Melbourne Victory FC (A-League Women)
Full name | Melbourne Victory Football Club | ||
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Founded | 2008 | ||
Ground | AAMI Park The Home of the Matildas | ||
Capacity | 30,050 2,000 | ||
Chairman | John Dovaston | ||
Manager | Jeff Hopkins | ||
League | A-League Women | ||
2022–23 | 4th of 11 | ||
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Active departments of Melbourne Victory FC | ||||||||
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Melbourne Victory FC is an Australian professional women's
History
Establishment
Following on from the previous top-division
Inaugural season
Early signs were positive in the
2009
The
2010–11
Season 2010/11 saw a change of personnel for Melbourne Victory with new coach Vicki Linton taking charge of a re-shuffled squad. Adjusting to a new system and new teammates, it was a slow start with the team having to wait until Round 4 to claim its first win of the season before finishing the regular season off with a five-match undefeated run.
Finishing in fourth spot, Victory made the finals but succumbed to a strong
2011–12
If 2010/11 was an important step forward, 2011/12 was a giant leap for Melbourne Victory as it consolidated its place as one of the top teams in Australia. Its most consistent season so far saw it never out of finals contention. Going the entire season undefeated at home – including going within minutes of beating the undefeated Canberra United – Victory finished fourth in the tightest season of the Westfield W-League in history.
Despite a tight 1–0 loss to Canberra in the semi-final it was a successful season with
debuts while Catley and Brown won Footballer of the Year (Australian Football Fan Awards) and W-League Young Player of the Season respectively. Melbourne Victory also won its second successive W-League Fair Play Award, sharing with Canberra, and retained the OCRF Trophy.2012–13
Hoping to build on their strong 2011/12 season, the Victory got off to a shaky start in 2012/13 with head coach Vicki Linton resigning only weeks before the season was to kick-off. With her departure Darren Tan was appointed as interim coach until former Gold Coast United coach Mike Mulvey was given the job just days before the opening round.
Having only a squad of 12 players registered going into the match, Melbourne Victory was forced to sign three more players due to FFA regulations before going on to lose 2–0 to Perth. Despite another loss in Round 2 leaving the team on the bottom of the ladder, a combination of international signings – including stars
With the league's best defence, Melbourne finished the regular season in third place losing only a single match after Round 2. Even so, the team had to contend with more issues as Mulvey left following Round 9 to take up an A-League contract with Brisbane Roar, while Fishlock's guest contract ended after Round 10. A dramatic semi-final win over Perth Glory extended the side's historic undefeated streak to seven and allowed it to host the 2012/13 Westfield W-League grand final at AAMI Park, although it fell to Sydney FC 3–1. Despite this, Steph Catley was awarded W-League Young Player of the Year and Mike Mulvey W-League Coach of the Year.
Support
The active support group for Melbourne Victory is the Victory Vikings, who also serve as the active support group for Melbourne Victory FC AWT.[5][6] The group was formed prior to the 2019–20 W-League season by Melbourne Victory supporters who attended the 2019 FIFA Women's World Cup, after they were involved with the Matildas Active Support and enjoyed the experience.[7] Aside from attending matches, the Victory Vikings are also known for announcing statistics on player milestones, as well as posting instant live match updates for Melbourne Victory and AWT matches. The group is notable for their mascot, a large stuffed Homer Simpson doll wearing a Viking helmet that is brought to matches, with players frequently posing with it.[8]
Players
Current squad
- As of 22 February 2024
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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Notable former players
Below is a list of notable footballers who have previously played for Melbourne Victory Women. Generally, this means players that have played 50 or more first-class matches for the club. However, some players who have played fewer matches are also included, are the club's integral founding members, were integral members of a championship winning team, have at least one senior international cap or made significant contributions to the club's history.
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Managers
Dates | Name | Notes | Honours |
---|---|---|---|
26 October 2008–5 December 2009 | Matt Sheppard[9] | Inaugural manager | |
3 August 2010–7 September 2012 | Vicki Linton[10][11] | First manager to take the club to W-League finals | W-League Fair-Play Award (x2): 2010–11 & 2011–12 |
12 November 2011–13 November 2011 | Michael Edwards[citation needed] | Step-in Manager for one match | |
21 October 2012–18 December 2012 | Mike Mulvey[12] | Departed in Round Ten to join Brisbane Roar in the A-League. | W-League Coach of the Year 2012–13 |
18 December 2012–27 January 2013 | Fabrizio Soncin[13][14] | Promoted from Assistant Coach to complete season 2012–13 | W-League Premiership Runners-Up 2012–13 |
5 February 2013–23 February 2014 | Dave Edmondson[15] | Departed following Grand Final to join Bristol Academy[16]
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W-League Champions 2013–14 |
14 May 2014–March 2015 | Joe Montemurro[17] | Departed after season to join Melbourne City[18] | |
October 2015–January 2016 | Dave Edmondson[19][20] | ||
17 June 2016– | Jeff Hopkins[21] |
Honours
Continental record
Season | Competition | Round | Opponent | Home | Away | Aggregate |
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2019 | AFC Women's Club Championship | Incheon Hyundai Steel Red Angels | 0–4
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4th place
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Jiangsu Suning | 1–1
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Nippon TV Beleza | 0–5
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Year-by-year history
Season | Teams | League Position | Finals Position |
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2008–09 | 8 | 5th | – |
2009 | 8 | 5th | – |
2010–11 | 7 | 4th | Semi-Finals |
2011–12 | 7 | 4th | Semi-Finals |
2012–13 | 8 | 3rd | Finalist |
2013–14 | 8 | 3rd | Champions |
2014 | 8 | 2nd | Finalist |
2015–16 | 9 | 9th | – |
2016–17 | 9 | 9th | – |
2017–18 | 9 | 7th | – |
2018–19 | 9 | 1st | Semi-Finals |
2019–20 | 9 | 2nd | Semi-Finals |
2020–21 | 9 | 3rd | Champions |
2021–22 | 10 | 4th | Champions |
2022–23 | 11 | 4th | Preliminary Final |
Records and statistics
Records
- Record Win: 0–7 vs Newcastle Jets, Round 13 (Season 2019-20), 23 February 2020
- Record Defeat: 6-0 vs Brisbane Roar, Round 3 (Season 2020-21), 22 January 2021
- Record High Attendance: 8,838 vs Adelaide United, AAMI Park, Melbourne, 26 February 2023[22]
- Most Goals by a Player in a Game: 3Amy Jackson v Adelaide United, 12 October 2014, 18 December 2022
Racheal Quigley v Newcastle Jets, 22 November 2014
Natasha Dowie v Brisbane Roar, 1 January 2017; v Sydney FC, 25 November 2018
Melina Ayres v Brisbane Roar, 4 April 2021; v Melbourne City, 16 April 2023
Kayla Morrison v Newcastle Jets - Most Wins in a Row: 5 – 4 April 2021 to 18 December 2021
- Longest Undefeated Streak: 9 matches – 16 November 2013 to 25 January 2014
- Most Goals In a Regular season: Melina Ayres – 9 goals, 2022–23 A-League Women
Most appearances
Last updated 30 April 2023
- Competitive, professional matches only.
