FC Birrarung was founded in 2008 in the guise of a Futsal team led by fanatical FC Barcelona fans. It wasn’t long before the FCB vision expanded to the outdoor game at Princes Park, encouraging inner-city kids from all backgrounds to play the beautiful game and also embrace the Catalan giants’ philosophy of being ‘More than a club’.
At the time, Birrarung Marr was being established on the banks of the Yarra River near Melbourne’s sporting precinct, and Birrarung seemed like the perfect name for the fledgling club.
A single U9 FCB team played its first season in 2009. At the end of 2010, Matt Hughes, Tony Lucas, Abdullah Calisir and Ross McGravie met to discuss a merger of FC Birrarung and Fitzroy-based Melbourne Athletic. A stronger, bolder FCB began with 51 players in 2011. Throughout the decade the club has grown to nearly 300 boys and girls across age groups U7 – U20.
In 2018, 16-year-old Wurundjeri artist Ky-ya Nicholson Ward was commissioned to design a new playing strip depicting stories of the waterways of Melbourne after which Birrarung (The River of Mists) is named.
Today the FC Birrarung ethos is alive and well, reflected in the FCB playing style, the strong commitment to player and coach development, and the enduring pillars of positive values, respect and inclusion, such as providing full and part scholarships for players from disadvantaged backgrounds.
FC Birrarung 