South Coast United Soccer Club is an Australian football (soccer) from the city of Wollongong

Wollongong, New South Wales

Wollongong is a seaside city located in the Illawarra region of New South Wales, Australia. It lies on the narrow coastal strip between the Illawarra Escarpment and the Pacific Ocean, 82 kilometres south of Sydney...

.

The club was founded in 1984 by Wollongong's Croatian Australian

Croatian Australian

Croatia has been a source of migrants to Australia, particularly in the 1960s and 1970s. In 2006, 128,051 persons resident in Australia identified themselves as having Croatian ancestry.- History :...

 community. The club plays in the Illawara Premier League after being promoted in 2005 after a long stint outside the top division.

South Coast were previously in the Illawarra Conference League or Division 1 as it was previously known. In 2004, SCU were minor premiers of the Illawarra Conference League however lost the Grand Final to Helensburgh 4-1.

The high-point in the clubs history came in 1987, only a few short years after its formation, when the club won its one and only Illawara Premier League championship.

The club is located at Kembla Grange and plays its home ground at Ian McLennan Park.

The clubs current coach is former Sydney United defender and Olyroo Michael Santalab and features former Canberra FC/Deakin and Sydney United striker Zvonko Usljebrka in their squad.
Former player Brendon Santalab

Brendon Santalab

Brendon Šantalab is an Australian football player, currently playing as striker for Chengdu Blades.-Club career:...

 currently plays for Chinese Super League side Chengdu Blades.

Former player Mile Jedinak

Mile Jedinak

Michael John "Mile" Jedinak is an Australian professional football player. He is currently contracted to Crystal Palace of the English Championship...

 currently plays Crystal Palace

The club hosted the Australian-Croatian Soccer Tournament

Australian-Croatian Soccer Tournament

The Australian-Croatian Soccer Tournament is a tournament run by the Croatian Soccer Federation of Australia and New Zealand, an organisation founded in 1974. The inspiration for the tournament came from the successful Croatian-North American Soccer Tournament founded in 1964...

 in 1994.

Year	Division	Points	Placed
1996	Division 1 - IFA	31	5th
2001	Illawarra Conference League	32	5th
2002	Illawarra Conference League	39	7th
2003	Illawarra Conference League	35	9th
2004	Illawarra Conference League	62	1st - Premiers and Promoted
2005	Illawarra Premier League	42	5th
2006	Illawarra Premier League	35	9th
2007	Illawarra Premier League	49	5th

2008
Illawarra Premier League

Notable former players

• Mile Jedinak (MF) - Spent 2005 with South Coast United, currently playing in the English Championship with CrystalPalace
• John Sturm (FW) - 25 Years Club Player
• Zvonko Usljebrka (FW) - Leading goal scorer in the Illawarra Premier League former Sydney United Player
• Joe Coelho (FW) - Former Golden Boot winner with a record 29 goals
• Mirko Sola (MF) - Dynamic Midfielder and Former Captain of the Club
• Neil Williams (MF) - Championship winning coach and former Welsh Youth International
• Claude Cellini - Played Wollongong Wolves (National Soccer League)
• David Skeen - Played Wollongong Wolves (National Soccer League)
• Ante Deau - Played Sydeny United (National Soccer League)

Notable current players

• Denis Jurjevic (FW) - IFA Premier League Player of the Year 2005, IFA First Division Player of the Year 2004.
• Zdenko Loncar (GK) 400 League Appearances
• Michael Santalab (DF/MF) - Manager/Player

See also

• List of Croatian football clubs in Australia
• Australian-Croatian Soccer Tournament
  Australian-Croatian Soccer Tournament
  The Australian-Croatian Soccer Tournament is a tournament run by the Croatian Soccer Federation of Australia and New Zealand, an organisation founded in 1974. The inspiration for the tournament came from the successful Croatian-North American Soccer Tournament founded in 1964...