Para Hills Knights SC

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Para Hills Knights
Full namePara Hills Knights Soccer Club
Nickname(s)The Knights
Short namePara Hills
Founded24 March 1964; 60 years ago (1964-03-24)
GroundFeel Good Physio Co Stadium
ChairmanDale Ramsey
ManagerTheo Tsiounis[1]
LeagueNPL South Australia
2023SA State League 1, 2nd of 12 (promoted)

Para Hills Knights Soccer Club is a semi-professional soccer club based in Para Hills West, a northern suburb of Adelaide. The club was founded on 24 March 1964, joining the Federation in 1966. The club currently plays in National Premier Leagues South Australia, winning promotion to the second tier of Australian soccer in 2023. Originally playing at Nelson Road Reserve in Para Hills, the club has been based out of their current home ground, The Paddocks (currently known as Feel Good Physio Co Stadium for sponsorship reasons), since 1986.

The club has won multiple second division titles, finished runners-up in the first division in 1980 and have reached the final of the Federation Cup on four occasions. Their last piece of silverware came in 2012, when they won the FFSA Premier League title, and were promoted to the first season of the National Premier Leagues. They have played in a national competition on one occasion, in the 1981 NSL Cup, losing 0–3 to NSL side West Adelaide Hellas in their only game.

History[edit]

Para Hills Knights' original logo, used until 1993

The Para Hills Community Soccer Club was formed by Robert Eldridge, John Eldridge, Chick Harris, John West, Andy Balter and Malcolm Owen on 24 March 1964. The aim of the club being to foster and promote the game of soccer in the Northern Suburbs. The Eldridge brothers were Tottenham Hotspur supporters, so their kit early on was full white.[2] The club set the goal of playing first division soccer within 10 years. In 1965 the club entered a team in the Sunday Industrial League. On 4 April 1965 the club played its first competitive senior game losing 3–1 with Chris Pawley scoring the first goal for the club.

The following year the club entered the South Australian Soccer Federation and once again the first game resulted in a defeat, 2–1 with the first goal in the Federation being scored by Dave Barry. In 1967 the club won its first pieces of silverware, winning the third division, and the Rowely Cup.[3]

In 1976, one year later than the club originally aimed for, Para Hills won promotion to South Australia's first division. Before the start of the 1977 season, the club left its base at Nelson Road to move to new facilities at The Paddocks. The club's first game in the first division was a 4-3 victory against Campbelltown Budapest on the new pitch, the winning goal scored by Harry McDonald. By the third week, the club had achieved its only two wins of the league season, narrowly avoiding relegation.[4]

In Para Hills' fourth year in the top division, they finished runners-up, one point behind Croatia, missing out on top spot after a 1–1 draw with them in the final round. A month later, they won the Coca Cola Challenge Cup after a 3–0 win over Croatia, which was their first major silverware in the club's 17 year history.[5][6]

Para Hills adopted the Knights moniker for the 1994 season.[7]

Affiliated clubs[edit]

St Mirren F.C.[edit]

St Mirren and Para Hills announced a strategic partnership on 8 September 2020. The partnership allows for the exchange of players and coaching staff with a focus on development of young players and coaches.[8] The partnership also allowed the club to recover from financial turmoil caused by the COVID-19 pandemic by attracting sponsorship.[9]

In 2021, 18-year-old Lochlan Czapla joined St Mirren's youth setup after spending his teenage years with Para Hills.[10]

Para Hills United SC[edit]

Para Hills United was founded alongside the Para Hills Community Soccer Club as the Para Hills Junior Soccer Club, and have fielded teams in the Elizabeth & Districts Junior Soccer Association since their formation. The club became an incorperated body on 26 October 1977 and moved to The Paddocks. In 2011, the club was renamed to Para Hills United and fielded a senior side in the South Australian Amateur Soccer League for the first time in their history.[11]

Adelaide Brasfoot[edit]

Adelaide Brasfoot was founded in 2023 by members of Adelaide's Brazilian population with the support of Para Hills' board members. The club fields a senior and reserves side in the South Australian Amateur Soccer League and utilises Para Hills' home ground.[12]

Players[edit]

Para Hills' 1966 squad[13]

Current squad[edit]

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality. Squad correct as of 1 March 2024.

No. Pos. Nation Player
1 GK Australia AUS Caleb Robinson
2 FW Australia AUS Marcus Grbevski
3 MF Australia AUS Jaxson Merritt
4 DF Australia AUS Mark Ulaj
5   Jack Mitsoulas
6 DF Australia AUS Lionnel Muhitira
7 DF Australia AUS Zack Baxter-Haughey
8 FW Australia AUS Abu Hussein
9 FW Australia AUS Vianne Kurikwimana
10 MF Brazil BRA Diego Santos de Oliveira
11 MF Afghanistan AFG Ali Rayez Muradi
12 MF Australia AUS Keshav Shrestha
14 DF Australia AUS Lawand Hussein
No. Pos. Nation Player
15 FW Australia AUS Lansana Smith
16 MF Australia AUS Kairo Felix
17 FW Afghanistan AFG Omid Musawi
18 MF Australia AUS Adam Savetta
19 FW Afghanistan AFG Sayeed Reza Hussaini
20 DF Australia AUS Kyle Marley-McFall
21 DF Australia AUS Habtamu Horne
22 FW Australia AUS Isaac Handley
23 FW Australia AUS Harry Conant
25 GK Australia AUS Declan Burchel
31 FW Australia AUS Alex Tsimopoulos
77 FW Australia AUS Logan Marley-McFall
99 GK Australia AUS Yanni Delengas

