Antonis Pagonis

An invitation. This is where it all began. An invitation to play a sport you love. To a safe space. To a slice of home a world away. This is the origin story of club football in Australia. 80 years ago, a spark was lit for the burgeoning Italian community in Adelaide. Adelaide Juventus was formed; success followed on the pitch with silverware and off the pitch with a growing community that stopped purely surviving and began thriving in their new homes. When you begin thriving, opportunities...

What is the Australian Championship? Adelaide City returns to the national stage in 2026, with the Australian Championship bringing three interstate powerhouse opponents to Adelaide City Park. The Australian Championship is an annual competition made up of 16 clubs: eight permanent Foundation Clubs and eight spots available each year to the highest-ranked club from each Member Federation league that has not qualified for the competition. Who is competing? The Foundation Clubs consist of: ...

On Monday, representatives from each of the 16 Australian Championship clubs gathered in Melbourne to launch the 2026 campaign. Adelaide City captain Nicholas Bucco represented the club and reflected on its history and the unique opportunity for his squad to add another page to it. “It is massive,” Bucco shared on Adelaide City’s qualification for the competition. “We are celebrating our 80th year this year. We are a proud, historic club with a lot of history, three national championships,...