Dynamo Sparta F.C.

Dynamo Sparta (423759)
Full name:	Dynamo Sparta Football Club
Nicknames:	Sparta
Country:	Oceania
Founded:	2008 as Super Dud XI
League:	V.16: 22         VI.897: 23-30 V.80: 31                 V.36: 38 VI.6: 42
Location:	Melbourne, Victoria
Fan Club:	The Spartan Army
Management
Owner:	Jordan Kounelis
Chairman:	Jordan Kounelis
Manager:	Jordan1
Coach:	Debjit Furia
Stadium
Sherryfield Road (12,000 seats)
Cannedia Park (300 seats)
Colours
Primary:	Navy Blue & Gold
Secondary:	White & Navy Blue
Trophies
League:	3
Oceania Cup:	0
OWAAT Cup:	0
Hattrick Masters:	0
Golden Ball:	6
Golden Boots:	5
Kits

Dynamo Sparta Football Club (often simply known as Sparta) are a Hattrick football club based in the city Melbourne, Australia and compete under the Oceanian flag. Sparta have been one of Oceania's most historically rich and loyally supported clubs, despite suffering several hardships in more recent times. They play in series VI.6 and have won 3 league championships.

Sparta were founded in 2008 and were the first of the Kew High group to participate in competitive Hattrick. They won their first trophy in their inaugural season of competition (Oceanian season 23) but were not promoted due to falling behind the promotion boundary. After a downfall period in the seasons following, Sparta hit great heights in season 30 earning promotion to division V and claiming their second trophy.

Dynamo Sparta have had two stadiums throughout their history; the first being Crapena Arena, which was renamed Souvlaki Stadium at it's reconstruction to a 40,000 seat capacity. Since the club folded in 2010, Souvlaki Stadium was knocked down; but at the revival of the club at the end of 2013 a new stadium was built to signify new beginnings for the club, and the club thus moved to Sherryfield Road.

Sparta have a loyal and energetic fanbase having boasted some of the best atmospheres in Oceanian football thanks to their Spartan Army fanbase. The club is owned and chaired by media personality Jordan Kounelis.

History

Founding

Dynamo Sparta was founded on the 14th of January, 2008 as Super Dud XI. The team was born at the end of season 23 in a Division V series and were relegated into VI.897 almost instantaneously. Immediately after the relegation the club changed its name to TAS/VIC Greek Heroes and was known as this name for a further year. The club went on to win the VI.897 title in their first full season, but de to complications and rulings with promotion eligibility, the club was forced to remain in the division VI series.

The TAS/VIC Greek Heroes (or simply TVGH) struggled for several seasons afterwards to find their way out of division VI, finishing between 2nd and 4th on multiple occasions. The clubs group of supporters were becoming increasingly frustrated at the teams inability to gain promotion, despite showing promise for several seasons, but falling short on many occasions. Pressure was being applied from fans and sponsors alike, and this pressure eventually culminated into an event known as The Transfer Period.

Rejuvination & "The Transfer Period"

After many seasons of trying to win the VI.897 title and get their way back up to division V the team went under a serious reconstruction period. At the end of the season 26 the club officially changed its name to Dynamo Sparta F.C.. The Transfer Period was a landmark event in the clubs history. The period only lasted for a week yet it had a big influence on the clubs reputation. Several fledgling new clubs made it clear that they were interested in some of Sparta's older, more experienced players who were surplus to requirements at the now renamed Souvlaki Stadium. The clubs board had been pressuring the coaching department to buy new players and sell old ones to help bolster the squad. Manager Jordan1 saw this as a great opportunity to rid the club of it's unwanted players, lighten the heavy load of 37 players as well as inject some flair and youth into the bland squad. A large quantity of players were sold, footballers from countries such as Finland, Brazil, Italy, Switzerland, Spain, Poland, the Netherlands and Germany were all purchased to help inject the squad with international quality and Dynamo were finally left with a comfortable 25 players. In the eyes of the fans, this marked the moment that Dynamo Sparta became a club to contend with.

