Gold Coast Knights

Gold Coast Knights Football Club is a professional soccer club based in Carrara, Queensland, Australia. The Croatian Australian backed club play in the National Premier Leagues Queensland, the top flight of the Football Queensland administrative division and the second flight of the Australian soccer league system. The club has won one National Premier Leagues Queensland championship, along with a variety of regional honours.

Gold Coast Knights was established in 1978, with the first senior team fielded within the Gold Coast's second division in 1979. The club originally played at Musgrave Hill until 1982, where since the club has played at the Croatian Sports Centre in the suburb of Carrara. The club won its first major honour in 1981, where the club won the Gold Coast top division President's Cup under the former name, St. Anthony's Soccer Club. The club has been one of the most successful soccer clubs based on the Gold Coast.

Gold Coast Knights soccer club has hosted the Australian-Croatian Soccer Tournament in 1995, 2012 and 2018.

History

1978−1999: Formation and name changes

Gold Coast Knights Soccer Club was formed by a group of Croatian migrants in the Gold Coast region in 1978, under the name St. Anthony’s Soccer Club. The club has just one side, an U-14 side, which was coached by Mladen Marinac. The side trained at Aquinas College and played its home games at Musgrave Hill. In 1979, a senior team was formed and entered the local Men's 2nd Division competition. The growth of the Croatian migrant population in Gold Coast coincided with the growth of the club. In 1981, under the leadership of Zeljko Bambic, a Men's 1st Division side was entered. In 1982, the club bought land in Carrara, Queensland, where two fields were put down and a small clubhouse built.