In the mid 1940's talk about forming a Maltese sponsored football club began to arouse interest amongst members of the small Maltese community of Melbourne. The man who took the initiative was Emmanuel ‘Danny’ Gatt, who along with Bill Sandham and Angelo Puli set about to make this dream a reality.

The George Cross Football Club was established on March 12 1947 with the idea of uniting young Maltese members of Melbourne’s Maltese community with a football club of their own. That first year was very difficult indeed trying to raise funds to buy all that is required to run a football club. It was also very difficult attracting players to join the first Maltese football club in Australia.

The founders never gave up hope and in time they were able to attract enough players to participate in several practice matches during the winter of 1947. Bill Sandham captained and coached the team in its infancy and was instrumental in shaping and guiding the team on the field in most matches. Danny, Bill and Angelo spent a lot of time at station pier Port Melbourne whenever a passenger liner was due in to arrive with Maltese migrants. The trio recruited several Maltese youngsters this way and having secured sufficient players to form a team, they registered the George Cross Football Club with the Victorian Amateur Soccer Football Association.

The first season of competitive football was in the third division, where the fledgling team exceeded all expectations to finish the season in second place. The team continued to show improvement in 1949 when they easily won the third division championship. This brought much joy to the players and their small band of supporters. George Cross spent the next three seasons in the second division, before being relegated back to division three at the end of the 1952 season. They re-grouped and bounced back up the following year when George Cross finished runner up to Maccabi to gain promotion once again.

The momentum continued in 1954 when the George Cross Football Club became champions of the second division. The success surprised everyone and club officials were amazed to see the team play in Victoria’s highest division after only being established for 8 years. Perhaps things had moved too fast as the team collapsed the following year when George Cross found life too difficult in the first division. It was an under strength and under prepared team that finished last and was relegated.

More nerves were to follow in 1956, but after a poor start, the team was able to move away from the relegation zone to consolidate their second division status. It was about this time that the tiny figure of Lou Debono joined the club as President. He was to transform the club into a force in Victorian football.

The Cross won the 1957 second division championship from Hellenic to re-enter the big league. In 1958 the V.A.S.F.A. revamped the Victorian leagues and renamed the first division to ‘The State League’. The original 12 foundation members were: Box Hill, Brighton, Geelong, George Cross, Hakoah, Hellenic, J.U.S.T., Juventus, Moreland, Polonia, Slavia, and Wilhelmina.

The George Cross team was determined not to have a repetition of their last foray in top flight competition and did well to solidify their State League place by finishing in 8th place. During the season the team suffered a humiliating 12-0 loss to Hakoah, a defeat that caused a lot of upheaval within the club.

That season George Cross sponsored the Malta team that played in the local version of the ‘World Cup’. With players of the calibre of Tony and Lolly Vella, Vince Muscat, Paul Zammit, Joe Borg and Joe Debono, Malta won a 3-2 thriller over Italy in front of thousands of Red & White clad Maltese supporters. It was no easy feat to beat Italy, as the Italian team consisted of the all conquering Juventus team that reigned supreme in Victorian football at the time.

THE TREBLE
The year 1959 saw the emergence of George Cross as a major force in Victoria. The year began on a high note when the Cross won their first trophy in top company by winning the pre season Sun Cup held at the Showgrounds. A huge crowd saw George Cross survive a last minute penalty save by goalkeeper Steve Yuncovich to win the trophy over a J.U.S.T. side that had dominated this competition since its inception. There was a lot riding on this game, as J.U.S.T. had the Vella brothers in their side, while George Cross had a Jugoslav goalkeeper who made the crucial penalty save.

The team did very well in the league but found Wilhelmina far too good and had to settle for second best in the championship race. The huge recruiting coup that season was the signing of the Vella brothers. The disappointment on missing out on the championship was erased when George Cross won the State League Cup, and for the first time the Dockerty Cup. It was a tremendous achievement with George Cross becoming the most supported team in Victoria.

