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The Brisbane Strikers

Brisbane was first represented in the National Soccer League by Brisbane City who won the first two national knockout competitions by defeating Marconi in 1977 and Adelaide City in 1978. Brisbane Lions then flew the flag for Queensland and defeated West Adelaide in the 1981 competition. 

The next representation from the Sunshine State was in the form of Brisbane United in the 1991-92 and 1992-93 seasons and out of the demise of United came the birth of the Brisbane Strikers. 

The Brisbane Strikers was formed in 1994 and was owned by the Queensland Soccer Federation who handed the running of the club initially to a Trust Management Group, which consisted of prominent Brisbane Business men in Ian Brusasco, former President of the Queensland Soccer Federation and the Australian Soccer federation, Dr Clem Jones former Lord Mayor of Brisbane and Frank Speare a leading Soccer official. 

The Strikers kicked off in the 93-94 season with Bruce Stowell as coach. Bruce coached the team for the first three years. They finished 8th on the ladder in a field of 14 but improved in subsequent seasons with a 7th in 94-95 and a 4th in 95-96 losing a 2 legged play off to Sydney United. 

In 1996-97 the Strikers rewrote the history books by taking out the championship on Sunday May 25 before a then all-time record crowd of 40,446 spectators at the hallowed Rugby League ground at Lang Park in Brisbane. 

At the helm of this memorable occasion was player/coach and Australian soccer legend Frank Farina. Farina had joined the Strikers the previous season after returning home from overseas and retiring from international football. In the 1997-98 season, the team had a mediocre result finishing 12th and in 1998 after Farina moved to Sydney and Marconi Fairfield. 

The Trust Management Group was replaced by the Strikers Football Club Pty Ltd in August 1998 when the Queensland Soccer Federation realised that it was not in their charter to run football teams. 

John Kosmina replaced Frank Farina as the coach. Kosmina a former Socceroos captain and Olympian turned the team around and headed back up the ladder finishing 9th from 15 teams in his first season 1998-99 at the helm. The following season 1999-2000 the team finished again in 9th position. In 2000-2001 the team finished in 12th position. 

Soccer Australia invited the Strikers Football Club Pty Ltd to apply for a licence in December 2000 when Soccer Australia re-structured the league. 

Initially the Strikers Football Club Pty Ltd were not successful with the application and after an appeal and considerable public pressure being put on the Board of Soccer Australia by Queensland Politicians and the public of Queensland and Northern New South Wales the Soccer Australia Board reconsidered the application and granted a licence to the Strikers Football Club Pty Ltd in their own right for the 2000-2001 season. This licence was to be extended on a yearly basis as long as the club meets its commitment to Soccer Australia. 

Our team upset all southern predictions that we would finish last and finished in 4th position. We lost a 2-legged play-off with South Melbourne. 

Brazilian import player Fernando Rech won the John Warren Players Player of the Year award by a record margin and the team also won the Soccer Australia Fair Play Award. 

The following season, 2002-03 was not as enjoyable with the team finishing in the lower half of the table. 

The board decided not to continue with John Kosmina as coach after five years. Applications were received from around the world for the coaching position, but the Board made the innovative decision to appoint two coaches, Stuart McLaren as head coach, with Luciano Trani as assistant coach and team manager. This appointment proved very successful and the team finished the 2003-04 season in sixth position losing a close home and away play off with Adelaide United. 

The Strikers has produced many quality players that have played for interstate clubs, European Leagues, and Australian National teams. We are proud of our success, and the background of our club proves our ability to continue to play a prominent role in the development of the code to thousands of young Queenslanders.

 With complexes at Perry Park the home of Queensland Soccer and now at Meakin Park on the Southside we are geared to continue this work.

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  The Strikers are now focusing on building up local support for soccer at all levels. Keep checking here to see what we are doing so you can be part of the excitement as we rebuild soccer in Brisbane. Major strategies for this include such things as our association with North Star Football Club.