A New Beginning

"A New Beginning" was the slogan that Sparta used at the beginning of season 29. The club had attained exciting new players, a new internationally acclaimed coach, had built up a large warchest of $12 million, had secured sponsorship deals with large worldwide companies, Souvlaki Stadium underwent a 10,000 seat expansion, and its supporter base had been at its largest.

Season 29 turned out to be very successful for the club. The team got off to a slow start but eventually went on an amazing winning streak, only to be cut short by league leaders IC FC. Sparta finished in a promising 2nd on the table, 7 points adrift of top. Mikko Jokitalo had an outstanding season, hitting the first 5-star performance for any player at the club. Fili Rutland was the most consistent striker for the year. Herb Fitzpatrick scored his 50th career goal, and 3 member were inducted into the Hal of Fame; these were former coach Leon Christensen, great leader Timmy Brooker, and legendary wingback Dave Arnull. Brock Bradley is the next in line for Hall of Fame induction.

A lot of people around the club were pleased, but with IC FC gaining promotion, Sparta became the new strongest team in VI.897. In season 30, the club achieved what it had set out to do. An impeccable record throughout the season saw Sparta finish off undefeated with 13 wins and a solitary draw, score 90 goals for a goal difference of 79 goals, and win the league with 40 points, finally claiming promotion into division V. This marked the clubs second ever trophy, and is seen as one of the best moments in Dynamo Sparta's history.

Downfall

Following the successes of season 30, hardships hit the club in season 31. The jump to division V came as a shock to the club, who weren't able to cope with the level of a higher division on and off the field. The club slumped to its worst season ever, winning only two games and losing ten - both club records - with two draws as well. The club scored only 17 goals and conceded 31 - also club records - yet surprisngly managed to finish in 6th position. Yet this was enough to send the club into turmoil.

Off the field, the club became financially cash-strapped. In the lead up to the season, the pressure the board and coaching department had put on themselves to keep up with the standards of division V saw Sparta make some big money signings. Unfortunately, these came to no avail as the club continuously suffered terrible losses. This also turned casual supporters away, meaning the club wasn't making enough money through ticket sales either. By the end of the season the culmination of wasted signings, low crowd attendances and sponsors cutting ties with the club meant the club had hit all-time lows in the financial department. Amazingly, despite a poor record, not being relegated meant another season in division 5, which the owners and chairman Jordan Kounelis decided would end the club.

By the end of season 30, Kounelis handed Dynamo Sparta F.C.'s licence back into the Oceanian Hattrick Federation, and the club officially ceased to compete.

Brief Comeback

A the start of November 2012, there were widespread rumours that Dynamo Sparta F.C. would return to Hattrick almost two years after folding. On the 10th November, the rumours became fact when Dynamo Sparta received their licence into the Oceanian Hattrick Federation. The club was placed into VI.36 for season 38 and after Souvalki Stadium was torn down at the end of the first era, the Mikko Jokitalo Park was built for the second era. The park was a small temporary playing field with intentions to expand upon it in the future, and was named after the Finnish club legend. Sparta obtained a new squad, new coaches, new facilities, and the same large fanbase. The club went on to have one if its best seasons on record, winning 13 games and losing only once to claim their third ever title.

Jubilation quickly turned into heartbreak for the club at the end of the season as owner Jordan Kounelis revealed he wouldn't be able to operate the club anymore due to various other ventures he was pursuing in. This caused fans to turn riotous at the conclusion of the season, especially coming off a fantastic campaign and looking forward to hopefully excelling in their second attempt at division V. Again, for the second time, the Dynamo Sparta licence was revoked.

The Third Reign

Over a year since the club began its second era, former owner Jordan Kounelis announced on December 18, 2013 that Dynamo Sparta F.C. would be making its return to Hattrick. Kounelis' ventures he pursued at the end of 2012 had come to an end, and he announced that he was able to take complete control of the club once again. Supporters were initially cautious when hearing of Sparta's return, claiming it would be another tease and the club would soon fold yet again. Former manager Jordan1 has been reinstated at Dynamo Sparta and will take the reigns yet again in the clubs third era.

