Preston Lions

The final of the 2026 Dockerty Cup saw Preston Lions beat Heidelberg United 3-1.

That 1992 run matters because of who the club was built to serve. Formed in 1947 by Macedonian immigrants in the Melbourne suburb of Preston, the club joined the Victorian Soccer Federation in 1959. The name Preston Lions is not the original one — the club played as Preston Makedonia until financial strain and a Soccer Australia ban on ethnically named clubs forced the change in 1993-94. The nickname Makedonia still surfaces among older supporters.

Grounds moved twice before the club settled. Early seasons were spent shifting between pitches in Royal Park and Parkville, then came nearly two decades at T.A. Cochrane Reserve in Preston itself. Since 1978 home has been B.T. Connor Reserve in neighbouring Reservoir, a 6,500-capacity ground with room for 800 seated, now carrying the naming-rights tag Genis Steel Stadium.

On the pitch, the Victorian Premier League titles of 1994, 2002 and 2007, and the 1980 Victorian State League championship stand out.