The team was formed by Australian Football League club Collingwood Football Club and Heidelberg United, a former NSL team. The home strip was of a shirt with black and white stripes, with streaks of yellow, black shorts and white socks, with the kits being sponsored by Lotto Sport Italia.[3] The club's home ground was Victoria Park. Coached by Zoran Matic, who had previously taken Adelaide City to two NSL championships, the Warriors made a promising start by winning the pre-season competition, defeating Marconi-Fairfield 1–0.[4] Despite a strong start to the season in which the team went seven matches without defeat, Collingwood's form slumped and it ended up finishing second from bottom on the table.[5] The team also lacked money, and disbanded at the end of the 1996/97 season. Throughout this period, Heidelberg maintained a separate team in the Victorian Premier League. Con Boutsianis, Goran Lozanovski and Kimon Taliadoros scored equal most goals for the club at seven each, with Frank Juric making the most appearances, of twenty-five for the club.[6]