The 1959 squad was: Tony Vella, Paul Zammit, Eddie Sacco, Steve Yuncovich, Joe Falzon, Danny Catania, Joe Borg, Pat Carroll, Lolly Vella, Vince Muscat, Hugh McVean, Billy Copeland, Louis Sacco. The committee led by Lou Debono was: Michael Scicluna, Michael Ellul, Stan Stokes and Charles Conti.

Matches featuring George Cross were always colourful and created a great big time football match atmosphere. During the 1960’s the team had no trouble winning cup competitions, but it became a far too different story in each league campaign. The red & whites had to be content with second best in 1960, 1961, 1964 & 1965.

CLUBS GREATEST TRIUMPH
It was very frustrating for club supporters, but the pain was always softened a little by the club’s ability to win some type of silverware. The Dockerty Cup was won again in 1962, the Ampol Cup in 1961 and 1965 and in 1964 the club captured the biggest prize in Australian football, ‘The Australia Cup’. George Cross beat Sydney giant A.P.I.A. 3-2 in front of 15,000 fans at Olympic Park with the winning goal coming in extra time from the genial and crowd favourite Archie Campbell.

The George Cross team that wrote their name in the club’s history were: Norm Hobson, John McDaid, Bobby Adams, Tom McPherson, John Brown, Archie Campbell, David Goldie, Eddie Sacco, Don Hodgson, Hans Petersen, Billy Copeland.

One of the most progressive steps club officials took in 1961 was the establishment of two junior sides. The juniors were set up in the old Missionary home in Parkville, the current site of the Maltese Community Council.

The early 1960’s also produced the biggest crowds ever seen in this state. Most State League games attracted big attendances and most George Cross matches attracted crowds of over 10,000. Attendances of between 15,000 and 25,000 were common for George Cross matches at Olympic Park against Polonia and Juventus with the record crowd attendance of 25,500 turning up for the George Cross Vs South Melbourne Hellas game in 1962.

Matches against Polonia always provided plenty of skill and excitement, while fireworks and tension was always the order of the day when George Cross played Juventus.

In 1967 George Cross made their first move to the Western Suburbs when the club secured Selwyn Park as their home ground. The move only lasted two seasons, as in 1969 the Cross was back playing at Olympic Park. It was during this period that the George Cross club failed to establish themselves with a permanent home ground where they could secure their future. At the start of most seasons during the 1960’s, it was anyone's guess as to where the club would be calling home. During this period grounds like the Showgrounds, Heidelberg’s Olympic Village, Shintler Reserve, Olympic Park’s number one and number two grounds, Elsternwick Park, Maribyrnong, Selwyn Park, St. Kilda Cricket Ground and Optus Oval were just few grounds the George Cross Football Club has used as home grounds.

Coming second in the league continued in the early 1970’s when the George Cross club had some of the best players in this country. For all their ability second best had to do in 1972, 1973 and 1974, to create a record of finishing runner up 8 times in the 17 years history since the State League was established in 1958.

In the most remarkable game of the 1972 season against Box Hill at Wembley Park, top goal scorer Joe Cunningham scored 6 goals in an 8-1 victory. In 1973 the Georgies once again won the State League Cup when they beat Hakoah 3-0 in the final thanks to a superb goalkeeping display from Lothar (Lou) Kastner. The game became better known as ‘Kastner’s final’. The following season the Ampol Cup was once again in the hands of George Cross after the reds defeated Melbourne Hungaria 2-1 in the final. The Reserve side had better luck winning the championship with successes coming 1961, 1964 and 1968 and the Reserve side won their first Harry Armstrong Cup in 1976 by defeating South Melbourne Hellas at Olympic Park. They went on to win the Harry Armstrong Cup again in 1994.

CHAMPIONSHIP AT LAST
In 1977 Victoria’s four major clubs, South Melbourne Hellas, Heidelberg Alexander, J.U.S.T. and Mooroolbark United decided to join the National League competition, while George Cross officials opted to keep the team in the Victorian State League. It was a decision that was to produce George Cross with the one and only league championship to date. That same season the Cross also won the State League Cup when they defeated Juventus 1-0 in the final.

