Adelaide derby explained

The Adelaide Derby is an intra-city local derby between South Australia's two most historically successful soccer clubs: Adelaide City and West Adelaide. The two sides were the first from the state to compete at the national level when they became founding members of the National Soccer League in 1977. For more than 20 years, it was Adelaide's only intra-city derby. The rivalry was born before the national league developed and when they competed in the state's first division. Adelaide City, then known as Adelaide Juventus was a club backed by Adelaide's Italian community, while West Adelaide Hellas drew its support from the city's Greek population. Since the demise of the NSL, the two clubs have returned to South Australian competition and continue their rivalry in the National Premier Leagues.

History

State dominance: A rivalry is born

Adelaide City was founded as Juventus in 1946 by a group of Italian migrants, some of whom had previously been members of a club called Savoia. In 1953, the club won its first South Australian first-division title and its first Federation Cup. Juventus had won six league titles and five cups by the early 1960s. West Adelaide Hellas was founded in 1962 by some Greek migrants who had previously been part of the Hellenic Olympic club, banned by the South Australian Soccer Federation for crowd violence. The Greek club merged with the original West Adelaide, which was founded in 1910 and played home games at Hindmarsh Stadium. Like Juventus, it too quickly obtained promotion to the first division, and the clubs established their rivalry.

Juventus and Hellas' first meeting came in September 1963, before the newly formed Hellas had even played its first game in the top tier. West Adelaide reached the final of that year's Federation Cup as it took out the second-tier competition. The final pit Hellas against Juventus, but the dominant Italians proved too good for the upstarts, winning 5–1 in the final. Juventus won the first division that year – their seventh title.

Juventus also won the first league meeting between the two teams, a 2–0 away victory on 18 April 1964. However, later in the year, Hellas was to draw blood against its new rival for the first time. The sides again came face-to-face in the Federation Cup as they had the previous year. The first match ended in a 3–3 deadlock that extra time was unable to resolve, so a replay was contested. Hellas won 2–1 a week later and went on to win its first cup title. However, Juventus again won the league that year.

Again, the two sides came against one another in the 1965 Federation Cup semi-final, with Juventus exacting revenge and going on to win the title. In 1966, West Adelaide won the first division for the first time, taking out wins against Juventus home and away in the process. The first match between the pair that season finished 6–3 to Hellas and remains the highest-scoring derby to date. The following year, Hellas thumped Juventus 4–0 in the league (to date, its biggest derby win) and also demolished the Italian club 3–0 in the Federation Cup final. However, Juventus still managed to win the league, one point ahead of second-placed Hellas.

West Adelaide won the next two league championships before Juventus won the league again in 1970. It also defeated Hellas in the Federation Cup final to claim the double. The two clubs had by now established themselves as South Australia's most powerful. Hellas won the 1971 competition, seven points clear of second-placed Juventus, but the Italian-backed club got revenge in the cup, beating Hellas in the final for the second straight season. Juventus would go on to win four Federation Cup finals in a row, all against West Adelaide.

Between 1966 and 1976, the two clubs won all but one league championship between them. Only Polonia Adelaide managed to break their dominance for a single season, winning the league in 1975.

The derby goes national

Adelaide City, as the renamed Juventus was known, and West Adelaide became foundation members of the National Soccer League in 1977. On 20 June, the two clubs ran out for the first time against one another in a national competition. In front of 12,328 spectators, Adelaide City trounced West Adelaide 4–1 with goals from Brian Northcote, Agenor Muniz, Dixie Deans and John Nyskohus.^[1] Neil McGachey scored the only goal for Hellas. The match did not lack star quality, with Liverpool legend Graeme Souness lining up for West Adelaide.^[2] The return game at Olympic Sports Field finished 2–2. West Adelaide won an NSL Cup tie between the two clubs; however, it was 3–2 after extra time. The two clubs were not allowed by the South Australian Soccer Federation to enter teams in the state competition that year, although they both re-entered South Australia's second tier in 1978.

