29th July 2008
Photos - Nambucca 6s

We have some photos of Nambucca 6s sent in by coach Danielle Gourlay.

To view, click on the following link: Photo Gallery

Terry Allen
Media Officer
North Coast Football
Email: Terry Allen

7th July 2008
Football Fun


PHOTO: Football Fun.

The two North Coast Football Woolgoolga 13 years girls teams played each on the first weekend of the school holidays before a split in the competition takes place.

The two teams, who train together each week, have been rivals for the first half of this year, but will now play in separate divisions with North Coast Football splitting the 13 years girls competition into two divisions from the resumption of play on July 19th. The Woolgoolga Waves will play in division one while the Sharks will play in division two.

On Saturday, as the photo indicates, the players and coaching staff treated their last meeting for the year as a fun day. In fact the two teams were mixed for the first time on the field and the players dressed in streamers, ribbons and whatever other theatrical costume they could find.

No one can remember the score.

Terry Allen
Media Officer
North Coast Football
Email: Terry Allen

1st July 2008
Local Girls get ready for National Titles


PHOTO: Photo (left to right): Sarah Marsden, Loren Caban, Ashli Deane, Georgia Burt.

Coffs Harbour is the host City for this weekend's Girls National Youth Championships in 17 years and 15 years football and locals who attend matches will be following with interest four players in particular who are from our region.

Northern NSW Football is entering its own team separate to the two other teams from NSW (NSW and NSW Country) and four players from North Coast Football were named after a gruelling selection camp held two weeks ago.

Loren Caban is a 16 year old student at CHEC and is the oldest player from NCF to be selected to play in the Nationals. Loren lives at Boambee and plays in the NCF team in the 15 years boys' competition. Loren is the only NCF registered player to be selected in the NNSW 17 years squad.

15 year old Ashli Deane is a student at South Grafton High and plays for NCF in the 16/17 years boys' competition. Ashli travels from Nymboida for training and games each week and will play in the NNSW 15 years team.

14 year old Sarah Marsden is a student at Coffs Harbour Christian Community School who breathes the fresh mountain air of home in Dorrigo. Sarah also plays for the NCF squad in the local 16/17 years boys' competition.

14 year old Georgia Burt is a Korora girl who attends Coffs Harbour High School. Georgia plays in the 15 years boys' competition for the NCF rep team.

The National Youth Championships is watched by some important people in Football Federation Australia and is considered the main pathway to possible selection in the Olympic team and eventually the Matildas.

The opening ceremony will be held at 8.30am on Saturday at BCU International Stadium, where all of the games are being played, followed by the first matches at 9.45am.

The NNSW 17 years squad has no time to waste, taking part in the very first match against Tasmania at 9.45am. The girls then have 24 hours to recover before a grudge match against NSW.

The NNSW 15 years squad plays its first match against Capital Football, from Canberra, at 11.30am on Saturday, then has a bye on Sunday before a Monday clash with Queensland kicking off at 1pm.

The Girls National Youth Championships conclude with Finals matches on Saturday July 12th which is a holiday for all juniors in North Coast Football. From everyone at North Coast Football, best of luck to our four girls taking part. Enjoy the experience, play fair and have fun.

Further details about the Championships can be found at:
National Youth Championships

Terry Allen
Media Officer
North Coast Football
Email: Terry Allen

2nd June 2008
Photos - Woolgoolga Sat 31/5

Photos of junior action at Woolgoolga on Sat 31st May 2008.

11 yrs boys - Woolgoolga v Coffs Tigers
13 yrs girls - Woolgoolga v Northern Storm
Small sided Games - various

Click on the following link: Photo Gallery

Terry Allen
Media Officer
North Coast Football
Email: Terry Allen

30th May 2008
Golden Boot Competition



North Coast Football is proud to announce the reintroduction of the "Golden Boot" competition for leading goal scorer in men's 1st division.



With eight rounds played, the leading scorers are up around 10 goals for the season so far, so we felt it was a good time to start revealing the results.

Maclean Bobcats' Fraser Robinson leads the way with Coffs Lions' Ben Mackay, Boambee's Brady Parker and Maclean's Travis Armstrong in hot pursuit, so for a few weeks the lead will no doubt change hands regularly.

The Golden Boot will be run all the way through to the Grand Final with the winner revealed on that day and the $uper first prize handed over at the all clubs' end of season function.

The competition will include penalties, as most similar competitions around the world do, so later in the year, we may see a few new penalty takers as the number of remaining matches dwindles (however, goals scored in penalty shoot outs to determine the winner in a finals match will not be taken into account).

The table will be updated late in each week, after the NCF office has had time to go through them and do some arithmetic.

To view the status of the Golden Boot competition, go to the NCF Senior Football page and click on the "Golden Boot" link near the top.

Terry Allen
Media Officer
North Coast Football
Email: Terry Allen

25th May 2008
Photos - Maclean St & Polwarth Dr Sat 24/5

Photos of junior action at Maclean St & Polwarth Dr on Sat 24th May 2008.

