Western Knights

Football club infobox
clubname = Western Knights



fullname = Western Knights
nickname = Metropolitan, Croatia, Knights
founded = 1968
ground = Nash Field, Mosman Park, Western Australia
capacity = approx - 2500
chairman =
manager = Ronnie Campbell
league = Vodafone State League
season = 2007
position = 7th
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Western Knights Soccer Club is an Australian Football (soccer) Club currently playing in the Football West State League Premier Division in Perth, Western Australia;

The club was established by Croatian immigrants to the state of Western Australia under the name of Metropolitan in 1968. Two years later in 1970 under their new name of North Perth Croatia they were promoted from the Third Division to the Second Division. Throughout the years following, Croatia went up and down from Second Division to First Division.

With the moving from division to division also came the moving from different home grounds over the years. Wellington Square in East Perth, Velodrome in Mount Hawthorn and Perry Lakes Stadium were all homes to North Perth Croatia over those years.

In 1994, the club was forced by the then sport governing bodies to remove all ethnic references from their name, so the club changed their name from North Perth Croatia to Western Knights and in 1995, the club returned to the state's premier division and have been their ever since.

1998 proved to be the most successful year in the club's history so far, the Knights take home the Premier League Minor Premiership, the Championship Final Series Grand Final for the first time in their history and the West Ham Cup.

Paul Cooke became the first ever player in the history of the club to capture the Premier League's major player award, the Gold Medal in 2006. While in 2007, the club will host the 33rd Annual Australian-Croatian Soccer Tournament after last hosting it some 27 years ago.

The most successful player to have ever played for North Perth Croatia/Western Knights is Robbie Dunn. After leaving North Perth Croatia he went onto establish a fine career in the NSL with Melbourne Croatia and earn himself 38 international caps for Australia.

Notable Players

*Robbie Dunn
*Craig Deans
*Tommi Tomich
*Carl Medica

Honours

Premier League Champion of Champions - 1998, 2004

Premier League Winners - 1998, 2004

Premier League Runners Up - 1988, 2000

Premier League Under 18 Champions - 2007

First Division Winners - 1971, 1975, 1995

First Division Runners Up - 1973, 1974, 1979, 1980, 1981, 1987

Third Division Winners - 1969

Boral Cup Winners - 2000

D'orsogna Cup Runners Up - 1992

Night Series Winners - 2003

Night Series Runners Up - 1996, 2002, 2004

Gallery

Western Knights celebrating their 2000 Boral Cup win.

Links

*List of Croatian football clubs in Australia
*Australian-Croatian Soccer Tournament
*Croatian Australian
*List of Croatian-Australian Socceroos

External References

* [http://www.westernknights.com.au Official Website]
* [http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendid=201412396&MyToken=7916724d-b35d-4844-a2ae-6b13db804316 Western Knights Myspace]
* [http://www.knightsarmy.net/ Knights Army (Unoffical Website)]