The Sherryfield Road stadium had been built in a new location for Dynamo Sparta to play home games in, with the local government providing decoys and excuses as to why the new stadium was being built, so to keep Sparta's return under wraps. The stadium was to hold 12,000 spectators in the clubs first seasons, with reports suggesting the club would look to expand so to accommodate for its supporter base.

Colours and Crest

The club's colours have traditionally been navy blue and gold, which symbolise the clubs heritage base of Europe as well as the culture of triumph, respectively. The home strip is navy blue and gold vertical stripes, gold shorts, with gold and navy blue hooped socks. The away strip is white with a diagonal navy blue sash and diagonal stripes, navy blue shorts, and white and navy blue hooped socks.

The club has had one logo under the name Dynamo Sparta, and it was templated from Sparta Prague's logo, with whom they share similar names with. The logo consists of a circle which contains blue and gold stripes and the letters "DS" in black text; this is bordered by a white band that reads "Dynamo Sparta Football Club" in red text within it. The logo also features a skirt underneath split into three section, which simply harbour the clubs colours: navy blue, gold and navy blue again.

Stadium

The club plays its home games at Sherryfield Road (more commonly known as Sherryfield) and has done so since the start of season 42 in Oceania. Sherryfield was constructed midway through 2013 in preparation for the clubs revival in December of the same year, and will only house 12,000 spectators for the first few seasons of the clubs third era. There has been speculation that Sparta will look to expand its stadium so to house its once, and yet again, large group of loyal supporters.

The old Souvlaki Stadium

The club trains at the new Cannedia Park facilities which houses gymnasiums, ice and heat baths, modern technological football facilities, as well as football pitch covered by an inflatable dome.

Through the clubs first era Souvlaki Stadium was the home to Sparta, and reached a maximum capacity of 40,000 seats in its lifetime. It formerly went under the names of Crapena Arena (during the Super Duds XI period) and TVGH Stadium (during the TAS/VIC Greek Heroes period). It boasted one of the best turfs in the Victorian region. The stadium had four stands, coloured seats and roofs to match the team colours, and four distinctive light towers in each corner of the stadium. The Spartan Army positioned themselves at the bottom tier of the northern Florian Gunn Stand during home matches. (named after former goalkeeper Florian Gunn). The eastern stand was named the Sebastian Ocampo Wing after the famous winger, the southern stand was known as the Franklin Giannopoulos End after the legendary striker, and the western stand was named after Jokitalo Wing after club champion Mikko Jokitalo.

During the clubs very brief second era, the team moved to a makeshift field which had hops to have a proper stadium built upon it. They had named it Mikko Jokitalo Park which didn't last long once the club folded for a second time. To not dishonour club legend Mikko Jokitalo by tearing down the small park in his name, it is expected for the club to name a section of Sherryfield after the fullback once it is expanded upon.

Sponsors

Dynamo Sparta had two major sponsors throughout it's first era. JICK3, a now defunct company run by owners and chairman Jordan Kounelis was the main organisation that owned the club. Given the tight knot the slb and the company formed, the kit sponsor went to Sony. Sparta's kit supplier was Nike, and other minor sponsors include CREATIVE, Vodafone, and the Herald Sun.

Through the second era, the club formed and disbanded so quickly is didn't acquire sufficient sponsors in enough time. This was an influence in the clubs second premature end.

Thanks to better preparation, Kounelis was able to bring upon more sponsors to help see Sparta through its third era. Sponsors closer to Dynamo Sparta's community came on board with worldwide bank leader OmniBank joining forces with the club as the teams major shirt sponsor, as well as automobile manufacturer Ascent taking the space on the back of the clubs kits. Rouge breweries and the Phire sports drink companies came on board before the commencement of season 42 and will sponsors the club in minor roles.

