List of Italian soccer clubs in Victoria, Australia
The Italian community of Australia has played an influential role in the history of Australian soccer, particularly evident in the state of Victoria. Numerous stand-alone, merged and de-merged clubs have been formed since 1930, primarily in the Greater Melbourne area. Clubs can also be presently found in the Geelong, Latrobe Valley & Goulburn Valley areas. As of the 2020 season, the Italian community is represented in all eight competitive state leagues, with a handful of clubs competing in competitive rural and metropolitan amateur leagues. Multiple Australian national team players featured for  Italian backed clubs in their youth before making their international debuts. History. The first known Italian football/sporting club founded in Victoria was Savoia, which was founded in the early 1930s. The club dissolved as a result of World War II, however remnants of the club lead to the founding of the second-ever and currently oldest presently operating clubs being Brunswick Zebras (and Moreland Zebras). Numerous clubs are believed to have taken various types of inspirations from professional clubs in Italy. It is debated regarding which club is the most successful and has the largest following after multiple mergers  and de-mergers. Brunswick Zebras was one of three Italian-backed clubs to participate in Australia's former national tier one league, the National Soccer League, with the others being Carlton and Gippsland Falcons. Then playing under the name Brunswick Juventus, the club were national champions of the 1985 season, and were Southern conference premiers of the 1986 season. Carlton would finish second in their inaugural in both the regular season and the final series, and won its first silverware in the 1999–00 season in finishing first in the National Youth League. Today, a total of twenty four clubs are  known to have a considerable connection to the Italian community. Active clubs. As of the 2022 Football Season Former clubs. As of April 2020