Rocklea United Soccer Club was unofficially formed for the first time as a “soccer club” in the year of 1952 by a group of Croatian migrants (a majority of which were seasonal workers), under the name of HNK Croatia Brisbane, playing on fields which were provided by the council. Due to the fact that many members of the actual soccer team were residing in Brisbane for only a few months a year (while there was work), the club was unable to sustain a full squad of players for the entire football season, and the club fell apart soon after.

In the immediate years following the initial attempt at setting up a soccer club, the amount of Croatian migrants living in Brisbane increased. There was a renewed drive to establish a soccer club that would bring together and cater for the needs of Croatians new to Brisbane/Australia...
and on the 15^th of May 1957, “HNK Croatia Brisbane” was registered with the governing federation as an official soccer club.

As more migrants of Croatian heritage moved to Brisbane from overseas and interstate, the club found itself needing to find a location that would cater for the recent influx of members. In 1970, the club moved to a new location (the soccer fields which are located behind the Pineapple Hotel in New Farm). At that time, the premises were owned and run by the Ukrainian Club which offered their fields to be used as a venue for the club’s soccer matches. With the change of location, also came a change of name, and the club was re-registered with the federation under the name of “New Farm Croatia Soccer Club”.

In 1976, due to the fact that the club’s supporter base continued to grow, the club once again moved location. The club moved to playing fields in Dutton Park, and once again changed the club’s name to “Sunny Side Croatia Soccer Club”. By this stage, the club had established itself as one of the strongest soccer teams in Queensland.

The club went from strength to strength, and as the amount of members increased so did the desire for the club to own its own playing fields and clubhouse. In 1982, the club purchased 54 acres of land in Rocklea (where we are situated to this day). The club cemented its status as a soccer powerhouse in Queensland, and this was evident by numerous success’ the club celebrated, such as winning the prestigious Australian Croatian Soccer Tournament (beating Sydney Croatia Soccer Club, which at that stage was apart of the national league), in 1982 as well as reaching the final of the 1985 Ampol Cup (comprising of the strongest teams of the continent).

In 1987 construction and development of the land began, and today the premises located at 164 Dunn Road, Rocklea, feature a two-story clubhouse and two full size soccer fields. The center is the focus point for community social, sporting, political and cultural activities and currently along with being the “home” of Rocklea United Soccer Club, the centre also houses a pensioners group, a youth group and the Croatian ethnic school.

The motives underlying the formation of the center were to centralize the various community activities under one central organizational body, and at one site. The center was the major focal point for community activities during the 1991-96 wars in Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina hosting many Croatian parliamentarians, diplomats and entertainers.

From the development of the Community Centre, a regular Croatian Radio Program on Radio Station 4EB was established, along with a community newsletter (Cro-News), a community business guide, branches of various Croatian political organizations and government funded community support workers servicing refugees, as well as the elderly and those with a mental illness.

Once again, due to the location change of the club, the club’s name changed and was registered with the Queensland Soccer Federation as “Rocklea United Soccer Club”. Although the club was no longer competing at the highest level in Queensland, it still lived up its status as a successful soccer club (winning the Semi-Pro Division One Grand Final in 1999, where they beat Souths United 2-1). Winning the Grand Final gave the club the opportunity to once again return to top flight soccer in Queensland, however, by this time, the club found the size of its supporter base and membership numbers rapidly decreasing. This was due to many factors, many of which were out of the control of the club’s hands. Further to this, it was evident that the numbers of junior players at the club were also dwindling. Due to these factors, the management team in charge of the club at that time did not see a move to compete in the Premier Competition as feasible.

Currently we are faced with the same dilemmas regarding a diminished supporter and membership numbers, with a depleted junior base. The club continues to compete in the “Brisbane Men’s Football Premier Division One” league, and our results in the last few previous years have found the team finishing respective seasons in the mid-table range.

With the current management team in charge, a structured “plan of attack”, along with the support from the greater community, we hope to once again achieve the success of previous years both on and off the field.