Arguably the biggest derby ever played between the two clubs was contested in the final round of the 1978 National Soccer League season. West Adelaide needed just a draw to win its first NSL title and become the first Adelaide club, and first outside New South Wales, to be crowned Australian champion. Adelaide City couldn't win the league but needed to win the game to deny its rival the title. John Perin scored the opening goal for the Italian-backed club with a long-range strike and City appeared destined to spoil West's party until Vic Bozanić lobbed home an equaliser five minutes from time.^[3] A crowd of 16,251 watched the game at Hindmarsh Stadium and it remains the highest recorded attendance of any derby between the two clubs.

West Adelaide wouldn't win another league derby until 1982. The two clubs also met semi-frequently in the NSL Cup, Hellas knocking City out of the 1982 and 1983 editions before the Black and Whites picked up a win in a new group phase format in 1984. Derby crowds dropped in the mid-1980s, and only 3500 spectators watched City defeat West 4–1 at Olympic Sports Field in June 1985, where a young Aurelio Vidmar scored twice in his first derby. The NSL had been split into two conferences from 1984 to 1986, and the two Adelaide clubs competed alongside sides from Victoria and Queensland in the Southern Conference. When the league's administrators chose to return to a single division for the 1987 season, they cut the number of clubs and relegated those which were not retained to their respective state leagues.

The city had won its first league title in 1986 – a 2–1 loss to West Adelaide late in the season notwithstanding. However, West Adelaide had struggled, finishing fourth from bottom in the conference. It was not included in the NSL for 1987 and did not return until the 1989–90 season, the first time the NSL was played in summer. West Adelaide's return to the national league was short-lived. The club finished second-to-last and lost both derbies on its return, although crowds had more than doubled since the mid-1980s. More than 10,000 watched the first derby at Hindmarsh Stadium where City had moved and would play out the rest of its time in the NSL. To make the NSL return more bitter for West, it also lost the 1989–90 NSL Cup Round of 16 game 3–0 to Adelaide City.

City soars, West struggles

After another year in state league purgatory, West Adelaide returned to the NSL for the 1991–92 season. Again, City was ruthless in front of a 10,000-strong crowd at Hindmarsh, winning 4–1 with two goals apiece from club legend Sergio Melta and a young Carl Veart. Adelaide City would go on to win its second NSL title that season, but West Adelaide was not going to be a pushover in the return fixture. More than 13,000 attended the game on 7 January 1992 and it was a future Socceroo striker Paul Agostino, then just 16 years old, who would get on to the end of a through ball and finish calmly past goalkeeper Robert Zabica to win the game 1-0 for West.^[4]

Both Adelaide City and West Adelaide made the finals in 1992–93, and the playoffs would pit the two Adelaide sides against one another at the business end of the season for the first time. It was Hellas that won the first leg of the semi-final, but Adelaide City progressed after winning the second leg 2–1, having finished higher on the table after the minor round. Steve Maxwell scored the brace that ultimately helped City get past their local rivals, although the season ended with a disappointing 1-0 grand final defeat to Marconi.

Adelaide City won another derby in December 1993, a 4-0 demolition. West Adelaide claimed glory two months later, though when Socceroo striker Greg Brown scored a brace in front of a packed Hindmarsh Stadium. His side won 2–0; City again won the championship.^[5] The two clubs also played off in a two-legged NSL Cup tie which City won 4–3 on aggregate.

The rest of the 1990s were particularly lean for West Adelaide as their crosstown rivals regularly finished among the top five and played finals football. West won the first derby of the 1994–95 season but the club's supporters did not realise they would only ever win one more NSL game against City again. West knocked City out of the 1994-95 NSL Cup on away goals after two drawn games, despite both matches being played at Hindmarsh Stadium. City won two derbies in each of the 1995–96 and 1996–97 seasons.

In 1998, West Adelaide rebranded itself as the Adelaide Sharks, in an attempt to attract more broad-based support beyond their traditional but dwindling base in Adelaide's Greek community. They ended City's run of derby wins with a 1–1 draw in their first derby under the Sharks moniker. Nathan Day, who would later play for City, scored West's goal. Adelaide City smashed the Sharks 5–0 in the first derby of the 1998–99 season. The result was the most one-sided in all 40 NSL games the two sides contested. There would only ever again be one more such derby in the national league.

Adelaide Sharks defeated City 1-0 thanks to a late Aleksandar Đurić goal on 4 April 1999. The crowd was just 3982 at Hindmarsh Stadium, almost 5000 less than watched the earlier fixture between the two clubs just three and a half months prior and a world removed from the crowds of more than 10,000 fans the derbies had traditionally attracted. Just a week before the 1999–00 season was due to start, the Sharks withdrew from the competition – bankrupt.