Name | Years | League | Finals | AFC Women's Champions League
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International Women's Club Championship | Total | |
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1 | Amy Jackson |
2010–2014, 2019- | 87 | 12 | 3 | 1 | 103 |
2 | Lia Privitelli | 2016– | 75 | 7 | 2 | 0 | 84 |
3 | Casey Dumont | 2017– | 64 | 7 | 2 | 0 | 73 |
4 | Melina Ayres | 2017– | 57 | 9 | 2 | 0 | 68 |
5 | Gulcan Koca |
2009–2018 | 61 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 67 |
Leading scorers
Natasha Dowie holds the record for most league goals with 33 (including finals) as of April 2023.
Last updated 30 April 2023
- Competitive, professional matches only, appearances including substitutes appear in brackets.
Name | Years | League | Finals | Total | Games per goal | |
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1 | Natasha Dowie | 2015–2020 | 33 (55) | 0 (2) | 33 (57) | 1.73 |
2 | Melina Ayres | 2017– | 20 (57) | 8 (9) | 28 (66) | 2.36 |
=3 | Caitlin Friend | 2010–2014 | 15 (42) | 0 (4) | 15 (46) | 3.07 |
=3 | Amy Jackson |
2010–2014, 2019- | 14 (87) | 1 (12) | 15 (99) | 6.60 |
=5 | Lisa De Vanna | 2013–2015, 2020-2021 | 11 (32) | 3 (5) | 14 (37) | 2.64 |
=5 | Catherine Zimmerman | 2021–2023 | 12 (32) | 2 (7) | 14 (39) | 2.79 |
See also
- List of top-division football clubs in AFC countries
- Women's soccer in Australia
- W-League (Australia) all-time records
- Australia women's national soccer team
References
- ^ "NEW MELBOURNE VICTORY WOMEN'S FOOTBALL TEAM KICKS OFF". The Premier of Victoria. 24 October 2008. Retrieved 17 February 2014.
- ^ "Mariners' women denied victory in Melbourne". Football NSW. Retrieved 17 February 2014.
- ^ "Mariners women sign off for 2009 with dramatic win". Football NSW. Retrieved 17 February 2014.
- ^ Hogan, Jesse (22 January 2009). "Barbieri named goalkeeper of the year in inaugural awards". The Age. Retrieved 17 February 2014.
- ^ "Victory Vikings". Instagram. Victory Vikings. Retrieved 7 January 2024.
- ^ Ojeda, Cody. ""I feed off it" - The viral star ready to light up the A-League Women". Front Page Football. Retrieved 7 January 2024.
- ^ "Victory Vikings: Bringing People Together (With Homer)". Impetus Football. Retrieved 7 January 2024.
- ^ Yap, Kieran. "From songs to sponsorships: the work & dedication of women's Active Supporters". Impetus Football. Retrieved 7 January 2024.
- ^ "Shepherd to lead Victory Women". Melbourne Victory. 10 September 2008.
- ^ "Victory women secure new coach". The Women's Game. 3 August 2010.
- W-League. 7 September 2012.
- ^ "Mike Mulvey keen for season ahead". Melbourne Victory. 22 October 2012.
- W-League. 19 December 2012.
- ^ Stone, Kathy (21 December 2012). "Victory women vow to bounce back". FTBL.
- ^ "Edmondson heading up Victorian women's football". The Women's Game. 4 February 2013.
- ^ "Dave Edmondson takes over at Bristol Academy". The Football Association. 22 January 2014.
- ^ "W-League: Montemurro named coach". Melbourne Victory. 14 May 2014.
- ^ "Melbourne Victory looking for a new coach as Joe Montemurro departs". The Women's Game. 24 April 2015.
- ^ "W-League team to be managed in-house at Victory". Melbourne Victory. 14 October 2015.
- ^ "Dave Edmondson named London Bees head coach". BBC Sport. 30 January 2016.
- ^ "Melbourne Victory appoint Jeff Hopkins". The Women's Game. 17 June 2016.
- ^ "W League Stats". ALeagueStats.com. Retrieved 6 August 2023.