The club's board was in turmoil, sponsors walked away and the players held an emergency meeting to decide whether they would stay.
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Now, Gungahlin United are only 90 minutes away from booking their spot in the main draw of the FFA Cup.
The bold newcomers can cap an amazing first season when they take on Belconnen United in the FFA Cup qualifying final at McKellar Park on Saturday night.
Gungahlin United were awarded a provisional National Premier League licence at the end of last year to tap into the region's large junior base.
However, financial backers walked away from the club in January and the majority of the playing squad agreed to stay for less money than they originally agreed to.
Gungahlin United president Ricardo Alberto admitted there were plenty of people who doubted whether the club could survive.
"It was a big change for us this year in terms of going through that whole premier league licence and bidding for it and putting things in place to actually do it," Alberto said.
"There was a lot of people at the start of the year who were saying, 'Are they going to hand the licence back? Are they going to be in the premier league? This is all a farce'.
"Considering where people were saying we would be at the beginning of the year, to be here now in the grand final against last year's champions is pretty special."
Of the players who had agreed to join Gungahlin United, only defender Matt Grbesa and Milan Popovich left the club.
Ironically, Grbesa will line-up for Belconnen United in the final.
"I took the approach that when you have adversity, you face things head on and you're honest with people about what you're trying to achieve," Alberto said.
"If they believed in the vision, the players decided to stay.
"The fact they made that decision as a group so they're actually playing for themselves."
Gungahlin United has had a steady start in the NPL, with three wins, three losses and three draws from its opening nine games to sit sixth on the table, five points behind fourth-placed Canberra Olympic.
While winning the league may be out of reach, qualifying for the FFA Cup is just as important.
Tuggeranong United showed last year when it hosted A-League champions Melbourne Victory the valuable exposure the nation-wide knockout competition can generate.
"It would mean a lot for the region," Alberto said.
"There's a lot of kids, a lot of families out at Gungahlin. The club's the biggest registered club in Canberra with 1700 registered players.
"What you're seeing, is that it gives that community a reason to come together, which is something special."