City would remain in the NSL until 2003 when it too pulled out of the competition, just weeks before the final edition was about to begin. It was replaced in the NSL by the newly formed Adelaide United, a club backed by the South Australian Soccer Federation and South Australian businessman and former Adelaide City sponsor Gordon Pickard. The April 1999 derby remains the last time two Adelaide clubs faced each other in a national league.

The derby is reborn

Adelaide City returned its focus to the South Australian Premier League in 2004 upon withdrawing from the NSL. West Adelaide management legally separated its senior and junior arms into two clubs before the Sharks entered administration and ultimately folded in 1999.

West Adelaide's juniors survived through a merger with state league club Adelaide Olympic. In 2008, nine years after the last Adelaide derby was played in the NSL, West Adelaide ended its arrangement with the Olympic and returned to fielding senior teams in the third tier of the South Australian competition. West Adelaide Hellas eventually won promotion back to the South Australian first tier, now called the National Premier Leagues South Australia, for the 2014 season.

West was drawn to host Adelaide City at its temporary home ground at West Beach in round 1 of its first season back in South Australia's top flight. The match was promoted in local media and attracted a crowd of 2900 – significantly higher than the average state league crowd. That match ended 1-1, and West Adelaide won the return leg at Adelaide City Park later in the season. The two clubs reached the final of the 2014 Federation Cup, which served as South Australia's qualifier to the inaugural FFA Cup.^[6] Adelaide City won the highly anticipated match 4–1 at Hindmarsh Stadium and went on to defeat Western Sydney Wanderers in the FFA Cup; becoming the first state league side to defeat an A-League club.

West Adelaide won its first championship since its return from bankruptcy the following season despite a 4–0 loss to Adelaide City during the season. West also managed to knock City out of the cup, preventing the Black and Whites from embarking on a second FFA Cup campaign. Adelaide City responded by winning the next five derbies, including a 6-0 demolition in the final round of the 2017 FFSA season – the greatest-ever winning margin in derby history.

Ahead of the first derby of the 2018 season, the clubs announced a perpetual trophy had been created to recognise the historical significance of the derby. Adelaide City defeated West Adelaide 4–0 at home on 17 March to claim the Real Adelaide Derby Cup.^[7]