Notable former players[edit]

Honours[edit]

State[edit]

Runner-up (1): 1980
Runner-up (1): 2010
Winners (4): 1976, 1990, 2006, 2012
Runner-up (7): 1975, 1995, 1998, 2001, 2016, 2022, 2023
Winners (1): 1995
Runner-up (4): 2001, 2004, 2016, 2023
Winners (1): 1967
Runner-up (4): 1982, 1986, 1989, 2012
  • Second Division Cup[18]
Winners (1): 1976
  • Third Division Cup[18]
Winners (1): 1967
Winners (1): 1980
Runner-up (1): 1984
Winners (1): 2007

Seasons[edit]

Para Hills Knights' league performance from 1996 to 2022.
  Division One
  Division Two
  Division Three
Season League State Cup Divisional Cup Pre-season Cup
Division (Tier) Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Pos Finals
1965 SASIL (-) Record unknown
1966 Div 3 (3) 18 11 2 5 44 28 +16 24 4th — Federation R1 Rowley ? —
1967 Div 3 (3) 22 19 1 2 80 22 +58 39 1st Federation R3 Rowley W —
1968 Div 2 (2) 18 8 4 6 32 25 +7 20 3rd Federation R3 Jaxen SF —
1969 Div 2 (2) 18 8 4 6 20 25 –5 20 3rd Federation R3 Jaxen ? —
1970 Div 2 (2) 18 8 1 9 32 32 0 17 6th Federation R2 Jaxen ? —
1971 Div 2 (2) 18 7 5 6 39 30 +9 19 4th Federation ER John Martins QF —
1972 Div 2 (2) 18 8 2 8 26 26 0 18 6th Federation R1 John Martins ? —
1973 Div 2 (2) 18 4 5 9 26 32 –6 13 8th Willis R1 John Martins ? —
1974 Div 2 (2) 18 5 7 6 28 34 –6 17 5th Willis R2 John Martins ? —
1975 Div 2 (2) 18 10 4 4 30 18 +12 24 2nd Willis R2 John Martins ? —
1976 Div 2 (2) 18 12 4 2 35 17 +18 28 1st Willis R2 John Martins W —
1977 Div 1 (2) 18 2 6 10 19 39 –20 10 9th Willis QF — —
1978 Div 1 (2) 18 4 7 7 17 23 –6 15 8th Federation QF — —
1979 Div 1 (2) 18 5 6 4 27 23 +4 16 6th Federation R3 — —
1980 Div 1 (2) 18 8 7 3 38 21 +17 23 2nd Federation R3 Coca-Cola W Ampol 8th
1981 Div 1 (2) 18 7 4 7 28 26 +2 18 5th Federation ? — Ampol 6th
1982 Div 1 (2) 18 8 6 4 34 21 +10 22 4th Federation RU Coca-Cola SF Ampol 8th
1983 Div 1 (2) 18 8 6 4 29 19 +10 22 4th P.G.H. QF Coca-Cola SF Ampol 7th
1984 Div 1 (2) 22 11 4 7 33 25 +8 26 4th P.G.H. R2 Coca-Cola RU Ampol ?
1985 Div 1 (2) 22 8 4 10 35 38 –3 20 7th P.G.H. SF — Ampol ?
1986 Div 1 (2) 22 8 5 9 31 33 –2 21 7th P.G.H. RU — ?
1987 Div 1 (2) 22 9 4 9 32 23 +9 22 6th P.G.H. QF — ?
1988 Div 1 (2) 22 6 8 8 23 30 –7 20 8th P.G.H. QF — ?
1989 Div 1 (2) 22 3 7 12 18 34 –16 13 11th P.G.H. RU — ?
1990 Div 2 (3) 18 11 4 3 28 10 +18 26 1st P.G.H. QF — —
1991 Div 1 (2) 22 11 4 7 38 31 +7 26 3rd P.G.H. QF Coca-Cola ? Ampol (Mar.) ?
1992 Div 1 (2) 18 4 9 5 13 20 –7 17 7th — Federation R2 — ?
1993 Div 1 (2) 18 5 5 8 20 29 –9 15 10th — Federation QF — ?
1994 State (3) 18 8 4 6 28 21 +7 20 5th PF Dairy Vale R2 — —
1995 State (3) 20 15 2 3 42 21 +21 47 1st RU Dairy Vale ? — —
1996 State (3) 22 14 3 5 70 30 +40 45 4th PF Mutual Community ? — —
1997 State (3) 22 10 3 9 43 48 –5 33 6th — Mutual Community QF — —
1998 State (3) 22 10 3 9 38 37 +1 33 6th RU Mutual Community R2 — —
1999 Premier (2) 22 4 5 13 26 45 –19 17 11th — West End R1 — —
2000 State (3) 22 11 5 6 49 27 +22 38 4th EF West End R1 — —
2001 State (3) 22 15 3 4 50 21 +29 48 2nd RU West End R1 — —
2002 Premier (2) 22 6 6 10 26 53 –27 24 9th — West End R1 — Night Series 16th
2003 Premier (2) 22 5 3 14 31 47 –16 18 11th — Federation R1 — —
2004 State (3) 22 16 0 6 59 26 +33 48 2nd PF Federation R1 — —
2005 State (2) 22 11 4 7 64 39 +25 37 4th EF Federation R2 — —
2006 Premier (3) 18 14 3 1 56 19 +37 45 1st — Federation R2 — Errea 4th
2007 Super (2) 18 7 3 8 32 37 –5 24 6th Best Pavers R3 — Errea QF
Fairmont Homes W
2008 Super (2) 18 8 4 6 28 25 +3 28 4th EF Best Pavers R2 — Best Point W
Fairmont Homes 5th
2009 Super (2) 18 5 8 5 25 28 –3 23 7th — Top Corner R2 — Fairmont Homes 4th
2010 Super (2) 18 9 5 4 28 19 +9 32 2nd SF Federation QF — Pre-season RU
2011 Super (2) 18 3 4 11 12 31 –19 13 9th — Coca-Cola R1 — Carlsberg 20th
2012 Premier (3) 18 10 4 4 33 19 +14 34 1st — Coca-Cola RU — Carlsberg 9th
2013 NPL (2) 26 10 5 11 47 45 +2 35 9th — Coca-Cola QF — —
2014 NPL (2) 26 9 2 15 34 55 –21 29 9th — Coca-Cola QF — —
2015 NPL (2) 26 3 5 18 30 56 –26 14 14th — Federation QF — —
2016 SL1 (3) 22 13 4 5 33 27 +6 43 2nd RU Federation R1 — —
2017 NPL (2) 22 11 0 11 28 36 –8 33 5th EF Federation QF — —
2018 NPL (2) 22 8 1 13 27 38 –11 25 8th — Federation R1 — —
2019 NPL (2) 22 7 7 8 31 34 –3 28 9th — Federation R3 — —
2020 NPL (2) 22 3 2 17 18 42 –24 11 12th — — — —
2021 SL1 (3) 22 9 8 5 21 17 +4 35 5th EF Federation R2 — —
2022 SL1 (3) 22 12 4 6 35 28 +7 40 4th RU Federation R1 — —
2023 SL1 (3) 22 13 1 8 53 42 +11 40 2nd RU Federation R1 — —

