Canberra Cosmos

Football club infobox
clubname = Canberra Cosmos FC


fullname = Canberra Cosmos Football Club
nickname = Cosmos
founded = 1995
ground = Canberra Stadium,
Bruce, Canberra, ACT
capacity = 25,011
league = National Soccer League
season = 2000/2001
position = 11th
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leftarm1=FF0000|body1=FF0000|rightarm1=FF0000|shorts1=FF0000|socks1=FF0000
pattern_la1=|pattern_b2=|pattern_ra1=
leftarm2=FFFF00|body2=FFFF00|rightarm2=FFFF00|shorts2=FFFF00|socks2=FFFF00

Canberra Cosmos FC is a defunct Australian football (soccer) club based in Canberra in the ACT. It participated in the National Soccer League from the 1995/96 season until the end of the 2000/01 season, after which it folded, primarily due to financial difficulties. Throughout their tenure in the NSL, the club failed to attract supporters and had limited on-field success.

History

A new club

The Cosmos were founded in 1995 as a new franchise for entry into the 1995/96 NSL season. The club arose as a ‘community model’ consortium with shares held by ACT Soccer Federation and a number of local clubs, with some support from the ACT Government.

Canberra finished respectably in their first season for a new club. In finishing ninth, they performed better than much more experienced teams Wollongong, Newcastle Breakers and Gippsland Falcons. Much of the credit could be given to experienced Socceroo captain Paul Wade. But 1995-96 also saw the revelation of talented Canberra-based youngsters Michael Musitano and Alex Castro, who were accordingly snapped up by other clubs in the 1996 off-season. [citeweb|url=http://www.ozfootball.net/ark/NSLclubs/CCHist.html |title=History of Canberra Cosmos |publisher=OzFootball Archives |author=Persoglia, Tony |accessdate=2007-09-16]

Wooden Spoons

Canberra's second season was much more forgettable however. In finishing last, the club ended the season 16 points behind second-last placed team. Despite a dreary end to the season, a positive action would revive the club in 1997 as computing company Novell came on board with a stunningly large sponsorship deal. This allowed the Cosmos to recruit the 1996-97 coach of the year Branko Culina and after losing their best players the previous year, Canberra was a net importer of quality players for this season. New signings included Scottish defender Gordon Hunter from Hibernian, Sydney United midfielder Ante Moric and the return of Michael Musitano. Unfortunately, this did not translate into into on-field performance, winning only once in the first thirteen games – a run including an 8-0 loss to Wollongong – and only three times in the season (including a record 8-1 win over UTS). The Cosmos finished the 1997-98 season bottom of the table again which saw the departure of Culina and appointment of former Socceroos coach Rale Rasic.

New signings for 1998-99 including Melbourne Knights goalkeeper Vilson Knezevic brought hope, but a winless start to the season for Rasic’s young side escalated tensions with the board and Rale departed seven weeks into the new season. [citenews| url=http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P1-21415465.html |title=Rasic calls for patience and gets the sack |author=AAP Sports |publisher=Highbeam Research |date=1998-11-25 |accessdate=2007-09-16] The Cosmos continued to struggle in the national competition, finishing last for the third year in a row, ten points behind the second-last team.

The 1999-2000 season saw some on-field improvement by the club achieving nine wins and nine draws. However, the Cosmos remained unstable financially, and administrators were appointed on 30 June 2000 to oversee the clubs financial position.

In a time of general turmoil for the NSL, the 2000-01 season was reasonably successful for Canberra, finishing a respectable 11th place and remaining competitive throughout the year with eleven wins and four draws.

Exclusion

Soccer Australia determined in mid-2000 that it would review the NSL for the 2001-02 season, proposing to reduce the number of teams from 16 to 12. Carlton and Eastern Pride folded during the season, and Soccer Australia determined in June 2001 that Canberra Cosmos was not a 'going concern', excluding them from the league along with Brisbane Strikers. [citeweb|url=http://www.clubsincrisis.com/Archives/australia.asp |title=Soccer Australia |publisher=Clubs in Crisis |accessdate=2007-09-16]

Appeals by and on behalf of the ejected clubs followed seeking a reversal of the decision, criticising the process and criteria used. Eventually the Soccer Australia board, under pressure from stakeholders and political figures agreed to “re-admit” Canberra and Brisbane to the NSL for the 2001/2002 season.

The Cosmos stepped up planning for the new season, appointing new coaching staff and even forming a partnership with English Second Division club Swindon Town. [citenews| url=http://archive.salisburyjournal.co.uk/2001/6/4/216959.html |title=The Cosmic connection |publisher=Salisbury Journal (Archive) |date=2001-06-04 |accessdate=2008-03-19] Despite looking forward, the Cosmos’ financial problems remained and were unable to recover from the initial exclusion decision. After being unable to pay their NSL affiliation fee, Soccer Australia determined that Cosmos FC had not met the required conditions of entry and on 26 September 2001 terminated its right to participate in the 2001/2002 NSL season.citeweb|url=http://www.capitalfootball.com.au/library.htm |title=Canberra Cosmos FC Report for Soccer Canberra |date=March 2003]

Statistics

(Pld)=Games Played, (W) = Wins, (D)=Draws, (L)=Losses, (GF)=Goals For, (GA)=Goals Against, (Pts)=Points, (Cup)= NSL Cup placing

Youth system

The club had only a single 'first team' during its existence with no incorporated reserves or youth development system, owing in part to the structure of the NSL. Local players were drawn from the ACT leagues and formed a major component of the squads.

