NPL 2018: Avondale FC rise from state league soccer to NPL grand final
AT A crossroads in 2009, Avondale FC made several key decisions which have led to a National Premier League grand final appearance less than a decade later.
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AVONDALE FC was at a crossroads in 2009.
Then known as Avondale Heights Soccer Club, the now National Premier League club was relegated to Provisional League two — the sixth tier of Victorian soccer.
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In the same year Dandenong Thunder toppled Altona Magic to claim the Victorian Premier League title, Avondale Heights was battling for relevance.
Founded as Keilor United in 1984, the club’s 25th anniversary season would prove the catalyst for an unprecedented rise through the ranks of Victorian soccer.
“When you have back-to-back relegations, you need to reset where you are at,” secretary Anthony Nuzzaco, who has served as president and played for than a decade at the club, said.
“Back then, we needed to get ourselves right off the pitch before we could have success on the field.
“Once we repositioned how the board make-up looked and tried to, with all the off-field roles, become a bit more professional with how we ran the club. More like a business than just an amateur sports club.
“Once that was all sorted and we managed to get good coaches and coaches to links with players around the state leagues, that got a group together.”
Consecutive promotions resulted in 2009 and 2010, when the club finished runner-up in Provisional League 2 and Provisional League 1.
Coach Anthony Barbieri was signed in 2011, one of the myriad key decisions which have defined Avondale FC’s emergence as a Victorian powerhouse.
Under Barbieri’s watch, the club secured the State League 3 title, promotion from State League 2 and stormed to the NPL1 crown in 2014.
“I think Anthony Barbieri’s mantra is always you build championships off the back of a strong defence,” Nuzzaco said.
“If you look back to those first five or six, or even the last few years as well and coming up to the NPL, it has always been off the back of having a good defence.
“That’s held us in good stead on the field.”
Nuzzaco says Avondale FC has never settled for second best.
When it won promotion to the NPL top flight, the club set about establishing a squad capable of challenging for the title.
Former A-League players such as Massimo Murdocca, Jonatan Germano and Ramazan Tavsancioglu have since represented the club, while proven NPL talent such as striker Liam Boland, midfielder Evan Christodoulou and goalkeeper Chris Oldfield has arrived.
The constant alongside Barbieri through Avondale FC’s climb has been defender Anthony Strano.
The 26-year-old joined the Avengers when they were in State League 3 and has been along for the ride since.
“The journey has been absolutely incredible,” Strano said.
“From State League 3 all the way to playing in an NPL grand final. It is surreal.
“I have definitely got to pinch myself. Today I am pinching myself to make sure I am not dreaming.”
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Avondale FC has a chance to be crowned Victoria’s best team when it takes on Heidelberg United at AAMI Park in Sunday’s NPL final.
After pulling off an almighty comeback to stun Bentleigh Greens 4-3 in extra-time of the semi-final, Strano is daring to dream.
“I have got a lot of pride, a lot of passion for the club,” he said.
“You don’t play eight years at one club unless you have found a very special place.
“I have not only found a soccer club, but it’s a family, a home for me. It’s played a very special part in not only my football career, but my life.”
Strano understands the history of Avondale FC better than any of his teammates and prides himself on educating new players on the club’s roots.
“Every pre-season, I sit down with the group and I go through my journey with the club,” he said.
“The last four years I have done that and just told them what it is all about.
“What I have had to sacrifice and what the club has had to sacrifice to get to this point. All the boys love it.”
Even the most optimistic of Avondale Heights supporters would never have dreamt in 2009 their club would be linked with a move for Italian legend Andrea Pirlo.
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When the Avengers were toiling away in the lower leagues, the defensive midfielder was at the peak of his powers for A.C Milan.
In the lead-up to its FFA Cup quarter-final against Sydney FC, the club held talks with Pirlo’s representatives in the hope of landing the 39-year-old for a one-off appearance.
While it did not eventuate, it highlighted how far the club had come.
“People might say ‘you have been promoted, you have done well’,” Nuzzaco said.
“But there’s always looking to improve in different areas.
“The last few years especially, we have struggled to score goals, so we made a big focus in the off-season to go out and get good strikers and fast wide players.”
Strano’s journey typifies the hardworking culture Avondale FC has been built from.
“When I first got here, you’re a little bit selfish,” he said.
“You want to improve yourself as a player and as an individual.
“But as I have been there for longer, it’s all about the club, all about the family. All about achieving things for the team.
“When I say the team, that’s not just the players. It’s the coaching staff, it’s the supporters, it’s the whole club.
“I go out there, not just playing for myself anymore, but for the whole club. The passion you get from that and the pride is just incredible.”
It has been a historic year for Avondale FC, which played its first match at its new Parkville base, known as Avenger Park, in June.
“Coming from a low level, playing on a park ground, it has been out biggest challenge in the past 14-15 years to get the facilities,” Nuzzaco said.
“In the last couple of years we have got things moving and it has been really great.”
The NPL grand final kicks off at 6.30pm on Sunday.
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