All Categories - Welcome to Clube - Est. 2007

Signing Announcement - Wooyeop Kim

26/5/2022

Clube are thrilled to announce the signing of Wooyeop (Woo) Kim as a goalkeeper.

Woo comes to Clube as a student at Deakin University and is originally from South Korea having also lived and played in India.

Hometown
Seoul, South Korea

Course of study
Sports Management at Deakin University.

Desired occupation
Sports agent

Former club
Camden Rovers in India.

Best memory as a player
Becoming the captain for my high school senior team.

Professional teams supported
Liverpool because of Steven Gerrard when I started watching football as a kid.

Favourite player
Yann Sommer. I believe he’s one of best goalkeepers in the world and is very underrated. I try to learn from the way he plays.

Favourite memory as a fan
Watching Liverpool vs Barcelona 4-0 comeback in the Champions League.

Signing Announcement - Machdan Thalib

26/5/2022

Clube are pleased to announce the signing of Machdan Thalib.

Machdan is a forward who last played for Thornbury Athletic.

Originally from Malang, Indonesia, married life brought him to Melbourne.

Alongside making an impact in the early season as a forward for us, Machdan also can play centre-back or wing-back.

He is a Juventus fan and cites Zidane as his favourite player. Outside of football, Machdan also enjoys basketball and golf.

Signing Announcement - Finley Watson

17/5/2022

Clube are excited to announce the signing of Finley (Fin) Watson.

As a package-deal with our other recent signing of Ryan Piper, Fin is also from Mildura in north-west Victoria.

In traditional fashion, we did a quick-fire Q&A to get to know him a little more.

Playing position(s)
Centre-mid or Left-wing

Former clubs
Brunswick City and Northern Falcons.

Occupation
Currently studying a PHD in politics with ambitions of becoming a teacher.

Professional teams supported (and backstory)
Arsenal - My family is from England and all support Arsenal.

Favourite player
Aaron Ramsey - Love his play style, and one of Arsenal's most underrated players, scored so many iconic goals, especially in the 13-14 season.

Favourite football memories
As a fan, Jack Wilshere's 2013 goal against Norwich or Aaron Ramsey's goal against Fulham in 2018.
As a player, Playing and winning some Vic and S.A regional competitions with my hometown from the Sunraysia/Mildura region.

Other hobbies and interests.
Love going to the movies and seeing live music!

Signing Announcement - Ryan Piper

10/5/2022

Clube are thrilled to announce the signing of Ryan Piper.

Ryan joins us with a wealth of experience behind him from Whittlesea Rangers and Port Melbourne in the NPL and even Hutchisonvale FC in Scotland.

We sat down with Ryan to get to know him a bit better.

You've played in a few different places, where did your football journey start?
Mildura, in far north-western Victoria.

You introduced yourself to us as a versatile player with the ability to play across the front half, what's your preferred position?
Either left or centre forward.

And how would you describe your playing style?
Aggressive, fast, and demanding.

How was your time in Scotland with Hutchisonvale FC?
Well, I missed an open goal in the under 16’s Scottish Cup. But, I was just happy to be there.

Who do your support in the professional game?
Manchester United, I inherited this from my grandparents who were from the area, enjoyed it while I was young, but I'm not loving it at the moment.

Favourite player?
David Beckham, for scoring the redemption free kick against Greece to send England into the World Cup after the years of abuse he copped for being sent off four years earlier.

Outside of football, what do you do?
I'm studying a Bachelor of Criminology and currently working as a social worker.

Anything else?
I’m in Div 1 on FIFA seasons.

Player Signing - Sean Macak

10/5/2022

Clube is delighted to announce the signing of Sean Macak.

Sean joins us through the true and tested route of being a first year student at Deakin University. He also comes from Ballarat which has been a fruitful production line for Clube in the past.

We sat down with our new signing to find out a bit more about him.

You're from Ballarat, what club did you play for in the BDSA?
Juniors at Buninyong Redbacks, Seniors at Ballarat Soccer Club.

Where on the pitch are you best suited?
Right-forward or as a right full-back.

You've certainly made an impression early this season with your on-field presence. How you you describe your playing style?
Physicality, pace and pressing.

What are you studying at Uni?
Bachelor's of exercise and sports science . I want to be an Exercise physiologist.

Who do you support in the professional game?
Liverpool. Because when I got back into football, Liverpool were amazing and still are. Really loved the players.

So, who is your favourite Liverpool player?
Virgil van Dijk, when I got back into football he was my role model. He was who I wanted to base my football off when I wanted to be a CB.

Is there anything else to know about you?
I play chess. In fact, I went to the National School Championships.

Player Signing - Wutthisak Bamrungphakdee

15/4/2022

Clube are thrilled to announce the signing of Wutthisak (Wut) Bamrungphakdee.

Wut has already made quite the impression in his opening matches getting on the scoresheet and demonstrating some cheeky flair.

In traditional fashion, we sat down with our new signing to get to know him a little more.

Where are you from?
Udonthani, in North-Eastern Thailand. I have come to Melbourne to be closer to family.

You look familiar, have you played in the MCSA before?
Indeed I have, for Thai FC.

Preferred playing position?
Left back, I like to play in a very attacking style.

Favourite professional team?
Barcelona

Favourite player?
Marcelo

But he plays for Real Madrid?
Yes, but I like to play in the same style as him.

I can see that, Marcelo always has a smile on his face when he plays.
Me too. Playing football makes me happy!

