire junior careers at the club – Mooy started his football at Carlingford Redbacks, spent a couple of years at Blacktown before moving on to the NSWIS, while Duke only arrived at the club as a senior – the club has nevertheless played a key role in the careers of each of them.

In fact, current first grade coach Mark Crittenden, who has been involved with the club for decades, coached all bar Mooy, and is credited as having an immeasurable influence on the careers of a number of players who have gone on to the world stage.

In just one of those stories, Crittenden recalls coaching a 15-year-old Mat Ryan, who at the time was in danger of not being retained by the club.

“The thing with Maty Ryan is that he was no guarantee,” he says.

“Maty wasn’t overly tall at the time and probably wasn’t guaranteed his shirt for the year. But I guess the thing for me about Maty Ryan is that he was, number one, very dedicated. Even as a youngster he was very driven.”

Ryan’s not the only one he’s had the pleasure of mentoring, with the likes of national team players Mustafa Amini and Bernie Ibini also passing through Blacktown City’s incredible production line.

“Three years ago we even had six starters in a Socceroos’ side,” says Crittenden.

“We’ve been very fortunate that we’ve had a lot of boys who’ve gone to wear the green and gold. It’s a credit to the football club and a credit to the boys themselves.”

Mat Ryan (centre, in yellow) poses with his under 13 Blacktown City team in 2005. The team also featured future professional footballers Joey Gibbs, Dimi Petratos, Jared Lum and Nick Fitzgerald.

While Crittenden – who joined the club in 2004 and last year racked up 300 games as the first grade coach – is modest about his own contribution to the club’s wonderful record, Blacktown City executive chairman Bob Turner couldn’t be more complimentary.

“I think the main thing is the coach of the organisation, and all of that goes down to Critto,” he says. “One of the reasons why I like him is because he’s an old school guy. The culture comes first and no one player is bigger than the club.”

When it comes to culture, Turner knows a thing or two himself. A former basketballer and coach in the NBL, he famously took the Sydney Kings from playing in front of a couple of thousand people to selling out the 10,000-seater Sydney Entertainment Centre within a couple of years of taking on the role of head coach and administrator in the late 1980s.

“Critto’s just a very, very good taskmaster,” says Turner. “He doesn’t tolerate attitude, expects 100 per cent and if you don’t give it, he’ll just go and get somebody else.”

So respected is his integrity, Crittenden even famously cut his son from the club because he didn’t think he deserved a shirt.

“We’ve lost sponsors, we’ve dads, we even lost his own son because he didn’t think that they fit the bill,” says Turner.

Mark Crittenden has been credited as being central to Blacktown City’s incredible production line of national team players. Photo: supplied.

Turner says that with a strong club culture, excellent coaching and a deep base of junior footballers, the next step for the club is to try and win over the hearts and minds of those in the region.

“Blacktown’s a city of 400,000 people, it’s the biggest council in NSW, and it doesn’t really have a sports team that the people call their own, like the Eels and Parramatta or the Panthers and Penrith,” he says. “So my goal is to make Blacktown City, Blacktown City’s team.”

The club are going a fair way to achieving that. A powerhouse in the NSW NPL1 competition and its junior pathways, Blacktown City has won the club championship six times in the last 10 years, and most recently won the 2022 NPL grand final.

And if the Socceroos pull a few surprises in Qatar, Blacktown City might even have a few admirers from all over the country lining to up to thank it.