MWFA

MWFA teams looking for Champion of Champions success

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The 2023 Football NSW Champion of Champions Quarter Finals will be held on the weekend and with 14 MWFA teams set to participate, there will be a strong Northern Beaches presence during Sunday’s games.

In total, five of these games are scheduled for Cromer Park. The BTH Raiders W-13 team will play on Field 2, while the CC Strikers U-14, Forest Killarney U-15, Forest Killarney U-17 and Brookvale U-21 sides will see playing time on the main synthetic field.

There are already two MWFA teams through to the Semi-Finals, as the teams Wakehurst W-15 and Forest Killarney were drawn against have forfeited.

See below for a full list of the fixtures involving MWFA teams.

 

Champion of Champions 2023
Quarter Finals
Sunday 8 October

13 Boys – Ryde Panthers v BTH Raiders, 9am, Pennant Hills Park Synthetic
14 Boys – CC Strikers v Eschol Park, 9am, Cromer Park Field 1
15 Boys – Maccabi Hakoah v Forest Killarney, 10:15am, Cromer Park Field 1
16 Boys – Maccabi Hakoah v St Augustine’s, 2pm, Heffron Park Synthetic
17 Boys – AC United v Forest Killarney, 11:45am, Cromer Park Field 1
18 Men – Wakehurst v Banksia Tigers, 1pm, Peakhurst Park Field 5
21 Men – Brookvale vs Hills Spirit, 1:30pm, Cromer Park Field 1
All Age Men – Fairfield Bulls v Pittwater, 2pm, Nineveh Stadium
Over 45 Men – Epping FC v Mosman, 12:15pm, Pennant Hills Park Synthetic

13 Girls – BTH Raiders v Camden Tigers, 10:15am, Cromer Park Field 2
14 Girls – CC Strikers v Lindfield, 9am, Charles Bean Oval
15 Girls – Wakehurst’s opponent forfeited
16 Girls – Pittwater RSL v Banksia Tigers, 11:30am, Peakhurst Park Field 5
18 Women – Hornsby Heights v Manly Vale, 9am, North Turramurra Recreation Area
All Age Women – Terrigal United v Seaforth, 10:30am, Mingara Regional Athletics Centre
Over 30 Women – Forest Killarney’s opponent forfeited

 

Click here to see all Champion of Champions fixtures.

MWFA Coaches at National Championships

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The Football Australia Boys National Youth Championships commence next week on Monday October 2, being hosted by FNSW at Valentine Sports Park for the first time in a very long time. MWFA Coach Development Manager Eugene Lawrenz, who won the U15 age group last year, as well as Manly United First Grade Assistant and SAP Coach Gonzalo Naya Vaghi, will both be leading teams in the 2023 tournament (NSW U16 Metro Blue and NSW U15 Metro Blue respectively).

Eugene said he was looking forward to the challenge of trying to go back to back with a brand new squad, but that there were actually other more important objectives, as the National Championships are an opportunity for players to be scouted, including for National Youth Team (Joeys) consideration.

“These are the best players in the state for their age, so the quality is very high, and this makes it a good challenge for us as coaches to help our teams play at their best collectively, as well as create a platform for each player to showcase what they are capable of individually. So far our training program has gone very well, and the boys can’t wait to start.”

19 coaches from MWFA, all of who have been participants in our Future Coaches Program in the last few years, were also given the opportunity to visit state team training a few weeks ago, to see the level of detail that goes into the planning, as well as the entire process on the pitch from start to finish.

There are 6 players from MWFA clubs across the four metro squads, all of whom also came through Manly United.

  • U15 Metro Blue: Sebastian Jolly (Curl Curl) currently playing for Western Sydney Wanderers
  • U15 Metro White: Zac Mascolo (Beacon Hill and Dee Why) currently playing for Western Sydney Wanderers, and Zac Harrison (Mosman) currently playing for Sydney FC
  • U16 Metro Blue: Marin France (Curl Curl) currently playing for Sydney FC
  • U16 Metro White: Jasper Chipman (Wakehurst) currently playing for Manly United, and Joseph Lacey (Curl Curl) currently playing for Sydney FC

 

If you would like to come along to support the teams, see here for fixtures: https://www.footballaustralia.com.au/news/national-youth-championships-2023-fixtures-announced

 

MWFA would like to wish all of the players and coaches the best of luck for the tournament.