Period	Kit Supplier	Shirt Sponsor	Secondary Sponsor	Minor Sponsor	Minor Sponsor
2008-2009	Nike	SONY	CREATIVE	None	None
2009-2010	Nike	SONY	CREATIVE	Vodafone	Herald Sun
2013-present	Umbro	OmniBank	Ascent	Rouge	Phire

Fan Support

Coming from the city of Melbourne, sports capital of the world, there is no doubting the passion and energy the fan club has. They call themselves "The Gladiators", which has derived from them being part of the "Spartan Army". The Gladiators are the most one-eyed, hardcore fans in any series. During matches, "The Gladiators" will usually bring loud instruments such as drums, horns, trumpets, and tambourines, along with various other instruments, to games to create an awesome atmosphere and intimidate the opposition. The Gladiators always have high hopes for the club, and it won't matter where the team are placed on the table, they will always have hope the team can pull off a victory.

Having made the bottom tier of the Gunn Stand their own, you will always find the near-2000 odd members creating a ruckas on game day. The leader of the Gladiators - the ever friendly Michalis Christopoulos - is always seen with his Hoplite helmet on, and signature bugle being blown into, leading the Gladiators in battle. Just before the kick-off to a home match, he (Michalis) will blow his trumpet and lead the fan club and home fans into a battle cry to pump up the crowd, rev up the team, and create a roaring atmosphere.

Rivalry

Perhaps the strongest rivalry Dynamo Sparta have is that with cross-town rival VS Vlissingen. The teams share a strong, yet special, rivalry because the clubs managers are best of friends, but are very competitive when it comes to the crunch. The Melbourne Hurricanes and Sparta also share a fierce rivalry for the same reason, but the stakes aren't as high when Sparta face the Hurricanes. When Sparta were in VI.897 for the number of season that they were, the Dynamo Sparta vs The Scholars match was always a dubbed the low-level "Victorian Derby".

Players

First-team squad

As of 24 November 2012

No. Position Player 1 GK Apolonio Ábade 2 DF Marek Vohrálik (Co-Captain) 3 WB Mikko Jokitalo (Co-Captain) 4 DF Mattias Håkansson 5 FW Albert Mages (3º vice-captain) 6 MF Artur Glapiak 7 MF Claudio Girod (2º vice-captain) 8 FW Conrad Charlesworth 9 FW Fili Rutland 11 FW César Cea 12 GK Elton Swancutt

No. Position Player 13 MF Stanisław Suchoń 14 MF Kerewin Cannegieter 15 MF Yan Fleming 16 MF Temuera Bundy 17 WI Racimir Kuzniewski 18 GK Dritëro Gjana 19 FW Roberto Gacitúa 21 FW Kirk Meninga 22 DF Braith Sherwin 23 MF Nout Laarhoven 24 DF Fermín Martín del Campo

For a list of notable Dynamo Sparta F.C. players, see List of Dynamo Sparta F.C. players

Hall of Fame

The Dynamo Sparta FC Hall of Fame was opened on the 9th of February 2010, when long-time centre back Timmy Brooker was retired into the Hall of Fame, and was the first Hall of Fame inductee. Soon after, legendary coach Leon Christensen, and long-serving fullback Dave Arnull were inducted. The most recent member to be inducted into the Hall of Fame is centre-back Arthur Poore. The Hall of Fame is exclusive to the legends of the club where former players and coaches get inducted into.

The current list of players in the Hall of Fame is here:

Role Name Inducted Player Timmy Brooker 09-02-2010 Coach Leon Christensen 14-02-2010 Player Dave Arnull 05-04-2010 Player Arthur Poore 26-07-2010

Personnel

For more details on this topic, see List of Dynamo Sparta F.C. personnel

Jordan1

Manager - Jordan1 Oceania
Jordan1 learned about Hattrick through a few friends who work at a Melbourne-based radio station. Jordan received his team on the 14th of January, 2008, and named his first ever squad "Super Dud XI", but after two months, changed the team name to "TAS/VIC Greek Heroes". The youth squad remained as Super Duds Youth Academy, and will remain that way through the next (and last) name name change to "Dynamo Sparta FC". He, along with his team of coaches and trainers, have devloped, bought, and played a wide variety of players from various countries, and training them into the players needed for the team's style of play. Jordan has received his managers licence, and now aims to win the VI.897 league title again, after winning it first in season 23 (34).

