How AC Unito Adelaide, started by two 21-year-old friends, became a thriving soccer community

Started by two friends, AC Unito Adelaide has become a force winning successive premierships and embracing a soccer style inspired by a popular video game.

Carlo Troncone, Ali Hosseini, and George Francesco Belpirio at AC Unito training in Adelaide, after the club has rapidly grown since it started in 2021, Thursday, Feb. 13, 2025. Picture: Matt Loxton

An unorthodox Adelaide soccer club started by two 21-year-olds is shaking up the amateur sport establishment, winning successive premierships while offering an avenue for success to underprivileged youths.

Friends Carlo Troncone and George Francesco Belpirio, now 24, founded AC Unito Adelaide in 2021 as a single-team club made up of their friends.

Now 90 members strong, with two senior teams, the club has skyrocketed within the South Australian Amateur Soccer League by winning premierships in 2022, 2023 and 2024, climbing from division seven to division two.

The founders have credited their success to having attracted and developed a diverse class of players who may not have joined another club.

They have broadened their base of possible players by subsidising or waiving fees for financially struggling members, and embracing an unorthodox playing style that mimics tactics from the popular FIFA video game series.

AC Unito training in Adelaide. Picture: Matt Loxton

AC Unito training in Adelaide. Picture: Matt Loxton

“Carlo and I had been FIFA heads since we were 11 years old,” Mr Belpirio said. “All those unorthodox tactics you’re doing online, we’re like, ‘Oh, could that work in real life?’ So, we do it. Sort of ‘street ball’, if you will.

“We’re one of the few clubs that allow players to play their way, but also play in a system that can win games.”

He said their style was attractive to experienced players who had “fallen out of love with soccer”, such as Federation player Daniel Loh.

Mr Loh recently returned to state level after three years rebuilding his skills and his passion for the game with AC Unito. He continues to support the club as a board member.

One of the players who benefited from the club’s subsidised fees was Ali Hosseini, who the founders discovered playing soccer alone in a park in Adelaide’s eastern suburbs.

It was 2021 and the 16-year-old Iranian migrant spoke little English.

Carlo Troncone, Ali Hosseini, and George Francesco Belpirio at AC Unito training in Adelaide. Picture: Matt Loxton

AC Unito Adelaide team members celebrating a premiership win in September 2024. Photo: AC Unito Adelaide, Facebook

“George and myself would pick up Ali to take him to training,” Mr Troncone said. “I’d always speak to him, say, ‘What did you learn today at school?’ And just help him learn the language.

“We would always say, ‘What do you aim for in life, Ali? What do you want to do here?’”

Now 19, Mr Hosseini has improved his soccer game “tremendously” and achieved his goal of studying at university – finance and business at UniSA. He has also recruited seven players to AC Unito.

“These guys were very important,” Mr Hosseini said. “I’m very grateful to have met them.”

Ahead of the SAASL season starting in April, the club’s goal for 2025 is to win a fourth premiership and move to division one.

The founders also want the club to keep growing, with plans to set up women’s teams for 2026.

Originally published as How AC Unito Adelaide, started by two 21-year-old friends, became a thriving soccer community