15 yrs boys - Coffs Tigers v Woolgoolga
17 yrs girls - Coffs Utd V Woolgoolga
Small sided Games at Maclean St

Click on the following link: Photo Gallery

Terry Allen
Media Officer
North Coast Football
Email: Terry Allen

19th May 2008
Photos - Urunga Sat 17/5

Photos of junior action at Morgo St, Urunga on Sat 17th May 2008.

11 yrs girls - Urunga v Coffs Tigers
11 yrs boys - Woolgoolga
15 yrs girls - Urunga v Boambee
14 years boys - Urunga v Woolgoolga

Click on the following link: Photo Gallery

Terry Allen
Media Officer
North Coast Football
Email: Terry Allen

15th May 2008
Andy Harper speaks passionately about Small Sided Games

Football commentator, Nerds FC Coach, retired NSL player and Football Federation Australia (FFA) ambassador. Andy Harper can be introduced in many different ways, but there is no doubt his passion is the world game and if last night is anything to go by, it's at the grass roots where he believes the future of the game lies in Australia.

Mr Harper was in Woolgoolga last night for a one off meeting with local administrators, coaches, players and parents to promote the FFA's recently introduced overhaul of the way junior football is played in this country.


Photo: Andy Harper speaking at the SSG Implementation Review Meeting held in Woolgoolga on Wed 14th May 2008 - photo courtesy of Terry Allen

It is known as 'Small Sided Games' (SSG) and is long established in the football powerhouses of Europe and South America where kids have grown up kicking the ball around in small streets and back alleys.

As Bobby Charlton famously said; "The World Cup (1966) wasn't won on the playing fields of England. It was won on the streets."

This upbringing has produced generations of world class players but Australia has lagged behind because of our love of wide open spaces.

Unfortunately these wide open spaces have developed too many sub-standard footballers because while Aussie kids learnt to run flat out just to kick the ball a few times per game, their counterparts around the world were dribbling the ball almost non-stop within confined spaces.

Mr Harper spoke passionately to the crowd of about 70 at Woolgoolga Bowling Club of the need for all football zones across the country to embrace the SSG concept, reminding them that SSG's are the result of an overhaul of football across the country which began with the Crawford Report, then Australia's placement into Asia, the commencement of the A-League and the national men's team's qualification into the 2006 World Cup finals.

Mr Harper likened football in Australia to a coal-fuelled power station which has the capacity to pump out enormous amounts of energy, while our juniors are like individual pieces of coal. All the pieces and infrastructure need to work together for the total system to work. That is, to produce a winning team at the 2018 World Cup, our juniors must be coached correctly now.

The crowd nodded in agreement as Mr Harper asked what parent in their right mind would pay for a 40 minute tennis lesson in which their son or daughter never hit the ball once, yet this is what big field football has been delivering for our juniors in Australia.

There was also the stark reminder of the many sports stars Australia has produced in other codes who began as juniors in football. Players like Adam Goodes (AFL) and Andrew Johns (Rugby League).

When Mr Harper had finished speaking, he and Northern NSW Community Football Manager, Peter Haynes, took several questions from the floor. It was a frank and honest discussion of both the joys and frustrations of implementing SSG's. The joy is always in the faces of the children who will be happy wherever they play, but many expressed frustration at trying to learn a new format with so few volunteers, a problem every club in the land can identify with.

Peter Haynes spoke briefly about the support and infrastructure being offered by NNSW which includes pop-up goals, training bibs, markers and administrative help saying the SSG format was a core value held by NNSW and it was committed to seeing it successfully rolled out.


Photo: From left to right: Andy Harper & Peter Haynes with NCF Board members Chris Eddy, Fran Short, Ron Garvin, Nigel Hayes & Alex Morrison - photo courtesy of Terry Allen

The evening ended with the obligatory tea, coffee & sandwiches, but the work is far from over. There was a general feeling that the next ground to be taken was in our schools who, as a whole, have not altered the age old practice of running little kids on big fields.

But we'll save that one for another day.

Terry Allen
Media Officer
North Coast Football
Email: Terry Allen

12th May 2008
Photos - Woolgoolga Sat 10/5

Photos of junior action at High St, Woolgoolga on Sat 10th May 2008.

13 yrs girls - Woolgoolga Waves v Bellingen Tristrams
14 yrs boys - Woolgoolga v Northern Storm
15 yrs boys - Woolgoolga v Northern Storm
11 years boys - Woolgoolga v Macksville.

Click on the following link: Photo Gallery

Terry Allen
Media Officer
North Coast Football
Email: Terry Allen

4th May 2008
Photos - Bellingen Sat 3/5

Photos of junior action at Connell Park, Bellingen on Sat 3rd May 2008.

14 yrs boys - Bellingen v Coffs United
13 yrs boys - Bellingen v Coffs United
10 years boys - Bellingen v Urunga.

Click on the following link: Photo Gallery

Terry Allen
Media Officer
North Coast Football
Email: Terry Allen