The foundations to this championship was set the season prior when Ken Wagstaff was imported from England to take over the team as player coach. He transformed a side that was last on the ladder with five successive defeats from one destined for relegation into championship contention by the end of the 1976 season. Wagstaff returned home to England at the end of that season, but recommended Billy Wilkinson to take charge for the 1977 season. Wilkinson continued where Wagstasff left off as the Cross went on to win the championship by 7 points from Slavia.

The team was good enough to compete in the N.S.L. and many supporters pondered how far the team would have gone if the decision was made to join the new league.
The 1977 championship winning team, State League Cup winner and beaten Ampol Cup final squad was: Lothar Kastner, Victor Magro, John Webb, Derek Barron, Norm Maitland, Billy Wilkinson, Peter Ebini, Kevin Walker, Ken Reed, Alex McConville, Robert Cullen, Don Lawler, Paul Murphy, Jim Paparas, George Laurie, Frank Mifsud, and Philip Cutajar.

The following year saw the emergence of Melbourne Croatia and Preston Makedonia as the new big teams of Victorian football. George Cross had to settle for third place in the league that season and was very unfortunate to lose the final of the State League Cup against Croatia. The Georgie boys made up for the disappointment by recording the third Dockerty Cup success in a 3-2 win over Wilhelmina in the cup final.

AMALGAMATION AND HOME AT LAST
At this time the club redeveloped an old caravan factory in Brunswick into a luxurious Reception Centre. The club held their meetings there as well as social functions and weekly bingo sessions. George Cross moved back to Selwyn Park for the start of the 1981 season, but before half way through the season, the club’s home ground became Chaplin Reserve after tenant Sunshine City agreed to share the ground with George Cross.

The move to Anderson Road saw Sunshine City and George Cross move closer in terms of agreements and what was better for the game and both clubs. Amalgamation was mentioned and touted until it became a reality at the end of the 1982 season.

In 1983 the new team was renamed Sunshine George Cross Football Club and made their State League debut against Juventus at their permanent home Chaplin Reserve. It was not a successful start as the new combine team lost 2-0. The squad in the first season was: Alan Contini, Gerry Bennett, Harry McKinlay, Nick Lowe, Steve Richardson, Frank Mussell, Nick Kotevski, John Campelj, Norrie Pate, Chris Taylor, Roger Bain, Jim McRobert, John McNally.
The first Sunshine George Cross Committee consisted of five George Cross members and four Sunshine City members. They were: President Alfred Zahra, Chairman Terry Walker, Secretary Frank Galea, Treasurer Adrian Van Santvoort, members Alfred Farrugia, Wally Mielak, Joe Buttigieg, Scott Frew and Charles Cutajar.

It took a long time for the team to settle down after having such a huge squad to start with. In 1984 the club was accepted in the National League competition. Because of limited finances it was always going to be tough for Sunshine George Cross competing against the best teams in the country. In the 8 seasons of National League football, the Georgies struggled to survive most seasons. The best year was in 1986 when the team finished fourth, but for all the adversity, this period of time proved beyond doubt that with careful planning all targets can be achieved. The appointment of John Gardiner as coach produced remarkable results with players who backed him and the club to the hilt. One way or another results were achieved by John Gardiner and his battle hardened players.

SUNSHINE GEORGE CROSS YOUTHS ROLL ON
Whilst results could have been better, off the park the club embarked on a program to produce their own home grown talent. The appointment of John Webb and Jimmy Rooney produced an ever ending array of talented youngsters that kept Sunshine George Cross in the N.S.L.
Many of these youngsters went on to play for Australia and in higher leagues around the world. Players such as John Markovski, Andrew Marth, Paul Trimboli, Frank Talia, Gary Hasler, Kevin Muscat, Lorenz Kindtner, Wayne Attard, Vasko Trpcevski and many others became household names in this country. The youth team had a proud record in the N.S.L. having won the Southern division championship in 1986, 1987, 1988, and 1989.

