Full name | Canberra United Football Club |
---|---|
Nickname(s) | United |
Founded | 2008 |
Ground | McKellar Park |
Capacity | 3,500 (460 seats) |
Chairman | Kate Lundy |
Coach | Rae Dower |
League | W-League |
2016–17 | 1st (league) |
Website | Club home page |
Canberra United Football Club is a soccer club based in Canberra, Australia. For the women's team, it competes in the country's premier women's competition, the W-League. For the men's and youth teams, it competes in the NPL Capital Football competition. The club was formed in 2008 for the W-League's inaugural season.
Canberra is the only team in the league that is not affiliated to a men's A-League club. The restructuring of a youth development program in 2016 sees the addition of a Canberra United Academy team league to the NPL Capital Football competition. Additionally, a team in the National Youth League from Canberra also competes (the Australian Institute of Sport).
In their first W-League season Canberra were runners-up in the Grand Final, defeated by Queensland Roar (now Brisbane Roar). Canberra were crowned Premiers and Champions in the 2011–12 season after winning the league and defeating Brisbane Roar in the Grand Final.
The first announcement of the club came in July 2008, coinciding with the establishment of the new W-League. The formation of the new club presented a unique situation in the league, that it was not associated with an established A-League side. In August, Canberra appointed Matildas assistant coach Robbie Hooker as coach for the inaugural season, and ACT Senator Kate Lundy as club chair. United also announced its first key signing in local Canberran and Matildas goalkeeper Lydia Williams. Hooker made a number of key signings in the first registration window, also securing Caitlin Munoz, Amy Chapman, Grace Gill-McGrath, Hayley Crawford, Rhian Davies, Thea Slatyer for the inaugural season. The squad was further expanded in the lead up to the first round, signing on a number of players from the ACT and Southern NSW, and also signing Sasha McDonnell and Kara Mowbray from Queensland. The final squad presented significant strength on paper, boasting eight full internationals and a further four Young Matildas.