Franck Krauße

Coach - Franck Krauße Deutschland

Franck Krauße was recruited on 18 November 2012. He is from Hoffenheim, Germany, and is a well rounded coach. As the inaugural coach of the relaunched Dynamo Sparta F.C., Krauße had a lot to manage in his first season.

Jared Kellow

Assistant Coach - Jared Kellow Oceania

Jared Kellow was the first coach of the relaunched Dynamo Sparta F.C. An attacking coach, he held an interim position for 10 days until the club hired its first full-time coach on, Franck Krauße.

Sparta have a very big board of technical staff for the players, with experience coming from all over the world, helping the manager and coaches improve the playing squad. Past players from the club such as Florian Gunn, Sebastian Ocampo, Omiros Charitopoulos, and Sam Ackroyd have joined the board, and they know how the club functions from being here seasons ago.

Current Technical Staff

Position	Name	Nationality
Manager	Jordan Kounelis	Oceania
Coach (Asst Man.)	Dimitar Zlatanov	Bulgaria
Asst. Coach)	Neil Rogers	England
Asst. Coach	Leon Christensen	Danmark
Assistant Manager	Peitong Li	China
Assistant Manager	Hasitha Bandara	Sri Lanka
Director of Football	Sebastián Ocampo	Oceania
Reserves Manager	Arnold Dunn	Oceania
Academy Director	Clinton Pattison	Oceania
Cheif Scout	Clifford Scholes	Oceania
Goalkeeper Coach	Robert Bursian	Rossiya
Goalkeeper Coach	Florian Gunn	Oceania
Fitness Coach	David Economidis	Hellas
Chief Psychologist	Sam Ackroyd	Oceania
Psychologist	Hua Chee-Beng	Việt Nam
Psychologist	Omiros Charitopoulos	Hellas
Physiotherapist	Filippo Bottegal	Portugal
Physiotherapist	Okhropir Orbelianov	Sakartvelo
Chief Doctor	Shalva Amilakhori	Sakartvelo
Doctor	Lukhum Inalipa	Sakartvelo
Doctor	Joas Chilufya	South Africa

Current Board of Directors

Position	Name	Nationality
Owner	JICK3 Inc.	Australia
Chairman	Jordan Kounelis	Oceania
Assistant Chairman and Director	Robert Bursian	Rossiya
Social Director	Benjamín Abolafio Martínez	España
Treasurer and Finance Director	Timo van Willigenburg	Nederland
Marketing and Media Director	Hematara Velamore	India
Institutional and Assets Director	Mathieu Endriss	Schweiz
Sports Director	Fritz Eisenberger	Deutschland
Accountant	David Hansson	Sverige
Accountant	Antonio Mena	España
Spokesperson	Sten Mån	Sverige
Spokesperson	Dziam'jan Ivandzikau	Belarus
Spokesperson	Ivo Colmez	Belgium
Spokesperson	Ola Häggmo	Sverige

Seasons

Season (Global)	Series	Standing	Wins	Draws	Losses	GF	GA	GD	Points	Cup (Eliminated By)
23 (35)	VI.897	Winner	11	2	1	41	18	23	35	Round 2 (Aussie Hip Hop)
24 (36)	VI.897	3rd	7	2	5	23	21	2	23	Round 1 (Northern Teritory FC)
25 (37)	VI.897	4th	5	3	6	31	30	1	18	Round 1 (Chelsea.F.C)
26 (38)	VI.897	2nd	8	3	3	33	18	15	27	Round 1 (Northland-Over Fifties)
27 (39)	VI.897	5th	5	2	7	20	27	-7	17	Round 2 (Balmain F.C.)
28 (40)	VI.897	3rd	10	1	3	44	21	23	31	Round 1 (Wombats AFC)
29 (41)	VI.897	2nd	10	0	4	40	16	24	20	Round 2 (Wilby Wanderers II)
30 (42)	VI.897	Winner	13	1	0	90	11	79	40	Round 3 (Celtic_Springs)
31 (43)	V.80	6th	2	2	10	17	31	-14	8	Round 2 (PimP HoBo)