Results

	Competition	Date	Round	Home team	Score	Away team	Venue	Record
1	1963 Federation Cup	14 September 1963	GF		5–1	West Adelaide Hellas		1–0–0
2	1964 SASF Division One	25 April 1964	2		0–2	Adelaide Juventus		2–0–0
3		20 June 1964	11		2–2	West Adelaide Hellas		2–1–0
4	1964 Federation Cup	15 August 1964	RO16		2–2 (a.e.t.)	Adelaide Juventus		2–2–0
5		22 August 1964			2–1	Adelaide Juventus		2–2–1
6	1965 SASF Division One	29 May 1965	7		2–1	West Adelaide Hellas		3–2–1
7		31 July 1965	16		0–4	Adelaide Juventus		4–2–1
8	1965 Federation Cup	11 September 1965	SF		1–3	Adelaide Juventus		5–2–1
9	1966 SASF Division One	30 April 1966	3		6–3	Adelaide Juventus		5–2–2
10		9 July 1966	11		0–1	West Adelaide Hellas		5–2–3
11	1966 Federation Cup	10 September 1966	QF		4–3	Adelaide Juventus		5–2–4
12	1967 SASF Division One	24 April 1967	2		4–0	Adelaide Juventus		5–2–5
13		12 June 1967	9		0–0	West Adelaide Hellas		5–3–5
14	1967 Federation Cup	23 September 1967	GF		3–0	Adelaide Juventus		5–3–6
15	1968 SASF Division One	11 May 1968	3		2–2	West Adelaide Hellas		5–4–6
16		27 July 1968	13		2–0	Adelaide Juventus		5–4–7
17	1969 SASF Division One	10 May 1969	6		1–1	Adelaide Juventus		5–5–7
18		26 July 1969	16		2–1	West Adelaide Hellas		6–5–7
19	1970 SASF Division One	30 May 1970	7		2–2	Adelaide Juventus		6–6–7
20			17		3–4	West Adelaide Hellas		6–6–8
21	1970 Federation Cup		GF		3–2	West Adelaide Hellas		7–6–8
22	1970 Coca-Cola Challenge Cup	12 October 1970	3		def. by	West Adelaide Hellas		7–6–9
23	1971 SASF Division One	15 May 1971	4		0–2	West Adelaide Hellas		7–6–10
24		31 July 1971	13		3–5	Adelaide Juventus		8–6–10
25	1971 Federation Cup	18 September 1971	GF		1–0	West Adelaide Hellas		9–6–10
26	1971 Coca-Cola Challenge Cup	25 September 1971	SF		1–0	West Adelaide Hellas		10–6–10
27	1972 SASF Division One	22 April 1972	2		0–2	Adelaide Juventus		11–6–10
28		24 June 1972	10		3–1	West Adelaide Hellas		12–6–10
29	1972 Federation Cup	2 September 1972	GF		2–0	West Adelaide Hellas		13–6–10
30	1973 SASF Division One	19 May 1973	6		0–1	West Adelaide Hellas	Olympic Sports Field	13–6–11
31		28 July 1973	15		4–1	Adelaide Juventus	Hindmarsh Stadium	13–6–12
32	1973 Federation Cup	1 September 1973	GF		0–1	Adelaide Juventus		14–6–12
33	1973 Coca-Cola Challenge Cup	22 September 1973	GF		1–0	West Adelaide Hellas		15–6–12
34	1974 SASF Division One	25 May 1974	6		1–0	Adelaide Juventus	Hindmarsh Stadium	15–6–13
35		3 August 1974	15		1–0	West Adelaide Hellas	Olympic Sports Field	16–6–13
36	1975 SASF Division One	24 May 1975	6		2–2	Adelaide Juventus	Hindmarsh Stadium	16–7–13
37		2 August 1975	15		0–1	West Adelaide Hellas	Olympic Sports Field	16–7–14
38	1975 Coca-Cola Challenge Cup	27 September 1975	SF		3–2	Adelaide Juventus		16–7–15
39	1976 SASF Division One	12 June 1976	8		3–2	Adelaide Juventus	Hindmarsh Stadium	17–7–15
40		28 August 1976	17		1–1	West Adelaide Hellas	Olympic Sports Field	17–8–15
41	1976 Coca-Cola Challenge Cup	9 October 1976	GF		2–1	Adelaide Juventus		17–8–16
42		20 June 1977	12		1–4	Adelaide City	Hindmarsh Stadium	18–8–16
43		19 September 1977	25		2–2	West Adelaide Hellas	Olympic Sports Field	18–9–16
44		20 September 1977	1		2–2 (a.e.t.)	Adelaide City	Hindmarsh Stadium	18–9–17
45		28 May 1978	13		1–2	West Adelaide Hellas	Olympic Sports Field	18–9–18
46		19 July 1978	RO16		1–0	West Adelaide Hellas	Hindmarsh Stadium	19–9–18
47		27 August 1978	26		1–1	Adelaide City	Hindmarsh Stadium	19–10–18
