{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2016}} {{Use Australian English|date=July 2016}} {{Infobox football club| | nickname = Royals | ground = Cross Keys Reserve (Juniors) and Ormond Park (Seniors) | clubname = Essendon Royals | image = Essendon Royals Crest.png | fullname = Essendon Royals Soccer Club | founded = {{Start date and age|df=yes|1958}} ''(earliest form)''<br />{{Start date and age|df=yes|1959}} ''as Unione Sportiva Triestina''<br />{{Start date and age|df=yes|1995}} ''as Essendon-Brunswick Royals'' (present entity) | chairman = Richie Di Sauro | manager = Vitale Ferrante | photographer = Sandro Zammit (Zammit Sport Photography) | league = {{Australian soccer updater|EssendonR}} | season = {{Australian soccer updater|EssendonR2}} | position = {{Australian soccer updater|EssendonR3}} | website = https://www.essendonroyals.com.au/ | current = 2020 Football Victoria season }}

'''Essendon Royals Soccer Club''' is an Australian semi-professional soccer club based in the North-Western Melbourne local government area of Moonee Valley.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.essendonroyals.com.au/|title=Essendon Royals Soccer Club|website=Essendon Royals Soccer Club}}</ref> The club's senior men's squad currently participates in the Victoria Premier League 2, following promotion from Victorian State League 1 in 2022. The senior women's squad compete in Victoria Women's State League Division 1 North-West.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://websites.mygameday.app/club_info.cgi?clubID=124394&amp;c=1-8746-0-0-0|title=Essendon Royals SC|website=GameDay}}</ref>

==History== The club was originally founded as Unione Sportiva Triestina in 1959 by Italian immigrants from the seaport city of Trieste. Prior to the 1995 season, the club had completed its last merge of four merges, with six other original stand-alone clubs to form 'Essendon-Brunswick Royals', later renaming to its present name Essendon Royals for the 1999 season.<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/sport/blog/2015/sep/08/forgotten-story-brunswick-juventus-1985-nsl |title=The forgotten story of … Brunswick Juventus' 1985 NSL championship | last=Gorman |first=Joe |date=7 September 2015 |access-date=2 February 2018 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ozfootball.net/ark/Clubs/VIC/Vic_Active_E.html#EssendonRoyals |title=Victorian Football Club Archive – East Bentleigh to Essendon United |publisher=Ozfootball.net |date= |accessdate=2022-05-28}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.essendonroyals.com.au/history-decades | title=Essenden Royal – By the Decade | publisher=essendenroyals.com | access-date=12 May 2020 }}</ref>

The club had two stints in the Victorian Premier League (VPL), the second highest level in Australian soccer, in 2001 and from 2003 to 2007.<ref>{{Cite news |url=http://www.ozfootball.net/ark/Clubs/E/EssendonRoyalsDH.html |title=Essendon Royals – Divisional History |work=OzFootball |access-date=2 February 2018}}</ref>

The club has a current membership over 700 and currently fields teams in junior boys and girls leagues from 8 years to seniors. In August 2019, the club was granted a National Premier Leagues Victoria junior licence for its u13 to u16 teams.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.essendonroyals.com.au/new-blog/2019/8/6/announcement-essendon-royals-granted-2020-football-victoria-junior-boys-national-premier-league-license|title=Announcement {{!}} Essendon Royals granted 2020 Football Victoria Junior Boys National Premier League license|website=Essendon Royals Soccer Club|language=en-AU|access-date=2019-08-31}}</ref>

Vitale Ferrante was appointed as the club's senior men's coach for the 2020 season.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.essendonroyals.com.au/new-blog/2019/8/30/season-2020-essendon-royals-announce-vitale-ferrante-as-senior-mens-coach|title=Season 2020 {{!}} Essendon Royals announce Vitale Ferrante as Senior Men's Coach|website=Essendon Royals Soccer Club|language=en-AU|access-date=2019-08-31}}</ref> After the COVID-19 pandemic resulted in the cancellation of the 2020 and 2021 seasons, Essendon Royals achieved promotion from Men's State League 1 North-West to National Premier Leagues Victoria 3 in the 2022 season.<ref>{{Cite web |title=NJL Match Report: Royals seal memorable wins at Keilor Park – Essendon Royals Soccer Club |url=https://essendonroyals.com.au/2022/08/njl-match-report-royals-seal-memorable-wins-at-keilor-park/ |access-date=2022-08-17 |website=essendonroyals.com.au}}</ref> Earlier in the year, Vitale Ferrante stepped away from the head coach job, with his brother Michael Ferrante, an ex-professional footballer and until then player at the Royals since mid-2019, took over the manager role.

==Historical honours (1958–1994)== ===Anstey Roma (1968–1969)=== *'''Victorian Sixth Tier''' :Premiers (1): 1968 (Central)

===Central Brunswick/Dallas City/Ivanhoe City (1973–1987)=== *'''Victorian Eighth Tier''' :Premiers (1): 1984 *'''Victorian Eleventh Tier''' :Premiers (1): 1977

===East Brunswick (1970–1986)=== *'''Victorian Sixth Tier''' :Third Place ''(promotion)'' (1): 1983 *'''Victorian Seventh Tier''' :Premiers (2): 1972 (East), 1975 (East)

===East Brunswick–Ivanhoe (1988–1994)=== *'''Victorian Fourth Tier''' :Runners–up (1): 1991 *'''Victorian Fifth Tier''' :Premiers (1): 1990

===Fiorentina (1958–1963)=== *'''Victorian Second Tier''' :Runners–up (2): 1961, 1963 *'''Victorian Third Tier''' :Runners–up (1): 1959

===Moonee Ponds (1973–1982)=== *'''Victorian Tenth Tier''' :Third Place ''(promotion)'' (1): 1977

===Unione Sportiva Triestina/Maribyrnong Triestina/Essendon City Jets (1958–1994)=== *'''Victorian Second Tier''' :Premiers (1): 1963 :Runners–up (1): 1986 *'''Victorian Third Tier''' :Premiers (1): 1962 *'''Victorian Fourth Tier''' :Runners–up (1): 1985 *'''Victorian Fifth Tier''' :Premiers (1): 1973 :Runners–up (1): 1976 :Third Place ''(promotion)'' (1): 1983

==Recent honours (1995–present)== *'''Victorian Second Tier''' :Runners–up (2): 2000, 2002 *'''Victorian Third Tier''' :Runners–up (1): 1999 *'''Victorian Fourth Tier''' :Runners–up (2): 2016 (North–West), 2022 (North–West) *'''Victorian Fifth Tier''' :Premiers (1): 2014 (North–West) *'''Victorian Seventh Tier''' :Runners–up (1): 2011

==See also== {{Portal|Australia}} *List of sports clubs inspired by others

==References== {{reflist}}

==External links== *[http://www.essendonroyals.com.au/ Essendon Royals SC (official website)] *[http://www.footballfedvic.com.au/ Football Federation Victoria (official website)] *[http://www.ozfootball.net/ark/Clubs/E/EssendonRoyals.html Essendon Royals Ozfootball Page]

{{Victorian Premier League}} {{AUS fb state Vic}}

Category:Soccer clubs in Melbourne Category:Men's soccer clubs in Melbourne Category:Victorian Premier League Category:Italian-Australian culture in Melbourne Category:Italian-Australian backed sports clubs of Victoria (state) Category:Association football clubs established in 1959 Category:1959 establishments in Australia Category:Essendon, Victoria Category:Sport in the City of Moonee Valley