The Virtus Soccer Club was founded in 1951 by a group of predominantly Italian immigrants from the coastal city of Molfetta in southern Italy.
Savoy joined two other newly established teams, Central and Wanderers, to form the Port Pirie Soccer Association (PPSA) on 12 June 1949.
[4] Whereas Central and Wanderers were composed mainly of English, Scottish and Australian locals, Savoy was the 'Italian' team and was the popular choice for the city's Italian immigrants looking for a game.
Nepotism also played a part, with a select number of Italian families running the club and favouring their own relatives and friends.
A group of fringe players would often meet at a club on Florence Street in the Port Pirie CBD after work and discuss soccer.
The new team committee eventually raised sufficient funds to lease a headquarters of sorts: a large garage situated behind Lord's Drycleaners on the corner of Main Rd and Parks St.
The inaugural team consisted of: Felice (Phillip) Introna, Nick Capurso, Dino Funda, Maurie Pasculli, Don DeGiglio, Corrado (Dino/Roy) Turci, Giuseppe (Joe) Camporeale, Dominic Bovenga, Frank Binetti and Onofrio Farinola.
In 1957 Virtus joined the newly formed Northern Areas Soccer Association (NASA) and claimed its inaugural championship.
In 1960 two dilapidated properties situated at Numbers 9–11 Parks St, Port Pirie were purchased and demolished for establishment of clubrooms.
The club temporarily relocated to Globe Oval for the 1978/79 NASA seasons as renovation and landscaping took place at Byrne Park.
In 1996 Virtus obtained State and local Government funding for an extensive refurbishment project at Byrne Park, including the installation of a state-of-the-art lighting system for night fixtures.