Sport
20 June, 2025
50 golden years of glory
LEICHHARDT Football Club is marking 50 golden years of football excellence and inclusion with a celebration at The Reef Hotel Casino today, honouring its legacy of community spirit, sportsmanship and one-of-a-kind players.
Founded in 1975, the Leichhardt FC has had at its core the mission of being inclusive and showcasing that anybody of any age, ethnicity, background or ability can play high quality football.
From humble beginnings and a slow growth, the club now has 550 loyal members and a steady annual growth and success.
The sold-out event will take place at The Reef Hotel Casino from 6pm and club members, past and present, and members of the wider community are expected to attend.
Club president Jessy Mulla said it was exciting and humbling to be celebrating 50 years of the Lions.
“We’re celebrating on Friday, June 20 at The Reef Hotel Casino and we have nearly 200 people booked for the event which is fantastic,” he said.
“On Saturday we are playing our archrivals the 60-year-old Stratford Dolphins at 7.30pm at the Leichhardt Club in White Rock.
“The club was founded in 1975, it started in the city on Buchan St and eventually it moved out to White Rock and we’re very proud that it has always been an inclusive and diverse club and we’re a family club which we have promoted strongly.
“We have approximately 550 members and, although it changes from year to year, we are growing each year, and we’ve grown a lot in the past five years.
“My hope for the future is that we continue to grow and that we continue to have that multiculturality.”
Originally headed by president John Margiotta, the club was originally named Azzurri Leichhardt – named after the Italian flag colours – and had a committee made up of Italian Australians and, although recruitment was slow in the beginning, they managed to turn it around.
The team had their first match in March 1976 and, although they fell short in the first division – now known as the Premier Men’s Division – the reserve grade went on to win the premiership and grand final against the Dolphins.
The club then went on to form the juniors’ team in 1977 and the women’s team in 1978.
Since then, the club has grown local talent into professional football, fielded 49 teams across all ages and over 500 members.
Players have gone down south and played in higher leagues in Brisbane and in Victoria, the club has hosted Heidelberg FC and former Manchester United icon George Best ran an academy for Leichhardt.
