ACU Football Club was founded in 2018 as Australian Catholic University’s first community sports club.
Inspired by the construction of Barker Road (the university’s FIFA-standard synthetic pitch), the club was established to provide a football program that serviced both the student body and local community, with the aim of promoting female participation in sport.
ACU Sport Programs Coordinator, Ashleigh Campbell, was the driving force behind creation of the club, running operations and strategy as the club’s inaugural president.
The club first entered teams into Football Canterbury competitions in 2019, fielding a women’s and men’s team in the Sunday leagues. In 2021 the club expanded into Football Canterbury’s Saturday leagues and in 2022 became a full member of Football Canterbury.
With the club’s focus on female participation, it was fitting that the ACU FC’s first trophy was the 2020 Women’s Division 2 title, earning the club promotion to the Grace Martin Premier League in 2021. The club’s first league and grand final double was achieved in 2022 with the Men’s Division 11 team defeating Enfield FC 3-0, with the club winning their first match in the Australia Cup in 2023 with a 4-0 victory over Fairfield Eagles - both teams coached by Christian Layland.
ACU FC was named by Football Australia one of the ten best clubs in Australia in 2024 as part of the Club Changer program. It came on the back of the establishment of the ACU Club Referee Program which helped to solve the lack of referees in the region.
The Ashleigh Campbell Shield was launched in March 2025, honouring the club’s founder and providing a pre-season tournament for ACU FC, Saint Barnabas FC, Inner West Counsel and Christ Church Inner West United – at the time the four religious clubs who competed in Football Canterbury competitions.
2025 saw further milestones for ACU FC with the club’s first ever Bill Brackenbury Premier League side, and first ever junior side – an U9 Girls team. That year also saw an ACU FC team claim back-to-back titles for the first time, with the Women’s Division 2 team claiming the double after winning the Division 5 grand final the year before. Jacob Nastasi coached the side in both seasons.