Gary Marocchi

Gary Marocchi is recognised as a true icon of Western Australian football. The youngest of four sons to Doris and Saverio Marocchi, he enjoyed a remarkable 17-season playing career filled with awards and honours.

Making his Azzurri first team debut in 1971 at just 16 , Gary quickly secured his place in midfield and, by season’s end, had already earned a Cup winner’s medal.

In 1965, Gary and his brother Eric proudly took the field in Azzurri’s first Under-13 side, following in the footsteps of older brothers Bruno and Leo, who had played in the club’s inaugural Under-14s the year before.
Credit: Gary and Debra Marocchi and Marocchi Family

Gary played a key role in Azzurri’s 1973 Night Series final win over Bayswater United. The same year, he collected another Cup winner’s medal with a stylish three-goal victory over Cracovia. Twelve months later, he added a Top Four winner’s medal after a dramatic penalty shoot-out against Ascot. In early 1975, Gary stepped onto the international stage during a tour of Indonesia with the Australian under-23 side, and that June he made his Australia ‘B’ debut against South Korea.

It was inevitable that Gary would wear State colours. The first of his 22 appearances came in March 1975 at the Marah Halim Cup, where Western Australia defeated South Korea 2–0 to claim the trophy. He was also part of the team that defended their title the following year, again  beating South Korea in the final.

Along the way, Gary added a First Division championship (1975, 1976) and a Top Four winner’s medal (1976) with Azzurri.

Gary in action for Adelaide City Soccer Club, where he played in the Australian Soccer League between 1977 and 1982.
Credit: Gary and Debra Marocchi and Marocchi Family

In October 1976, Gary toured Asia and Europe with the national team. He made his Australia 'A' debut on that trip, coming off the bench against Indonesia before earning starting appearances against Singapore, China and Israel. Within months he had joined Adelaide City for the inaugural National Soccer League season, making his debut against Brisbane Lions in April 1977.

Gary pulled on the green and gold again in late 1977 against South Korea, Hong Kong and Iran as Australia attempted to qualify for the World Cup in Argentina. The pinnacle of his playing career came in June 1978 when he captained Australia in a friendly series against Greece. Later that year, he lined up in an exhibition match against the touring New York Cosmos side, whose squad included stars such as Franz Beckenbauer, Carlos Alberto, Giorgio Chinaglia and Dennis Tueart.

Gary Marocchi earned 14 caps playing soccer for Australia between 1975 and 1978 and captained the national team against Greece.
Credit: Gary and Debra Marocchi and Marocchi Family

Adelaide's first trophy arrived in 1979 when they defeated St George to claim the League Cup, with Gary part of that winning side. After six seasons and 117 games in the national league, he returned home to the Perth club.

In 1984, he captained the State team at the DCM Tournament in India, where the highlight was a 1–0 defeat of the Chinese national team. After a season with Inglewood Kiev, he rejoined Perth for two more years before bringing the curtain down on his playing career at the end of 1987.

Gary moved seamlessly into coaching after his playing days. He guided Perth Italia to three successive league championships (1991, 1992 and 1993), the Perth Kangaroos to the Singapore League championship (1994) and the State side to victories over Werder Bremen (Germany) and Iraklis (Greece).

He was the inaugural coach of Perth Glory (1996–98) and later led Swan I.C. to their first Boral Cup triumph in 2003. His achievements were recognised with induction into the Hall of Champions in 1996 and elevation to the Hall of Legends in 2005.

Gary was the inaugural coach of Perth Glory (1996-1998).
Credit: Gary and Debra Marocchi and Marocchi Family

In the 1970s, breaking into Australia’s soccer team was a formidable challenge for players from Western Australia. Gary reached the pinnacle in 1978 when he captained the national side.
Credit: Gary and Debra Marocchi and Marocchi Family

Gary, wife Debra and family at the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia.
Credit: Gary and Debra Marocchi and Marocchi Family

Doris Marocchi

Credit: Marocchi Family

Doris Marocchi was a woman ahead of her time – a pioneer whose passion for family, sport and community left an indelible mark.

Born in Sernio, in the Italian Alps near the Swiss border, on 14 November 1928, Doris was a proud daughter of the alpine Valtellina. She migrated with her mother to Perth in 1936, at the age of seven, to join her father who had already settled in Western Australia.

The family lived in mining towns across the Goldfields, including Southern Cross, Gwalia, Orabanda, Kalgoorlie and Leonora, where her two younger sisters Roma and Hilda were born. In 1944, they moved to Northbridge to run a boarding house. Life there revolved around Casa d’Italia (the Italian Club), which was founded in 1934. The club was the heart of the migrant community – a place to gather, share food and music, and keep traditions alive in a foreign land.

