‘We are just a little team’: Arciuli — City wide-eyed ahead of FFA Cup
Community League side Albion Park City will contest the highest profile fixture in their eleven-year history when they take on Illawarra Premier League club Coniston in the FFA Cup tomorrow night.
The tie has received plenty of media attention since it was announced ex-Socceroo Craig Foster would be playing for City, an amateur side formed back in 2008 as a means to keep a group of high school friends together.
City first competed in the now-defunct Church League Division 2 under the name St Paul’s Albion Park. The side worked its way through the amateur football ranks before winning promotion to Community League Division 1, the Illawarra’s third tier.
SBS journalist and City’s organiser-in-chief Adrian Arciuli was the one who brought Foster on board and he believes playing alongside the marquee man fulfils one of the main reasons the side exist — to have fun.
“The side has never lost its identity which is good blokes, having a good time while having a kick,” Arciuli said.
“I have been involved with the club for 11 years and it is all about creating memories that we will never forget.”
“For the boys to play alongside Fozz in this competition is an experience they’ll never forget.”
Albion Park are one of four Community League clubs entered into this year’s FFA Cup and Arciuli admits it is incredible to have the opportunity to compete in the nationwide knockout.
“We are just a little team and it is amazing that we can enter in a competition like this,” he said.
“We entered [the FFA Cup] for the fun of it and it was another thing we wanted to experience.”
The match will also be an exercise in raising money and awareness of refugee-oriented services including Mums 4 Refugees and for that reason, Arciuli was quick to downplay suggestions Foster’s involvement devalues the contest.
“I can only laugh at that, we are a park football team and before this year we never warmed up properly, we never trained properly even though this year we have stepped it up a bit,” Arciuli said.
“That’s ridiculous because what we are going to do for the community and what we are going to do the charity on the night wouldn’t have been possible if we hadn’t got Fozz involved.”
“It’s a moment these guys and a lot of people will never forget, a lot of people these days have to find something wrong with something.”
The match gets underway at Ian McLennan Park on Wednesday night at 8.15 pm with a live stream available on Albion Park City’s Facebook page.
