Summary

Melbourne Hungaria Soccer Club trophy made by Tilbury & Lewis Pty Ltd, 1966. This trophy was given to the Committee of the Club by the 1966 players. The Melbourne Hungaria Soccer Club, also known as the Melbourne Soccer Club, was formed in 1957 by Hungarian migrants, this included members of the Hungarian Olympic soccer team who had defected and remained in Australia following the 1956 Melbourne Olympics.

During the 1960s and 1970s it was one of the strongest football clubs in Australia, winning the Victorian State League championship and the Australian Cup in 1967. The club closed in 1987. It's most notable player was former Socceroo Attila Abonyi.

'My parents didn't have a word of English.but the fact there was a Hungarian soccer club, they could go along ...and mingle with Hungarians. It was a social event even more than a football club.' Attilla Abonyi quoted in Sportblog article, Joe Gorman, 2014

Attilla Abonyi was ten years old when his family fled Hungary in 1957, escaping the Soviet invasion. He migrated to Melbourne under the Hungarian Refugee Assistance Scheme. By 1960 Atti was playing for the newly formed Melbourne Hungaria and was part of the team that lifted the Australia Cup in 1967. He went on to play for the Socceroos in the 1974 World Cup, becoming one of Australia's greatest footballers.

Physical Description

Large soccer trophy consisting of a long tapered metal urn, pointed metal lid and plastic base. The urn has two long handles and the lid has an inverted cone shaped handle, while both have ridged embellishments on them. The base has concave patterns along the sides and is curved along the bottom. The metal has been covered with a silver coating, and is engraved on the front of the urn.

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