Sydney FC was established in 2004 and is known as ‘Football’s Capital’ due to the fact that Sydney boasts the greatest number of football participants than any other city in Australia. The Sky Blues are one of the most successful clubs in the brief history of the Hyundai A-League, participating in four of the six A-League finals series, being crowned Champions twice and Premiers on one occasion.
Sydney FC’s first taste of success came before the start of the Hyundai A-League when it won the 2005 Australian Championship and went on to be crowned Champions of Oceania, gaining a place in the 2005 Club World Championships in Japan where it finished 5th.
The success continued in 2005/06 with a Grand Final victory over the Central Coast Mariners making them the inaugural Hyundai A-League Champions.
A domestic double in season 2009/10 reinforced the Sky Blues standing at the top of football in Australia; lifting the Premiers Plate in front of the biggest home crowd of the season with a memorable 2-0 victory over arch rivals Melbourne Victory before going on to be crowned Hyundai A-League Champions, again beating Melbourne Victory, this time in Melbourne.
As well as booking a highly prized berth in the 2011 AFC Champions League, the club capped off an amazing season when the Sydney FC women’s side won the Westfield W-League Championship.
Only a year earlier, the Sky Blues National Youth League side won the inaugural youth league title. As a result, Sydney FC is now the only club to have won all three domestic titles.
On top of tasting domestic success, Sydney FC has started to take its brand throughout Asia and the Pacific. As well as the success in Oceania and at the Club World Championships in 2005, Sydney FC has now competed in two AFC Champions League competitions after Australia moved from the Oceania confederation to Asia.
In 2007, Sydney FC was defeated in the final group match by eventual winners Urawa Red Diamonds (Japan) before they finished 3rd in a group featuring Shanghai Shenhua (China), Suwon Bluewings (Korea) and Kashima Antlers (Japan) at the 2011 AFC Champions League.
In November 2007, a crowd of 80,295 witnessed Sydney FC defeat David Beckham’s LA Galaxy 5-3 at ANZ Stadium. The fixture set the record for the highest attendance at a match featuring an Australian club side.
In its short but rich history, Sydney FC signalled its intentions from day one of the Hyundai A-League by announcing the signing of former Manchester United superstar Dwight Yorke to compliment Socceroos Steve Corica and Clint Bolton and young guns David Carney and Mark Milligan for the 2005/06 season.
Since then, many of the world’s greatest players have donned the Sky Blue shirt, including Brazilian midfielder Juninho, Japanese legend Kazuyoshi Miura, Italian striker Benito Carbone, Socceroo legend Brett Emerton as well as many of Australia’s best ever products such as Steve Corica, Tony Popovic, Alex Brosque, John Aloisi, Michael Beauchamp and Simon Colosimo.
Board and management
Sydney FC Chairman- Paul Ramsay AO
Mr. Paul Ramsay is Chairman of the Paul Ramsay Group of Companies. Mr. Ramsay has been involved in health care since 1964 when he developed and managed one of the first private psychiatric hospitals in Sydney.
In 2002, Mr. Ramsay was conferred an Officer of the Order of Australia for services to the community through the establishment of private health care facilities, expanding regional television services and as a benefactor to a range of educational, cultural, artistic and sporting organisations.
In 2009, Mr. Ramsay was appointed Chairman of Sydney Football Club.
Sydney FC Vice Chairman - Scott Barlow
Mr. Scott Barlow is the Managing Director and founder of STRADA. Scott has extensive experience in the finance sector having held positions in mergers and acquisitions, corporate valuations and corporate strategy at a number of leading Australian and international companies, including AMP, PricewaterhouseCoopers and Telstra. Scott holds a Bachelor of Commerce degree from the University of Tasmania and a Graduate Certificate in Applied Finance and Investment from the Securities Institute of Australia. In 2009, Scott was appointed Vice Chairman of the Sydney Football Club.
Director - Christopher Rex
Mr. Chris Rex is Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Ramsay Health Care having assumed this role in 2008 after 13 years as Chief Operating Officer of the Company. Prior to joining Ramsay Health Care in 1995, Chris worked as a manager in the public health service in the United Kingdom and subsequently moved into the private sector where he worked for BUPA, the UK’s largest Health Insurer. In 1988, he moved to Australia, as General Manager of Macquarie Hospital Services. In 2009, Chris was appointed Director of Sydney Football Club.
Director - Elliott Rusanow
Mr. Elliott Rusanow is currently Group Director, Finance at Westfield, having joined the company in 1999. Previously Elliott worked at Bankers Trust in the Real Estate Investment Management Division. Elliott holds a Bachelor of Commerce and Law degrees from the University of NSW and is a Fellow of the Financial Services Institute of Australasia. In 2008, Elliott was appointed Director of Sydney Football Club.
Director - Jamie Samaha
Mr. Jamie Samaha is Managing Director, Pinpoint Pty Ltd. He joined Pinpoint in 1998, a leading marketing services company through-out the Asia-Pacific region. Jamie holds an Executive Masters of Business Administration degree from the University of Technology Sydney and a Bachelor of Commerce degree from University of NSW. He is also an accredited member of the Australian Direct Marketing Association. In 2011, Jamie was appointed Director of Sydney Football Club.
Director - Jeremy Nicholas
Mr. Jeremy Nicholas is CEO of Australia's leading advertising agency, BMF. BMF is currently ranked number 1 agency in Australia as voted by the marketing and advertising community. Jeremy joined BMF in 2001, became a partner and board member in 2005, played a key part in the agency’s growth from 30 to over 200 employees with BMF being named agency of the decade in 2010. Jeremy has had an 18 year career in marketing and advertising working on numerous brands across UK, USA, Japan and Europe. He is a foundation member of Sydney FC and a lifetime football supporter. In 2011, Jeremy was appointed Director of Sydney Football Club.
Administration department
Chief Executive Officer - Dirk Melton
Finance Director - Grant Ingles
GM Marketing & Commercial - Andrew Christopher
GM Community & Game Development - Stefan Kamasz
GM Media & Communications - David Mason
Corporate Partnerships Manager– Beau Curtis
Fan Development Manager - Rawya Jammal
Marketing Manager - Ali Steadman
Digital Content Executive – David Warriner
Project & Events Executive - Danielle Boettcher
Corporate Partnerships Executive – Narek Michaelian
Corporate Operations Executive - Jessica Davidson
Commercial Operations Executive - Tom Bates
Community Football Officer - Daniel Barrett
Football Operations Coordinator - Angie Latty
Membership & Ticketing Coordinator - Shane Porter
Administration & Website Coordinator - Karol Foyle