The greatest day for our youth team came in 1989 when they were crowned Australian champions by defeating Marconi at Middle Park. During the 8 seasons of National League football the senior team played 200 matches winning 55, drawing 51 and losing 94. The club was hindered during the N.S.L. days by N.S.L. officials forcing the club to play home games away from Chaplin Reserve.

For the two final N.S.L. seasons Sunshine George Cross used Skinner Reserve in Braybrook, but had to return to Chaplin Reserve after the local council refused to let Sunshine G.C. continue to use the spacious ground. In 1992 the Georgies returned back to Victorian football were they joined the Victorian Premier League. It was to be a successful return to local competition, as the team went on to make the finals in 1993, 1994, 1995 and 1996.

INFIGHTING ALMOST KILLS CLUB
With the club celebrating it’s 50th anniversary in 1997 and after years of uncertainties about Chaplin Reserve’s future, Sunshine George Cross was given the opportunity to purchase the land in Anderson Road, Sunshine. The club paid $250,000 for the land in the centre of Sunshine, an investment that would assure the future of the club.

Off the field things soured for the club as internal problems set in that led to much infighting. The result of it all saw the team plummet out of the Victorian top league in 1999. This was the first time the club had been relegated from top flight Victorian football since reaching the top in 1958. The downward spiral continued in 2001 when the club produced the poorest team on record. The club had decided to go amateur to cut spiralling costs and as soon as this decision was made known, most players left for greener pastures.

Most of the players fielded in 2001 were aged 16 years and these kids were no match for the other more physical 1st division players. The team lost 20 matches and drew 2 without reaching double figures in the goal scoring department, while conceding 80 goals. It was heartbreaking to see the once mighty club reduced to this and many feared the final game of the 2001 season, when the Georgies lost 8-1 to Fitzroy, would be the last in the club’s history.

GOOD OLD DAYS RETURN
It wasn’t to be, as slowly but surely, matters off the park were solved after a new administration took control of the club. Led by Charles Leo Borg the team steadied in 2002 and launched a comeback the following season, when Sunshine George Cross won their first silverware for 25 years by winning the State League Cup. In the final goalkeeper Steve Wardle became the hero by making the crucial penatly save that gave the Georgies a 5-4 win over Cranbourne Comets. This set the pattern for the 2003 league season with the team being crowned second division champions winning the title by 1 point from Pascoe Vale. The heartening trend continued in 2004. After a long and hard struggle agaisnt Heidelberg United, Sunshine George Cross clinched second place in the First Division to win promotion back to the Victorian Premier League. It was a tremendous achievement by the new administration to reignite the passion that seemed to have gone for good. The return to the V.P.L. in 2005 was fraught with anxiety. After a reasonable good start the team slipped towards the bottom of the standings.

SURVIVAL ON LAST DAY

Coach Chris Taylor said all he wanted was to consolidate the team’s Premier League status. This was achieved in the final game of the season when the Georgies drew 0-0 against Melbourne Knights to ensure another season of Premier League football in 2006. The following season began on a positive note when for the first time in many years there was more than enough applicant for positions on the committee. Most of the previous year's members re-applied and they were joined by new Secretary Adiel Bonett and Nelson Buttigieg. Coach Chris Taylor reatined his coaching position, but it was to be a very brief affair. After a very poor start that saw the Georgies win only 1 game, draw 1 and lose 4, Taylor was dismissed after the round 7 loss to Altona Magic.

BUILDING FOR THE FUTURE

His successor was Joe Montemurro who was an untried coach at senior level. The gamble began on a bight note when the Georgies recorded a 1-0 win over South Melbourne in Montemurro's first game in charge. Good results continued and by the end of the first round the Georgies were only 2 points outside the top 6. Sunshine George Cross was building a team for the future with promising youngsters Trent Waterson, Manny Muscat, Brett Gilmour, Fahed Alghazaly and Jonathon Falzon the pick of the bunch. The V.P.L. went into recess because of Australia's involvement in the World Cup held in Germany. On resumption the Cross' fortunes took a dive with 3 consecutive losses that saw the team drop down to the relegation zone. With all the bottom teams gaining points the Georgies plight worsened when the team dropped down to 13th place and 4 point adirft of the safety zone. With 6 rounds remaining the Cross looked certain for the drop following a 4-1 loss at home in pouring rain to league leader Oakleigh Cannons. A 1-0 away over Bulleen closed the gap to 1 point from the teams above. The Georgies had a great chance to move a safety the following week with ahome game against the already relegated Frankston Pines. The 1-1 draw was a disappointing result, but the point was enough to lift the team out of the relegation places.