Champion of Champions Round 2 Results

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Several Manly Warringah FA teams were involved in Round 2 of the 2023 Football NSW Champion of Champions tournament, which was held on Sunday. It was a very successful day for the MWFA teams, with 15 of the 16 that participated on the weekend earning progression to the Quarter-Finals. See below for a list of the results!

 

Champion of Champions 2023
Round 2
Sunday 24 September

13 Girls – Easts FC 1-4 BTH Raiders
14 Girls – Easts FC 0-2 CC Strikers
15 Girls – Easts FC 2-3 Wakehurst (after extra time)
16 Girls – Maroubra United 0-6 Pittwater
18 Women – Queen’s Park 0-9 Manly Vale
All Age Women – Connells Point Rovers 1-3 Seaforth
Over 30 Women – Coogee United 0-2 Forest Killarney

13 Boys – BTH Raiders 4-0 Northbridge
14 Boys – Maroubra United 2-3 CC Strikers
15 Boys – Forest Killarney 3-1 Lindfield
16 Boys – St Augustine’s 3-0 North Sydney United
17 Boys – Pagewood Botany 1-4 Forest Killarney
18 Men – Waverley Old Boys 4-5 Wakehurst
21 Men – Brookvale vs BYE
All Age Men – Auburn District 1-4 Pittwater
Over 35 Men – Dunbar Rovers 2-1 Pittwater (after extra time)
Over 45 Men – Mascot Kings 0-2 Mosman

 

The Champion of Champions Quarter Finals will be played on Sunday 8 October, click here to see the fixtures.

MWFA Coaches Supporting Football in Schools

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School football has often been considered a key area, and perhaps an important missing link, for helping grow and develop the game in Australia, especially given various other countries integrate school football a lot better into their pathways for player ID and development.

To support football in schools better, MWFA coaches have run programs through Football Australia for young students to participate in as players across almost 20 different schools over the last few years, focusing on giving them a positive experience, especially if they are not already a registered player with a local club. The feedback has always been very positive from these programs, as it gives the children something different and exciting to break up their usual day at school.

We have also run several MiniRoos coaching courses at different schools for older students to help them prepare for working with younger players as part of their PDHPE classes, or just for the sake of learning about coaching, along with helping a large number of students complete volunteer hours for their Duke of Ed. We also often have teachers attend our public coaching courses, which they always find very beneficial and insightful.

Liam Chapman, who works as a primary school teacher at Narrabeen Lakes Public School, and is also a PSSA Boys’ coach, attended several coaching courses with MWFA this year for the sake of his own development, including the MiniRoos, Skill Training and a Coach Workshop.

“The courses gave me a treasure trove of effective coaching tips and the confidence to conduct impactful training. The MWFA Coach Development team were able to show me not only how to keep the players engaged through fun games, but also motivated with positive coaching tips tailored to each player’s strengths, all while building essential skills.”

Additionally, Liam took advantage of the opportunity to have one of MWFA’s Coach Development team mentor him at one of his training sessions.

“James was excellent in his role as a coach mentor. His on-the-spot coaching suggestions were practical and eye-opening, offering fresh perspectives on standard drills and how to make them more dynamic. Likewise, he was able to give me feedback on my strengths as a coach and areas for continued improvement.” 

MWFA looks forward to supporting more players and coaches involved in school football moving forward, and all are welcome to attend the public coaching courses we organise as well.

 

For more information about coach development and support in MWFA, including courses, workshops and resources, please see the coaching section of our website: www.mwfa.com.au/category/coaching-news/

Champion of Champions to feature 17 MWFA teams

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Manly Warringah FA’s participation in the 2023 Football NSW Champion of Champions tournament begins on Sunday 24 September. With the majority of MWFA participants scheduled to play at Cromer Park, this weekend’s action presents a great chance to support our teams as they face off against league champions from other local associations.

The 2023 edition of the tournament started on Sunday 17 September, however all MWFA teams received a bye in Round 1, giving the players and coaches an extra week to prepare.

Forest Killarney and Pittwater RSL both have three teams in the competition, while there are two each from BTH Raiders, CC Strikers and Wakehurst. The remaining teams are from Brookvale, Manly Vale, Mosman, St Augustine’s and Seaforth. In total, all but one of those teams will play in Round 2, as Brookvale’s 21 Men’s team has received a bye through to the quarter-finals.

Manly Warringah FA CEO David Mason is looking forward to seeing our teams in action as they seek to make the Finals, which are scheduled for the weekend of 21-22 October.

