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DEBT
DEMOLITION |
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 A
Macedonian sporting club steeped in history
For over 50 years, the Preston Makedonia Football Club has
grown to become one of the most recognised, respected and
popular sporting clubs in Australia. Throughout this time,
it has left an indelible mark on both the Australian
football landscape and the Macedonian community of
Australia.
Currently based in Melbourne’s outer-northern suburbs, the
club was originally created as a focal point for the newly
immigrated Macedonian community to gather, socialise and
provide the Australian-Macedonian youth with the
opportunity to learn and play the ‘world game’ that was so
popular back in their homeland of Macedonia.
The Makedonia Soccer Club, as it was originally known,
became a registered member of the Victorian Soccer
Federation in 1959 and began playing in sanctioned
competition. However, the club was established as far back
as 1946 when members from the local Macedonian community
began kicking a soccer ball around near the site of the
current day Melbourne Zoo, at Royal Park in Parkville. Who
would have thought back then that those tentative steps
would lead to the development of a sporting icon in the
Australian-Macedonian community that would go on to
achieve such success at the highest level of football
competition in this country, some 30-40 years later.
This small group of pioneers would continue to play
non-official matches against teams from other local
communities until 1949, and then re-grouped again in 1957,
before gaining acceptance to the Victorian Provisional
League in 1959.
 After moving to a new home ground at Cochrane Reserve in
Collier Street, Preston, in 1963, and thus adopting the
name of Preston Makedonia, the club moved forward in leaps
and bounds to become champions of the Victorian
Metropolitan League Division One in 1966, and as a result,
was promoted to the state’s top competition, the Victorian
State League in 1967. The challenge of competing against
Melbourne’s best teams however proved to be too much and
Preston subsequently dropped back to the Metropolitan
League after just one season, and would have to wait a
further seven years before tasting championship success
again in 1975 and regaining promotion back to the
Victorian State League.
There was no looking back now as the club built further on
its success to eventually become Victorian State Champions
and winner of the inaugural Victoria Cup in 1980. It was
during this significant period of growth when home crowds
reached in excess of 8,000 for blockbuster games, that the
need for much larger facilities became apparent and the
club moved to its current home base at B.T. Connor Reserve
in nearby Reservoir.
The Preston Makedonia Social Club located directly
opposite the ground was also built around the same time
with the financial support and input from all quarters of
the local Macedonian community, and the club’s junior
set-up really kicked into high gear helping to nurture and
produce the next generation of stars to represent Preston.
The club was then given an opportunity to submit an
application to enter the flourishing National Soccer
League competition and after satisfying a number of
stringent criteria, were promoted to that league in 1981,
finally recognising a dream for so many of the club’s hard
working members, volunteers, players and supporters.
 Preston continued to compete successfully in the NSL for
the next 13 seasons, finishing in the top five on five
separate occasions and runner-up twice. Some of the other
major achievements during that time included reaching the
final of all three major competitions in 1985 - the NSL
Cup Final, Dockerty Cup Final and the Southern Division
Grand Final; taking out the 1991 Gold Cup Night Series;
and then finally bringing home the prestigious Dockerty
Cup trophy in 1992 in a thrilling penalty shootout against
arch rivals South Melbourne, a memory the Preston faithful
hold very close to their hearts. However financial
constraints and off-field difficulties led to poor
performances and in 1993 Preston played their last match
in the NSL.
Relegated back to the Victorian Premier League, Preston
were again crowned champions of Victoria in 1994, and it
was at around this time that the club adopted the moniker
“Preston Lions”. Preston would once again become Victorian
Premier League champions in 2002 with a memorable Golden
Goal extra-time winner against Fawkner in front of a
record Grand Final crowd, and then again in 2007 with a
3-1 victory over the Whittlesea Zebras, to add to the
club’s impressive trophy collection.
Another major achievement the club can be incredibly proud
of is the number of talented players it has produced over
the years who have gone on to represent Australia
internationally at both senior and youth level including
the likes of Peter Ollerton, Gary Cole, Warren Spink,
Robbie Dunn, Phil Traianedes, Zarko Odzakov, George
Jolevski, Andrew Zinni, Oscar Crino, John Markovski, Kris
Trajanovski, Goran Lozanovski, Robert Spasevski, Robert
Stojcevski and Vasko Trpcevski.
More recently, long-time
Preston player Sasa Ognenovski who graduated through the
club’s junior ranks, captained his Korean club side to
victory in the 2010 Asian Champions League Final and in
the process took out the prestigious Asian Football
Confederation Player of the Year award. He was also
rewarded with a Socceroos call-up where he starred during
Australia’s 2011 Asian Cup campaign.
 The club has also been fortunate to have had some
exceptional coaches over the years such as former
Socceroos Peter Ollerton, John Markovski and Goran
Lozanovski, Ian Dobson, dual A-League championship winning
coach of the Melbourne Victory Ernie Merrick, and the
great Andon Doncevski who was one of Macedonia’s greatest
ever soccer players and former Macedonian national team
coach.
Given such a proud history, it is important to acknowledge
the hard work and dedication of many different people
involved with the club including past players, coaches,
presidents, committee members, life members, club
officials, volunteers, members, sponsors and supporters
who were fuelled by the passion, loyalty and desire to
help build what has today become an icon in the Australian
sporting landscape. For without them, the achievements of
the club would never have been possible.
It is also appropriate to recognise the significant female
contribution at the club, from the wives of committee
members who worked tirelessly in the canteens on the
weekend and helped organise fund raising events, to
today’s on-field exploits of the Preston Women’s team,
affectionately nicknamed the “Lionesses”.
Today the club consists of over 150 players at senior
men’s, women’s and junior level. These teams are supported
by a small but dedicated group of young and vibrant people
involved in club administration, coaching and volunteering
who are keen on learning from the past and building for
the future.
The Preston Lions Football Club respects the strong
Macedonian cultural influence that has ensured the success
of this great club to date, however we also recognise that
the club now has a larger role to player in the wider
community. We understand that the future of football and
our club lies with our children and this is why we are
developing junior development programs to raise community
awareness of the Preston Lions Football Club and football
in general. We also want to encourage and create a better
environment for families, corporate partners, sponsors,
members and supporters to attend our games and enjoy the
welcoming atmosphere at the club.
We believe that the Preston Lions Football Club must
continue to grow for the benefit and enjoyment of the
people in our community who have now come to depend on its
continued existence.
For further details of the club
click here. |
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