A WIN AT GREEN GULLY

An away trip to Green Gully was next in line and the Georgies faced this game without Trent Waterson who was injured agaisnt Frankston. The team's woes continued at Green Gully with Dusko Delic and Fidell Richards being injured in the opening 30 minutes of the match. Youngsters Fahed Alghazaly an Jonathon Falzon were thrown in at the deep end and much to the delight of the travelling Georgie supporters, S.G.C. defeated the old enemy 2-1. This was the first victory for the Georgies at Green Gully since 1994. Escaping elegation became a possibility with Sunshine 3 points ahead of the two bottom sides. The Georgies continued to pull away from danger in the second last game of the seasonwith a 1-0 home win over Heidelberg United. This win left the Georgies 6 points ahead of second last place Essendon Royals who was due to play the following day. A favourable result would mean safety for another year, but Essendon were determined and won their game 4-1 over Kingston City.

EMOTIONAL FINAL GAME OF THE SEASON

Once again it was to be another heart the mouth affair for George Cross supporters witht he team's hopes to be decided on the final day of the season. The Georgies faced another relegation threathened team Fawkner / Whittlesea at Epping Stadium. This was an emotionally charged game with hopes and despair changing with every passing minute. Sunshine George Cross played a good first half but could not find the net. A draw was enough for Sunshine, but Fawkner threw a spanner in the works by taking the lead after 63 minutes. Supporters had one eye on the game and an ear on the phone as they kept track of results from other grounds. For some unknownn reason the players could not repond to going behind as they too semed to be more interested in results elsewhere. The 1-0 result was enough to ensure Fawkner / Whittlesea safety, but for the Georgies it all came down to a favourable result from two other grounds. The club's destiny was cruelly decided with the worst possible results filtering through from Preston where Essendon Royals did the unthinkable to defeat Preston, while the other relegation side Melbourne Knights did enough against Kingston City to ensure safety. Three teams Essendon Royal, Melbourne Knights and Sunshine George Cross all finished on 30 points with the Georgies going down because the team scored 3 fewer goals than Melbourne Knights. Every Georgie fan at Epping was stunned into silence at the final outcome and feared the worst of the consecquences of losing the very promising youngsters the club was banking on.

SURVIVAL ON PROTEST

Two weeks after the season ended Sunshine George Cross was informed of a possible reprieve when it was discovered Essendon Royals had an suspended player on the substitute's bench in the second last game of the season. The Georgies quickly lodged a protest, but the F.F.V. continued to ignore the appeal until they received a legal letter from the club. The F.F.V. finally acted and heard the case on Tuesday November 14 2006. The following day the protest was upheld and Sunshine George Cross position in the V.P.L. was reinstated with Essendon deducted a point. Essendon lodged their own appeal within 2 days with the hearing due to be held on on Tuesday November 21. A day before the hearing the F.F.V defuesd the situation when they announced Essendon Royals would not be relegated because the A.I.S. would be granted a place in the V.P.L in 2007. Brett Gilmour went on the win the player of the year in a season that ended satisfactorily. ***

There is no doubt the team will continue to have its ups and downs, but the future of this club is very bright considering the articulate planning now taking place as to where the club will be located. Sunshine George Cross is in the process of selling the land purchased in 1997 and prospects for the club have never looked better. From here on the SUN will surely SHINE on the GEORGE CROSS FOOTBALL CLUB

TO BE CONTINUED AS THE YEARS ROLL ON.

LONG LIVE SUNSHINE GEORGE CROSS FOOTBALL CLUB!

Compiled by club historian Victor Brincat