Season (Global)	Series	Standing	Wins	Draws	Losses	GF	GA	GD	Points	Cup (Eliminated By)
38 (50)*	VI.36	Winner	13	0	1	83	7	76	39	Round 3 (Hoodmen F.C.)

*Approximatley half of season 38 was played with an inactive coach/bot.

Season (Global)	Series	Standing	Wins	Draws	Losses	GF	GA	GD	Points	Cup (Eliminated By)
42 (54)	VI.6	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-

Honours

Club Honours

Series Champions

• Winners: (2) VI.897 (Season 23, 30), VI.36 (38)
• Runners-Up: (2) VI.897 (Season 26, 29)

The Oceania Cup

• Winners: Nil
• Runners-Up: Nil

The Hattrick Masters:

• Winners: Nil
• Runners-Up: Nil

OWAAT Cup:

• Winners: Nil
• Runners-Up: Nil

Individual Honours

Golden Ball

• Winners: Herb Fitzpatrick (Season 23), Mikko Jokitalo (24, 25, 26, 29), Fili Rutland (30)
• Runners-Up: Fili Rutland (Season 23, 24, 25, 26), Herb Fitzpatrick (24, 25, 26), Dave Arnull and Brock Bradley (24), Mattias Håkansson (30)

Golden Boot

• Winners: Oscar Gianotta (Season 23 with 8 goals), Fili Rutland (24 with 9), Herb Fitzpatrick (25 with 10, 26 with 8), Franklin Giannopoulos (30 with 18)
• Runners-Up: Franklin Giannopoulos (29 with 11), Fili Rutland (30 with 14)

• Note: The Golden Ball award goes by the highest number of stars. If there is a multiple number of players with the same amount of stars, then the winner is decided by the highest TSI. The winning player must've played a minimum of 5 matches, this does not count for runner-up.

Statistics and Records

For more details on this topic, see Dynamo Sparta F.C. records.

Franklin Giannopoulos holds the record for Sparta appearances, having played 147 first-team matches from 2008 onwards. His 150th cap will be a great occasion. Centre-half Arthur Poore comes second, having played 143 times. The record for a goalkeeper is held by Boris Arce, with 133 appearances.

Herb Fitzpatrick is the club's top goalscorer with 50 goals in all competitions from 2008 and onwards. Fili Rutland's total of 43 comes in second, with Giannopoulos coming in 3rd with a total of 35. Sparta's record home attendance is 30,000 exactly, at the Souvlaki Stadium.

Achievements

Team

Date	Achievement	Points
14-01-2008	Pulled a youth player	10
14-01-2008	Team was ranked amongst the top 3000	25
19-01-2008	Bought player	10
29-02-2008	Player's skill increased	10
15-04-2008	Sold player	10
02-10-2008	Fan club size exceeded 1000 members	5
07-03-2009	Cash is king	15
05-05-2009	Sold a youth player	10
09-07-2009	Sold a rebought youth player.	10
09-02-2010	Promoted a player to Hall of Fame	15

Match

Date	Achievement	Points
16-01-2008	Home-grown lineup	25
23-01-2008	Team reached more than 20 stars in a match	5
13-02-2008	Played international friendly match	10
16-08-2009	Team reached an average match rating of weak.	5

Manager

Date	Achievement	Points
06-06-2009	Wrote a forum post	10
10-06-2009	Wrote a press announcement	10

Flag Collection

Hosted Countries

Visited Countries

External Links

Official Websites:
Dynamo Sparta FC - Hattrick