Doris’s future husband, Saverio, was born in Tenno, a village overlooking Lago di Garda in Trentino, part of Italy’s far north. At 18, he migrated to Western Australia to join his brother, working in the mines at Bullfinch. Classified as an ‘enemy alien’ during the war, Saverio was interned in Harvey for three years – even as his brother Alceo served in the Australian Army. In the camp, Saverio forged lasting friendships, including one with Doris’s uncle, Angelo Marchesi.

Uncle Angelo introduced Doris and Saverio at a twenty-first birthday party. Their romance grew at the dinner dances held regularly at Casa d’Italia.

In 1948, a group of Italian migrants, eager to join Australia’s sporting culture, set out to form an Aussie Rules football team. But when Frank Re turned up with a soccer ball instead, the Azzurri Soccer Club was born. The name – suggested by Angelo – paid tribute to the Italian national team. Saverio played in the inaugural season, while Angelo served as the first president.

That same year, Doris and Saverio married on 27 September  – timed neatly after the soccer season. Their honeymoon was a road trip through the south-west in Saverio’s trusty old ute.

Doris and Saverio were introduced at a twenty-first birthday party by her uncle, Angelo Marchesi. 
Credit: Marocchi Family

Doris at the wheel of Saverio’s trusty old ute, during their honeymoon trip to Balingup, 1948.
Credit: Marocchi Family

From that moment on, Doris’s life was entwined with Azzurri Soccer Club and Perth’s Italian community. She was among the first three women elected to the WA Italian Club committee, which also governed the Azzurri.

Doris threw herself into the work of building the club. She prepared sandwiches for after matches, sewed soccer shorts, laundered kits, made corner flags and stitched hundreds of badges and numbers. She also ran the canteen with a team of women, stocking ice and drinks –often with her four young sons in tow. No task was too small or too large. Doris approached each with the same mix of dedication, warmth and an ever-radiant smile.

Her service expanded with the creation of the Ladies Committee in 1973, where she became president and the driving force behind countless functions, fundraisers and celebrations. She transformed annual Azzurri balls into glittering occasions, decorating venues with handmade blue and white flowers, balloons and thoughtful touches that made every guest feel special.

She also designed and sewed the sky-blue Miss Azzurri cape, worn proudly in the famous Miss Azzurri Quest, one of the club’s major fundraisers. Doris’s passion and generosity were unmatched – she greeted everyone by name, listened with genuine interest and made the community feel like family.

Doris (front, in pink) with the WA Italian Club Ladies Committee and Bob Hawke, 1970s.
Credit: Marocchi Family

For her outstanding contributions, Doris was awarded life membership of the WA Italian Club in 1973 and the Azzurri Soccer Club in 1979, receiving a gold medal in recognition of her service.

Her devotion, however, reached well beyond the clubs. In the 1980s, she joined the Good Neighbour Council, visiting newly arrived migrant families in Highgate to help them adjust to life in Australia. Later, she organised craft afternoons, bingo nights, Christmas parties, dinner dances, and bus trips for seniors through the Italian Club Ladies Committee. Her commitment to helping others never wavered.

Doris’s life was inseparably bound up with her husband and children. She and Saverio supported their four sons – Bruno, Leo, Eric and Gary – through their soccer careers, attending every game, home and away, in all weather. Saverio was the steady, quiet partner, driving her to meetings, shopping trips and club events, always by her side.

At home, Doris ensured her family never went without. Her fridge was always full of home-cooked food, her sandwiches well-known and her sponge cakes legendary.

The Marocchi brothers – Bruno, Leo, Eric and Gary – enjoying an outing in the 1960s.
Credit: Marocchi Family

In 1994, Doris’s contribution was formally recognised by her home region of Lombardia, when the Italo–Australian Cultural Centre presented her with a community award for her dedication and service. It was a fitting tribute to a woman whose life embodied resilience, generosity and leadership.

Doris combined energy, commitment and care in everything she did. She opened new roles for women in community leadership, strengthened ties through sport and gave decades of service to the Italian community in Western Australia. Her legacy lives on through her family, the Azzurri Soccer Club and the many people she supported over the years. 

Revved up – Doris on her beloved motorbike outside the family home in Northbridge, about 1940s.
Credit: Marocchi Family

Adventurous at heart, Doris is pictured here on horseback in the countryside.
Credit: Marocchi Family