“The Football NSW Champion of Champions is a fantastic tournament that allows our teams and clubs to test themselves against some of the best grassroots teams from all over NSW. The MWFA has a proud tradition in the Champions of Champions and we wish every team good luck as they start their campaigns this weekend.”

See below for a list of the fixtures involving MWFA teams, and click here to see all of the Champion of Champions fixtures.

 

Champion of Champions 2023
Round 2
Sunday 24 September

13 Girls – Easts FC v BTH Raiders, 9am, Cromer Park Field 1
14 Girls – Easts FC vs CC Strikers, 10:15am, Cromer Park Field 2
15 Girls – Easts FC v Wakehurst, 11:30am, Cromer Park Field 1
16 Girls – Maroubra United v Pittwater, 1pm, Cromer Park Field 2
18 Women – Queen’s Park v Manly Vale, 2:30pm, Cromer Park Field 1
All Age Women – Connells Point Rovers v Seaforth, 3:30pm, Peakhurst Park Field 5
Over 30 Women – Coogee United v Forest Killarney, 4:15pm, Cromer Park Field 2

13 Boys – BTH Raiders v Northbridge, 9am, Cromer Park Field 2
14 Boys – Maroubra United v CC Strikers, 10:15am, Cromer Park Field 1
15 Boys – Forest Killarney v Lindfield, 11:30am, Cromer Park Field 2
16 Boys – St Augustine’s v North Sydney United, 1pm, Cromer Park Field 1
17 Boys – Pagewood Botany v Forest Killarney, 2:30pm, Cromer Park Field 2
18 Men – Waverley Old Boys v Wakehurst, 6:15pm, Cromer Park Field 2
21 Men – Brookvale vs BYE
All Age Men – Auburn District v Pittwater, 6:30pm, Cromer Park Field 1
Over 35 Men – Dunbar Rovers v Pittwater, 2pm, Heffron Park Synthetic
Over 45 Men – Mascot Kings v Mosman, 4:30pm, Cromer Park Field 1

Community Coaches of the Year: Nilson Barreto and Mike Cornwell

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Over the last few months, MWFA has been sending our Coach Mentors out to visit all of our clubs to provide coaches with guidance and support with their training sessions, as well as occasional match visits. During this time we have come across several examples of coaches who are doing a really great job.

This week we’d like to acknowledge Nilson Barreto and Mike Cornwell who coach the U6 Reef Sharks at Curl Curl, and actually recognise them as our Coaches of the Year!

See this video to check out some highlights of their recent training session, as well as some quick interviews with both coaches and some of the kids!

MWFA Coach Development Manager Eugene Lawrenz said: “The reason we are recognising Nilson and Mike as our Coaches of the Year is because they perfect examples of how to approach coaching at U6 level. They are both super enthusiastic, energetic, patient and encouraging, and the kids respond positively because of this. The run really fun sessions with a lot of action, competition, touches on the ball and scoring goals. They are also good at demonstrating and using Q&A too. It goes to show that even at the beginner level, you can still be really effective as coaches and help your players develop a lot while still giving them an awesome experience, which means even coaches of much older age groups should follow their lead. I’m very confident Nilson and Mike will get even better over the next few years too.“

Well done Nilson and Mike, and keep up the good work!

As a reward and recognition for their efforts, we are also pleased to provide the team with a few special gifts:

  • extra training balls, because every coach wishes they had more balls to use so they can do exercises where every player has a ball each to work on their control
  • mini goals, because scoring into actual goals always makes training more fun, and finishing is a skill we should encourage players to develop ever more
  • a whiteboard, so coaches can help players understand their positions and how to support each other visually, which is much more effective than just using words

 

MWFA would like to thank all coaches for their efforts this year, and we look forward to hopefully seeing you all again, and continuing to provide our support, in the 2024 season.

PITTWATER RSL LIGHT UP THE NIGHT

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Pittwater RSL is already reaping the rewards of the NSW Football Legacy Fund as their latest project, an upgraded field lighting system, shines brilliantly in action at Kitchener Park.

Northern Beaches Council secured the maximum contribution of $150,000 in Round 1 of the NSW Football Legacy Fund earlier this year. Council wasted no time in bringing to life the state-of-the-art LED lighting system, boasting a minimum capacity of 100 Lux and lighting up all the fields at Kitchener Park.