48		25 April 1979	RO32		1–0	West Adelaide Hellas	Hindmarsh Stadium	20–10–18
49		10 June 1979	12		1–2	Adelaide City	Hindmarsh Stadium	21–10–18
50		16 September 1979	25		1–0	West Adelaide Hellas	Olympic Sports Field	22–10–18
51		18 May 1980	11		1–0	West Adelaide Hellas	Olympic Sports Field	23–10–18
52		14 September 1980	24		0–2	Adelaide City	Hindmarsh Stadium	24–10–18
53		24 May 1981	14		0–3	Adelaide City	Hindmarsh Stadium	25–10–18
54		29 July 1981	SF		1–0	Adelaide City	Hindmarsh Stadium	25–10–19
55		30 August 1981	28		2–1	West Adelaide Hellas	Olympic Sports Field	26–10–19
56		16 May 1982	14		2–1	Adelaide City	Hindmarsh Stadium	26–10–20
57		14 June 1982	RO32		3–1	Adelaide City	Hindmarsh Stadium	26–10–21
58		22 August 1982	28		0–0	West Adelaide Hellas	Olympic Sports Field	26–11–21
59		6 March 1983	RO16		1–0	Adelaide City	Hindmarsh Stadium	26–11–22
60		15 May 1983	10		1–2	Adelaide City	Hindmarsh Stadium	27–11–22
61		21 August 1983	23		2–0	West Adelaide Hellas	Olympic Sports Field	28–11–22
62		4 March 1984	1		0–1	Adelaide City	Hindmarsh Stadium	29–11–22
63		23 May 1984	1		0–1	Adelaide City	Hindmarsh Stadium	30–11–22
64		8 April 1984	6		2–1	Adelaide City	Hindmarsh Stadium	30–11–23
65		1 July 1984	14		1–0	West Adelaide Hellas	Olympic Sports Field	31–11–23
66		12 August 1984	20		3–2	West Adelaide Hellas	Olympic Sports Field	32–11–23
67		30 September 1984	27		0–3	Adelaide City	Hindmarsh Stadium	33–11–23
68		24 March 1985	3		2–1	Adelaide City	Hindmarsh Stadium	33–11–24
69		9 June 1985	14		4–1	West Adelaide Hellas	Olympic Sports Field	34–11–24
70		27 April 1986	RO16		1–0	Adelaide City	Hindmarsh Stadium	34–11–25
71		8 June 1986	9		3–1	West Adelaide Hellas	Hindmarsh Stadium	35–11–25
72		24 August 1986	19		2–1	Adelaide City	Hindmarsh Stadium	35–11–26
73		21 May 1988	10		0–1	West Adelaide Hellas	Olympic Sports Field	35–11–27
74		20 August 1988	21		2–0	Adelaide City	Hindmarsh Stadium	35–11–28
75		22 April 1989	6		0–5	West Adelaide Hellas	Olympic Sports Field	35–11–29
76		8 July 1989	17		1–0	Adelaide City	Hindmarsh Stadium	35–11–30
77		14 February 1990	1		3–0	West Adelaide Hellas	Hindmarsh Stadium	36–11–30
78		14 April 1990	7		1–1	West Adelaide Hellas	Hindmarsh Stadium	36–12–30
79		30 June 1990	18		2–1	Adelaide City	Hindmarsh Stadium	36–12–31
80		4 May 1991	7		0–1	Adelaide City	Hindmarsh Stadium	37–12–31
81		27 July 1991	18		0–2	West Adelaide Hellas	Hindmarsh Stadium	37–12–32
82		7 October 1991	4		1–4	Adelaide City	Hindmarsh Stadium	38–12–32
83		30 October 1991	1		1–0	West Adelaide Hellas	Hindmarsh Stadium	39–12–32
84		7 January 1992	17		0–1	West Adelaide Hellas	Hindmarsh Stadium	39–12–33
85		7 November 1992	6		0–1	Adelaide City	Hindmarsh Stadium	40–12–33
86		18 November 1992	1		3–2	West Adelaide Hellas	Hindmarsh Stadium	41–12–33
87		9 December 1992			1–2	Adelaide City	Hindmarsh Stadium	42–12–33
88		1 February 1993	19		1–0	West Adelaide Hellas	Hindmarsh Stadium	43–12–33
89			EF		1–0	Adelaide City	Hindmarsh Stadium	43–12–34
90					2–1	West Adelaide Hellas	Hindmarsh Stadium	44–12–34
91		3 October 1993	1		0–1	Adelaide City	Hindmarsh Stadium	45–12–34
92		6 October 1993			3–3	West Adelaide Hellas	Hindmarsh Stadium	45–13–34
93		3 December 1993	6		4–0	West Adelaide Hellas	Hindmarsh Stadium	46–13–34
94		7 February 1994	19		2–0	Adelaide City	Hindmarsh Stadium	46–13–35
95		30 September 1994	1		2–2	West Adelaide Hellas	Hindmarsh Stadium	46–14–35
