Leichhardt Lions

Our Proud History In February 1975 A small group of Italian Australians headed by Silvio Canale attended a meeting with the view of forming a new club, a club that would embrace and reflect the social, cultural and sporting needs of the growing community. A formal committee was established to find a suitable playing field and aggressively lobby the Far North Queensland Soccer Federation to enter both a 1st Division and Reserve grade team into the local competition. After council application, the club was appointed a parcel of swampy land at Buchan St. and was finally granted acceptance into the league in February 1976. The allocated field was in poor condition and required considerable land fill and top soil to make the surface playable. For those who can remember, the "original clubhouse" was indeed John Bomben's corrugated iron demountable construction shed. It had to be assembled and disassembled each week along with the amenities (two thunder-box toilets) .The average age of the players topped nearly forty, there was no seating, no shade and patrons sat in their cars or set up deck chairs on the sidelines to watch the game. From these humble beginnings and at times what seemed to be against all odds, Leichhardt slowly began to exert its authority in the local league, powered by an ambitious committee and a wealth of talented young players that flocked to the club. 1976 : Leichhardt Soccer Club was foundered in February 1976 – named after our electoral district. First official game in March 1976. Won Reserve Grade Premiership and Grand Final in first year. 1978: First women’s team formed. Purchased 2 hectare of land at White Rock, required over 20,000 m3 of land fill to shape and mould playing surface. Reserve Grade Premiership. 1980: Field officially opened on June 13th by Catholic Priest Father John Lizio. 1983: Clubhouse completed and officially opened by Julie Parker (reigning Miss Queensland) on 16th July 1983 . Did You Know......??? The Name The clubs original name was in fact "Azzurri-Leichhardt", Azzurri (blue) being the Italian national team colours and "Leichhardt" being our local federal electoral district . Club Colours The initial club colours in accordance with the original constitution were in fact sky blue and white ( blue shirts , white shorts and white socks with red and green trimmings ). The club later progressed to blue and red jerseys before settling on predominately red and black attire which were the business colours of the clubs major sponsor during the early eighties (Trinity Smash Repairs) Original team members Frank Mauro, Silvio Canale, Robert Borgo, Lino Toffolutti, Bob Paolatto, Ivan Rogina, Brian Cassey, Mario Cortessi, Alfio Raciti, Vince Bellino, Nick Peluchhi, Tony Campitelli, John Bomben, Angelo Borzi, Santo Raciti ,Peter Bond, Tony Hales, F Tomenic, Cliff Waite ,Gordon Pecotic, Fred Burke , J Mindenhall. Original Committee G Margiotta (President) A Borzi, S Canale, A Laspina, N Pelucchi, J Bomben, Frank Mauro, Lino Toffolutti, T Campitelli. The first coach was Vince Bellino Snr.