Melbourne City Football Club (women) is the women's team of Melbourne City FC based in Cranbourne East, Victoria, Australia. They compete in the A-League Women, the top tier of Australian women's soccer and have won a league-leading five premierships and five championships as the most successful team in Australian women's soccer.
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| Founded | 13 May 2015 | |||
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| Ground | ctrl:cyber Pitch AAMI Park (doubleheaders) | |||
| Capacity | 1,500 (ctrl:cyber Pitch) 30,050 (AAMI Park) | |||
| Owner | City Football Group | |||
| Chairman | Khaldoon Al Mubarak | |||
| Head Coach | Michael Matricciani | |||
| League | A-League Women | |||
| 2025–26 | 1st of 11 (premiers) Finals: Champions | |||
| Website | http://www.melbournecityfc.com.au/ | |||
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History
editFollowing on from their purchase of and investment into Manchester City in England, City Football Group turned their eyes to investment into the women's game as well, funding a serious overhaul of the Manchester club's female affiliate.[1] Only months after their takeover of the men's team Melbourne City FC, they followed likewise on the women's side, contacting the FFA regarding entering a team into the W-League to be affiliated to the men's Melbourne side.[2]
After a year of negotiations, their involvement was sealed with an announcement that a women's team competing under the name Melbourne City FC would compete in the W-League as of the beginning of the 2015–16 season.[2]
Four championships and two premierships (2015–20)
editMelbourne City CEO Scott Munn revealed that his club had been in consultation with Football Federation Australia (FFA) for over 12 months regarding the introduction of a new W-League side.[3] In July 2015, Melbourne City Women's FC made Matildas co-captain Lisa De Vanna their first-ever signing. She is widely regarded as one of the world's best women's strikers.[4] After De Vanna, the club's next foundation signings were Laura Alleway and Brianna Davey. In September 2015, Young Matildas Larissa Crummer, Alex Chidiac, Beattie Goad and former Adelaide United defender Monique Iannella joined the club.[5] Matilda Steph Catley also signed up in September. Regarded as a Matildas' fan favourite, Catley created history when she was voted as the first female to appear on the cover of the video game FIFA 16.[6]
The club created history in its inaugural 2015–16 season, winning all 12 of its regular season games to become Premiers (regular-season winners) and becoming Champions by winning the 2016 W-League grand final, completing a perfect season.[7] In the following season, City suffered a six-match winless run during the middle part of the season before storming back into the finals series and claiming a second successive championship in the 2017 grand final. This achievement meant the club was equal with several other clubs for the greatest number of championships won in the league.[8] The club then eclipsed this record the following season when it defeated Sydney FC in the 2018 W-League grand final making it 3 championships in a row.[9][10]
City had an undefeated 2019–20 season, with 11 wins and one draw, and secured their second premiership. Under Head Coach Rado Vidošić, and with elite talent on the pitch such as the returning Steph Catley and new players Kyah Simon and Claire Emslie, the team went on to win the double following wins over Western Sydney Wanderers and Sydney FC in the 2020 Finals Series. Consequently, City became the first team in W-League history to secure four championships.[11]
The club claimed its fifth championship in the 2025/26 season by defeating Wellington Phoenix 3-1 in the grand final at AAMI Park.[12] The result came weeks after winning the league premiership as the highest-ranked team on the table, and coincided with a run to the Asian Women Champions League semi-final.[13]
Stadium
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Melbourne City's women's team played general home matches at CB Smith Reserve in Fawkner from 2015 to 2021. Doubleheaders are played at AAMI Park; the home venue of the men's team located in the Melbourne Sports and Entertainment Precinct. During the club's move to Casey Fields in Cranbourne East; in 2022, City's women's team moved to the Casey Fields oval for the 2022–23 season. The next season saw City move to ctrl:cyber Pitch; the main pitch of the newer City Football Academy in 2023. In March 2025, the club has proposed a new boutique rectangular stadium at Casey Fields with a $10.68 million funding commitment dependent on the outcome of the 2025 Australian federal election.[14]
Players
editFirst-team squad
edit- As of 2 November 2025
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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Notable former players
editBelow is a list of notable players for Melbourne City. Generally, this list includes former players that have played 50 or more first-class matches for the club, have at least one senior international cap, and/or have made significant contributions to the club's history. For a full list of current and former players see Melbourne City FC (women) players.
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Technical staff
edit| Position | Name |
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| Head coach |  Michael Matricciani |
| Assistant Coach | Peter Kofinas |
| Goalkeeping Coach | Ben Morella |
Honours
editDomestic
edit
Continental
editContinental record
edit| Season | Competition | Round | Opponent | Home | Away | Aggregate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024–25 | AFC Women's Champions League | Group B |  Bam Khatoon |
2–1 | 1st | |
 College of Asian Scholars |
3–0 | |||||
 Kaya–Iloilo |
4–0 | |||||
| Quarter-finals |  Taichung Blue Whale |
3–0 | ||||
| Semi-finals |  Incheon Red Angels |
1–0 | ||||
| Final |  Wuhan Jianghan |
1–1 (a.e.t.) (4–5 p) | ||||
| 2025–26 | Group A |  Lion City Sailors FC |
5–0 | 1st | ||
| Stallion Laguna |
7–0 | |||||
 Hồ Chí Minh City |
3–0 | |||||
| Quarter-finals |  Nasaf |
2–1 | ||||
| Semi-finals |  NTV Tokyo Verdy Beleza |
1–3 | ||||
See also
edit
References
edit- ↑ "Manchester City aim for Women's Super League success too". BBC. 24 January 2015. Archived from the original on 25 January 2014. Retrieved 13 May 2015.
- 1 2 "Melbourne City FC set to field W-League team in 2015". melbournecityfc.com.au. 13 May 2015. Archived from the original on 1 August 2015. Retrieved 13 May 2015.
- ↑ "Melbourne City to join W-League next season". SBS. 14 May 2015.
- ↑ "Melbourne City FC signs inaugural W-League player". Football Federation Australia. 14 July 2015.
- ↑ "Melbourne City sign four more W-League signings". Football Federation Australia. 10 September 2015.
- ↑ "Melbourne City signs Steph Cately for 2015/16 W-League season". Football Federation Australia. 16 September 2015.
- ↑ "W-League grand final: Melbourne City beat Sydney FC". ABC News. 31 January 2016.
- ↑ "W-League grand final: Melbourne City first club to win two titles in a row". ABC News. 12 February 2017.
- ↑ Bush, Chelsey (18 February 2018). "Melbourne City claims historic third W-League Championship". Equalizer Soccer. Archived from the original on 30 January 2025. Retrieved 7 May 2025.
- ↑ "Melbourne City have clinched a historic W-League three-peat with a 2-0 grand final triumph over Sydney FC". SBS. 18 February 2018.[permanent dead link]
- ↑ "Melbourne City crowned W-League champions after beating Sydney FC". ABC News. 21 March 2020.
- ↑ "Melbourne City wins A-League Women's championship as Matildas star Holly McNamara shines against Wellington Phoenix". ABC News. 16 May 2026.
- ↑ Samantha Lewis (16 May 2026). "Melbourne City cement A-League Women dynasty with championship win over Wellington". The Guardian.
- ↑ "Melbourne City FC, in partnership with the City of Casey, welcomes $10.68 million commitment for proposed Casey Mini Stadium". Melbourne City FC. 30 March 2025.
- ↑ "Wuhan Jiangda take title with shootout win". the-afc.com. Asian Football Confederation. 24 May 2025. Retrieved 24 May 2025.