Darwin Cubs was a former football club based in Darwin, Northern Territory, Australia. The club took part in the FAS Premier League from 1994 to 1995. It left the league in the second half of the 1995 season due to disagreements with Football Association of Singapore (FAS).

Darwin Cubs
Full nameDarwin Cubs Football Club
Nickname(s)Cubs
Founded1994
Dissolved1995
GroundMarrara Oval
Capacity14,000
PresidentAustralia Nicholas Mitaros
ManagerAustralia Malcom Bryant
LeagueSingapore Premier League
19942nd

History

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The Cubs played as a foreign team in the FAS Premier League in 1994.[1] The club had to pay for all expenses for Singaporean teams who travelled to Darwin for matches and also pay their own expenses for the club to travel to Singapore.[2]

The Cubs' nickname was derived from the club's sponsorship with Carlton & United Breweries, whose mascot at the time was a cub (due to the initials of the brand). When the Darwin side was provided with a number of shirts featuring a cub mascot, the nickname was born and the team decided to keep it.[3]

The Cubs played their first match in the Premier League against Jurong Town Football Club which they won 4–0.[1] They ended the 1994 season as runners-up to another Australian team, Perth Kangaroos IFC. The Cubs lost just three games for the season, two of those to the Kangaroos.[3]

In 1995, the club failed to secure air tickets for Geylang International FC, Tampines Rovers FC and Balestier United.[4][5] After the third incident, the club was warned by FAS that further incidents would lead to postponed matches to be forfeited to the opponent teams.[5]

The Cubs subsequently withdrew from the league due to concerns over further investments for the club, eligibility of a Cubs player, refusal of FAS to let Cubs' referees to officiate Cubs' matches and excluding the club from discussion over the formation of S.League.[5]

Some of the team's higher-profile players included Luis Rodriguez, Peter Politis, Manuel Lolias, Barbero, Hamilton Thorpe, Jason Petkovic, Cyrille Ndongo-Keller and Carlo Talladira, all of whom moved to or returned to Australian National Soccer League clubs after the demise of the Cubs.

Sponsors

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The Cubs had 10 sponsors which the club signed three years contracts with them.[2]

Players

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First-team squad

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Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player
GK    Christakos Archie
GK    Kathopoulis Charlie
DF    Kosmidis Michael
DF    Clark Sean
DF    Mavros Tommy
DF    Makrylos Mikes
DF    Hartley Damien Lee
DF    Van Lierop Joseph Clement
DF    Marros Basillis
MF    Greig Jerry
MF    Lilias Manual

Management and staff

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Management

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Position Name
President Nicholas Mitaros[6]

Technical staff

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Position Name
Manager Malcom Bryant[7]
Coach Frank Falzon[7]

References

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  1. ^ a b "SMASHING PREMIER LEAGUE START FOR AUSTRALIA'S DARWIN CUBS". The Straits Times. 27 March 1994. p. 3. Retrieved 28 April 2023 – via NewspaperSG.
  2. ^ a b "Darwin side raises $1.1m for Premier League". The Straits Times (Overseas ed.). 19 February 1994. p. 9. Retrieved 28 April 2023 – via NewspaperSG.
  3. ^ a b McIntyre, Scott (20 May 2016). "Untold Stories, Southeast Asian Clubs: Darwin Cubs, Australia". FourFourTwo Singapore. Archived from the original on 29 June 2018. Retrieved 8 May 2018.
  4. ^ "Darwin-Tampines game postponed". The Straits Times. 13 May 1995. p. 38. Retrieved 28 April 2023 – via NewspaperSG.
  5. ^ a b c "Darwin quits Singapore soccer". The Straits Times (Overseas ed.). 26 August 1995. p. 9. Retrieved 28 April 2023 – via NewspaperSG.
  6. ^ "Cubs ready to roar in land of Lions". The Straits Times. 26 March 1994. p. 37. Retrieved 28 April 2023 – via NewspaperSG.
  7. ^ a b "the darwin file". The New Paper. 26 March 1994. p. 65. Retrieved 28 April 2023 – via NewspaperSG.