Balcatta

Balcatta Football Club is an Australian semi-professional soccer club based in Balcatta, Perth, Western Australia. They compete in the National Premier Leagues Western Australia.

History

In the park of St. Lawrence Church, Main Street, Balcatta, a group of friends started to kick a football to end the boredom of the Sunday afternoons. Little did they know that this was the beginning of Balcatta Etna Soccer Club. Within a short time the number of friends who wanted to play football grew dramatically as did the number of spectators.

The much-developed interest between the group of friends brought about the idea of forming a football team, and within several days a committee was formed. The majority of members were originally from a town called Ucria (province of Messina), Sicily. This being the case, it was decided to call the newborn club by a Sicilian symbol “Etna” being the largest volcano in Europe. After several months of preparation, the club was accepted as a member of the Soccer Federation of Western Australia and became officially known as Balcatta Etna Soccer Club.

In the first year, 1978, playing at the new home ground, Reader Reserve in Hector St, Mt Yokine. Etna acquired fifth position on the ladder. In the second year, 1979, Etna finished seventh position on the ladder. In the same year, a ladies committee was formed and a house was rented at 70 McDonald Street, Osborne Park for use as clubrooms.

The following year in 1980, a youth committee was formed for the purpose of helping promote the club. The management committee decided to strengthen the team and with the addition of new players, promotion was achieved from 4th to 3rd Division.

In 1982 the club amalgamated with the Balcatta Cats Junior Soccer Club, which led to expansion of the club. It was decided that a larger ground was needed to accommodate the increase in numbers and in 1985, the club was granted approval to use Grindleford Reserve (now Graham Burkett Reserve). For the following two years the