References[edit]

  1. ^ Greenwood, Rob (17 September 2019). "Former Adelaide Comets NPL SA coach Theo Tsiounis unveiled as new Para Hills mentor". Retrieved 31 October 2022.
  2. ^ "#HistoryMakers Episode 6 - Para Hills Knights". 5 April 2019. Retrieved 31 October 2022.
  3. ^ "South Australian Division Three 1966 – Schedule". Retrieved 24 October 2022.
  4. ^ "South Australian Division Two 1976 – Schedule". Retrieved 24 October 2022.
  5. ^ "South Australian Division One 1980 – Schedule". Retrieved 24 October 2022.
  6. ^ "History - Para Hills Knights". Gameday. Retrieved 24 October 2022.
  7. ^ "South Australian Soccer Federation Yearbook 1994". 24 February 2023. Retrieved 5 July 2023.
  8. ^ "St Mirren Confirms a new strategic partnership with Australian side Para Hills Knights SC". St Mirren. 8 September 2020.
  9. ^ Migliaccio, Val (10 September 2020). "SA club joins forces with St Mirren". Front Page Football.
  10. ^ Marchetti, Christian (29 October 2021). "Lochlan Czapla: The Adelaide boy chasing his football dreams in Scotland". Front Page Football.
  11. ^ "History". Para Hills United.
  12. ^ "Brasfoot: The new club celebrating South Australia's Brazilian community".
  13. ^ "South Australian Soccer Federation Yearbook 1966–67". 23 February 2023. p. 45. Retrieved 5 July 2023.
  14. ^ a b "National Premier Leagues South Australia Champions". socceraust. Archived from the original on 29 September 2022.
  15. ^ a b "State League 1 South Australia Champions". socceraust. Archived from the original on 16 August 2023.
  16. ^ "State League 2 South Australia Champions". socceraust. Archived from the original on 21 October 2021.
  17. ^ "Federation Cup Finals". socceraust. Archived from the original on 29 September 2022.
  18. ^ a b "Other Major Cup Winners". socceraust. Archived from the original on 21 October 2021.
  19. ^ "Top Four Cup Winners". socceraust. Archived from the original on 21 October 2021.
  20. ^ "Night Series Winners". socceraust. Archived from the original on 21 October 2021.
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