Old soccer, new football

The newly formed Australian Championship marks a new chapter in the country's footballing history

- Mike Tuckerman reports

Four drinks breaks. That's how many times referee Zac Keenan stops play on a swelteringly hot Brisbane afternoon to allow players from Moreton City Excelsior and Sydney Olympic to rehydrate.

Welcome to Australian football, where games are played in summer and temperatures often skirt the bounds of player safety.

A midday kickoff for Moreton City's first-ever home game in the Australian Championship sees the two teams run out under a blazing hot sun and a temperature of 31.2°C – with relative humidity at 70% – although anyone in attendance at Perry Park will tell you it feels much hotter than that.

Not that the scorching conditions are going to ruin Moreton City's big day. Having only been formed in 2023 through the merger of Moreton Bay United and the much older Albany Creek Excelsior, the club from Brisbane's northern fringes have made quick headway.

Last year, they made it all the way to the quarterfinals of the Australia Cup, the national domestic cup competition. After battling their way through the regional rounds, they dispatched South Australian powerhouse Campbelltown City 5-1 in the last 32, and then sensationally dumped out A-League outfit Perth Glory with a 3-2 win in the following round.

Eventual finalists Melbourne Victory halted their progress in the last eight, but not before Moreton City Excelsior had firmly announced themselves to a national audience.

It was no surprise, then, to see the newcomers finish top of the 2025 NPL Queensland standings in just their second season. What is perhaps more surprising is to find Moreton City Excelsior listed among some of Australia's most famous clubs as part of a new national competition.

THE AUSTRALIAN CHAMPIONSHIP

After years of delays, the inaugural edition of the Australian Championship kicked off in October.