Player Signing - Marcus Lee

23/3/2022

Clube are excited to announce the signing of Marcus Lee.

Marcus follows a familiar path having arrived in Melbourne to study at Deakin University undertaking a Bachelor of Exercise and Sport Science.

Marcus can play as a centre-back or as a right-back.

As is customary, we sat down with our new signing to find out a little more about him:

So, Marcus, where were you before arriving in Melbourne?
Darwin, I played for Mindil Aces Football Club.

How would you describe your playing style?
Composed, consistent, clinical.

Highlight of your playing career so far?
Captaining the Northern Territory representative side to a tournament in Coffs Harbour while also winning player of the tournament for my team.

You're studying a Bachelor of Exercise and Sport Science, what would be your ideal career?
I want to be an Exercise Physiologist.

I heard a rumour that you're an Arsenal fan, is that true?
It's true. My favourite teacher at the time supported them.

I assume that you're favourite player is from Arsenal too?
Indeed. It's Bukayo Saka because he has helped revitalise the Arsenal team ever since breaking into the first squad. He’s always been an exciting player to watch.

What's your favourtie football memory as a fan? Given your age I assume it won't be anything Arsenal related?
True. I was lucky enough to see Australia win the 2015 Asian Cup live in Sydney.

Player Signing - Hritish Kakati

17/3/2022

Clube are thrilled to announce the signing of Hritish Kakati.

Hritish debuted for Clube last Sunday, finding the net within the first 10 minutes only for his goal to be ruled out for offside. He did find his well-deserved goal late in the game

From Hassam, India, Hritish is a forward, capable of playing as either a striker or a winger.

We sat down with our new signing to find out a little more about him:

You're new to Melbourne, what brought you here?
I'm studying a Bachelor of Business (Sports Management) at Deakin University. I want to work in the industry one day.

You certainly impressed in your debut match, where have you previously played?
Verve FC based in Delhi.

Any highlights from your career in India?
Captaining my School team to an All India Inter-School tournament.

Do you follow professional football? Who do you support?
Bayern Munich (I just love their style of play, fast quick paced counter attacks and lethal in front of goal).

What about a favourite player? I think I can guess.
Indeed it is Robert Lewandowski. I love his positioning and his understanding of the situation. He’s always at the right place at the right time and of course who can forget his 5 goals in 9 minutes. I think that game made me fall in love with him.

What about outside of Football? Any hobbies or interests?
I have been inclined towards sports from a very young age, I played cricket and I was a sprinter as well growing up. I love to paint and music really helps me channelise all my energy.

Are there any other interesting facts about you not already mentioned?
I love animals! Most of my family are involved with wildlife, they’re wildlife biologists and as a result I have inherited that love for animals.

Player Signing - Deepu Abraham

15/3/2022

Deepu Abraham becomes Clube's latest signing. A specialist wing-back, Deepu also has the ability to play in the midfield or drop into Centre-Back when required.

Deepu most recently played for Thornbury Athletic and also for the Latrobe University team and hails from Kerala, India.

We sat down with Deepu to get to know our latest signing a little better.

So, what brought you to Melbourne.
Studies. Specifically a Masters on Sports Administration. Before that, I was an engineer who left the job and industry to try work in sports and football.

You're naturally a wing-back, how would you describe your playing style?
Confident, attacking footballer.

Which professional teams do you support?
Manchester City - I never followed any particular EPL team as such growing up, but enjoyed the league (I didn't have much chance to watch much football or TV growing up due to funny family rules). I started following City after I moved to Melbourne 5 years back and started following Melbourne City FC through which I came to know a lot about Manchester City culture and about their communities - and hence also picked City as my club in EPL.
Also, Real Madrid (I'm a hard core Zidane fan growing up) and AC Milan (just because someone gifted me AC Milan jersey when I was young, my first international jersey).

So, Zizou is your all-time favourite player? Why is that?
His control, vision and courage.

What about as a player. What's your best achievement?
Winning the Australian University National Championship with the La Trobe University team.

What happens if I were to Google you?
https://twitter.com/melbournecity/status/1245848486282694658

Player signing - George Hamilton

11/3/2022

George Hamilton signs for Clube.

George is a versatile midfielder from Bright in North-East Victoria. He has previously played for Myrtleford Savoy Soccer Club before and Murray United in the NPL.

George arrives at Clube through the well-trodden path of being a first year student at Deakin Univeristy. He is studying a Bachelor of Digital Media.

We sat down with George to find out a bit more about him.

Can you describe your playing style in 3 words?
Smart, Playmaker, quick.

What professional club(s) do you support. Is there a backstory?
Chelsea. I have always supported them mainly since one my favourite players growing up was Eden Hazard which caused me to start following Chelsea.
Melbourne Victory. I have followed victory my whole life after going to my first game when I was very young and loved how they played and still go to many games.

So, who's your favourite player then?
Until he retired it would have to be Archie Thompson, After seeing him play he instantly became my idol, the way he would always find the back of the net was great to watch. Also, Archie had a lot to do with my old club Murray United and he even played a season with them which also was great to experience.

Being a Victory fan must come with some good memories. Care to share?
My favourite memory is Besart Berisha scoring the first goal in the 2014/15 A league grand final was an experience I’ll never forget.

What about as a player, what's your best moment?
Playing up an age group back in 2018 and scoring two goals was the best feeling I have felt as a player definitely.

Any other interests outside of football?
I enjoy most sports and also music.