While the "National Youth League" was in operation the ACT Academy of Sport provided the Cosmos youth side through the involvement of Soccer Canberra. The Canberran location provided a potential pathway for players from the AIS Football Squad, although no formal links were ever established. The program, aimed at developing players aged 16-17, also competed in the NYL independently. Few players graduated successfully from the ACTAS and AIS programs to the Cosmos squad.

Colours and badge

In their inaugural season, the Cosmos played in predominantly dark blue shirts and dark blue shorts, colours reflecting the original ‘shooting star’ logo, provided through sportswear manufacturer Asics. The alternate strip was a white shirt and shorts, also with large stars in the trim. A yellow alternate strip with black shorts was later introduced. For the 97/98 season, the away colours of a white shirt with blue trim became the home colours, giving more prominence to the sponsor.For the 1998/99 season, the club emblem was revised to a circle and star design. The home strip colours were changed to red shirt and shorts with a new change strip of yellow shirt and shorts, now manufactured under a new clothing deal with "Admiral Sportswear". The logo featured a blue star over a gold circle, which was later revised to a black star over a red circle to closer reflect the new red home strip.

Stadium

The Cosmos home ground was Canberra Stadium. During major renovations to the stadium in 1997, home games were played at Seiffert Oval in Queanbeyan. A small number of games were also played on AIS grounds.

Supporters

The Cosmos failed to attract significant support within the Canberra community which was reflected in poor attendances at games.

A small but loyal group of fans formed "Cosmos FC Supporters Group" and were particularly active in promoting the game to the Canberra community. The group were consistently in attendance at home games and often travelled to away fixtures, particularly matches against the seven clubs located in New South Wales.

The official Canberra Cosmos mascot known as ‘Cosmo’ appeared at most home games throughout the club’s tenure. Adorned in a blue white and silver helmet and jumpsuit, Cosmo would ride a unicycle, juggle and entertain the crowd from the sideline and during pre-game and halftime, notably being sent to the stands by the referee during one game for allegedly inciting the crowd to violence.

Notable players

*flagicon|Australia Paul Wade (1995-97): As Socceroo captain and Australia's most capped player at the time, Wade became the face of the new club on formation. His thirteen years of NSL experience were invaluable on the pitch as a key midfield playmaker.
*flagicon|Australia Toplica Popovich (1995-96, 1997-2001): The clubs most capped player, "Toppy" was a local Canberran selected from the ACT Premier League in the inaugural year. After a short stint overseas, he returned to the club and remained until its final season.
*flagicon|Australia Michael Musitano (1995-96, 1997-2000): Another ACT Premier League local, Musitano was a stand-out player in the first season, attracting a transfer to Adelaide City. After an unsettled year in Adelaide he returned to Canberra for another three seasons.
*flagicon|Northern Ireland Norman Kelly (1995-99): Signed for the first year as one of few players with international experience, Kelly was a regular first team starter for four seasons.
*flagicon|Australia Paul Dee (1995-98): Already capped at youth level for Australia, Dee joined as a promising young player from Marconi. He made 74 appearances over three years at the club.
*flagicon|Australia Vince Grella (1996-97): A product of the AIS system, Grella made his NSL debut at Cosmos aged 16. A number of good performances in the side saw newcomer Carlton sign him in the off-season.

Other notable players:
*flagicon|Australia David Arranz
*flagicon|Australia Damien Brown
*flagicon|Australia Peter Buljan
*flagicon|Australia Alex Castro
*flagicon|Australia Andrew Clark
*flagicon|Australia Anthony Giannasca
*flagicon|Australia Robbie Hooker
*flagicon|Japan Naoki Imaya
*flagicon|Australia Harry James
*flagicon|Australia John Koch
*flagicon|Australia John Markovski
*flagicon|Australia David Milin
*flagicon|Australia Danny Milosevic
*flagicon|Australia Nik Mrdja
*flagicon|Australia Ilija Prenzoski
*flagicon|Australia Lindsay Wilson

Managers

*flagicon|England Mick Lyons (Jun 1995 - May 1997)
*flagicon|Australia Branko Čulina (Jun 1997 - Mar 1998)
*flagicon|Australia Rale Rasic (Mar - Nov 1998)
*flagicon|Australia Tony Brennan (caretaker) (Nov 1998 - Jan 1999)
*flagicon|Scotland Tom Sermanni (Jan 1999 - Mar 2001)
*flagicon|Australia Milan Milovanovic (Mar - Jul 2001)
*flagicon|Uruguay Antonio Alzamendi (Jul 2001 (appointed then terminated shortly after ] ))
*flagicon|Australia Leon (Bill) Gardikiotis (Aug - Sep 2001)

Records

*Biggest win: 8-1 v UTS Olympic, 5 January 1998, Seiffert Oval
*Biggest loss: 0-8 v Wollongong City, 5 December 1997, Brandon Park, Wollongong
*Highest scoring match: 5-5 v Newcastle Breakers, 16 February 1996, Breakers Stadium, Newcastle
*Most Capped Player: Toplica Popovich (124 games)
*All time top scorer: Peter Buljan (21 goals)
*Highest attendance: 9,421 - 1 November 1996 (1-1 v Newcastle Breakers)

References

External links

* [http://www.ozfootball.net/ark/Clubs/C/CanberraCosmosDH.html OzFootball Canberra Cosmos divisional history]
* [http://www.geocities.com/colosseum/goal/8219/ Andy's Totally Unofficial Shrine to the Canberra Cosmos FC]