96		3 October 1994			0–0	Adelaide City	Hindmarsh Stadium	46–15–35
97		23 December 1994	13		2–1	Adelaide City	Hindmarsh Stadium	46–15–36
98		9 April 1995	26		2–1	West Adelaide Hellas	Hindmarsh Stadium	47–15–36
99		27 May 1995	10		2–2	Adelaide City		47–16–36
100		5 August 1995	21		1–2	West Adelaide Hellas		47–16–37
101		5 November 1995	6		1–2	Adelaide City	Hindmarsh Stadium	48–16–37
102		7 January 1996	17		0–2	West Adelaide Hellas	Hindmarsh Stadium	48–16–38
103		16 March 1996	3		1–3	West Adelaide Hellas		48–16–39
104		31 March 1996	28		0–3	Adelaide City	Hindmarsh Stadium	49–16–39
105		22 June 1996	14		0–2	Adelaide City		50–16–39
106		24 November 1996	7		1–0	West Adelaide Hellas	Hindmarsh Stadium	51–16–39
107		16 March 1997	21		0–2	Adelaide City	Hindmarsh Stadium	52–16–39
108		31 May 1997	10		1–0	West Adelaide Hellas		53–16–39
109		16 August 1997	21		1–1	Adelaide City		53–17–39
110		14 January 1998	11		1–1	Adelaide City	Hindmarsh Stadium	53–18–39
111		5 April 1998	25		3–1	West Adelaide Hellas	Hindmarsh Stadium	54–18–39
112		16 May 1998	9		1–1	Adelaide City		54–19–39
113		1 August 1998	20		0–1	West Adelaide Sharks		54–19–40
114		17 May 1999	12		5–2	West Adelaide Sharks		55–19–40
115		7 August 1999	25		2–1	Adelaide City		55–19–41
116		11 June 2012	RO16		6–0	West Adelaide	Adelaide City Park	56–19–41
117		21 February 2014	1		1–1	Adelaide City	Adelaide Shores Football Centre	56–20–41
118		24 May 2014	14		1–2	West Adelaide	Adelaide City Park	56–20–42
119		31 May 2014	GF		4–1	West Adelaide	Hindmarsh Stadium	57–20–42
120		6 March 2015	4		3–2	Adelaide City	Adelaide Shores Football Centre	57–20–43
121		25 April 2015	RO16		4–0	West Adelaide	Adelaide City Park	58–20–43
122		8 June 2015	17		2–3	West Adelaide	Adelaide City Park	58–20–44
123		5 March 2016	2		1–0	West Adelaide	Adelaide City Park	59–20–44
124		5 June 2016	13		1–2	Adelaide City	Adelaide Shores Football Centre	60–20–44
125		20 May 2017	11		1–2	Adelaide City	Adelaide Shores Football Centre	61–20–44
126		12 August 2017	22		6–0	West Adelaide	Adelaide City Park	62–20–44
127		17 March 2018	5		4–0	West Adelaide	Adelaide City Park	63–20–44
128		24 June 2018	16		1–3	Adelaide City	Adelaide Shores Football Centre	64–20–44
129		13 April 2019	7		3–0	Adelaide City	The Parks Football Centre	64–20–45
130		7 June 2019	13		0–0	West Adelaide	Adelaide City Park	64–21–45
131		17 February 2023	1		4–0	West Adelaide	State Centre for Football	65–21–45
132		13 May 2023	12		0–1	Adelaide City	West Beach Parks Football Centre	66–21–45
133		28 February 2026	1		2–1	West Adelaide	Adelaide City Park	67–21–45
134		31 May 2026	12			Adelaide City	Kilburn Sportsplex

Records and statistics

	Matches	Adelaide City Wins	Draws	West Adelaide Wins	Adelaide City Goals	West Adelaide Goals
South Australian Competitions	59	22	13	24	93	84
National Soccer League	38	25	4	9	67	33
Cups/Playoffs	36	20	4	12	61	40
Total	133	67	21	45	221	157

Notes and References

1. Web site: 1977 National Soccer League results.
2. News: Reference at www.adelaidenow.com.au. Adelaidenow.
3. Web site: YouTube. YouTube. 16 June 2007.
4. Web site: YouTube. YouTube. 2 July 2007.
5. Web site: YouTube. YouTube. 16 June 2007.
6. Web site: Reference at www.a-league.com.au.
7. Web site: City Wrap Up The Real Adelaide Derby Adelaide City Football Club. 25 March 2018. 25 March 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20180325171530/http://adelaidecityfc.com.au/city-wrap-up-the-real-adelaide-derby/. dead.