The project included the installation of six new lighting towers with sustainable LED lamps. The club can now conduct night training sessions within a secure environment and even host night games, a privilege absent for numerous years.

Ben Collock, President of Pittwater RSL FC, was ecstatic that night games can now be hosted.

“We can now play night games for the first time in this club’s history. The first night game we played was the Women’s Premier League, which had a great attendance and was really exciting.”

The modern lighting introduced at Kitchener Park brings a multitude of benefits. Among these is the enhanced safety it provides to all individuals, ensuring their welfare during night activities. Additionally, the extended operating hours enable teams to conduct training sessions later into the evening, which greatly boosts the capacity at Kitchener Park.

Boasting a community of over 1,200 football enthusiasts, Pittwater RSL FC maintains an impressive female participation rate, consisting of more than 35% of total registrations. As the anticipations for growth after the FIFA Women’s World Cup run high, the club eagerly welcomes the surge, with the lighting initiative being a cornerstone of their readiness to cater to this anticipated influx.

Aligned with the objectives outlined in the NSW Football Infrastructure Strategy, this project specifically addresses the increase of existing venue capacity, as well as the anticipation of future growth and demand.

“The lighting upgrade at Kitchener Park has already proven to be an invaluable asset for Pittwater RSL FC,” said NSW Legacy Facilities and Grants Officer, James Spanoudakis.

“The new lights will amplify the club’s capacity by an additional 3-4 sessions per night and allow night games in the largest football association in NSW. The lighting upgrade will provide female footballers with extended opportunities to relish the sport alongside their friends and will inspire their engagement with the game for years to come.”

 

By Mark Stavroulakis (Football NSW)

Champions Cup 2023 results

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The MWFA-NSFA Champions Cup 2023 was held on Sunday across three venues: Cromer Park, Charles Bean Oval and Cammeray Oval.

With three points awarded for a win and one for a draw, we are delighted to announce that Manly Warringah FA have retained both trophies, winning the Women’s competition 13-10 and the Men’s competition 19-10. Congratulations to all of our teams!

We would like to wish the best of luck to the MWFA and Northern Suburbs FA teams that will be participating in this year’s Champion of Champions tournament. See below for a full list of Sunday’s results.

 

2023 MWFA-NSFA Champions Cup

Women’s Competition
12 Girls – Curl Curl 0-7 Lindfield
13 Girls – BTH Raiders 1-0 North Sydney United
14 Girls – CC Strikers 1-1 Northbridge
15 Girls – Wakehurst 2-0 Lindfield
16 Girls – Pittwater RSL 1-2 Lindfield
18 Girls – Manly Vale 1-2 Hornsby Heights
O30 Women – Forest Killarney 9-1 Kissing Point
All Age Women – Seaforth 5-1 Lindfield

Men’s Competition
12 Boys – North Sydney United 2-1 Manly Vale
13 Boys – Northbridge 0-2 BTH Raiders
14 Boys – Lindfield 0-2 CC Strikers
15 Boys – Lindfield 1-3 Forest Killarney
16 Boys – North Sydney United 1-4 St Augustine’s A
18 Men – Lindfield 2-4 Wakehurst A
21 Men – North Sydney United 3-1 Brookvale
O35 Men – Lindfield 3-3 Pittwater RSL A
O45 Men – North Sydney United 2-1 Mosman A
All Age Men – Willoughby Dalleys 0-2 Pittwater RSL

 

Feature image courtesy Jeremy Denham – https://www.facetphotography.com.au/

Coach of the Week: Michele Addelio

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Over the last few months, MWFA has been sending our Coach Mentors out to visit all of our clubs to provide coaches with guidance and support with their training sessions, as well as occasional match visits. During this time we have come across several examples of coaches who are doing a really great job.

This week we’d like to acknowledge Michele Addelio who coaches the U9 Blue Tongues at Beacon Hill, who is assisted by Matt Bealey.

See this video to check out some highlights of their recent training session, as well as some quick interviews with both coaches and some of the kids!

MWFA Coach Development Manager Eugene Lawrenz said: “Michele and Matt both have a lot of enthusiasm when they run their training sessions, which is really good for keeping the kids engaged, as well as when they teach them how to improve their skills. Michele’s also good at demonstrating which is helps the players understand what to do visually, plus he uses Q&A and a whiteboard quite well to help them problem solve. The most important thing though is Michele is very open to learning, and always proactive in trying to expand his own knowledge and skills. This is great to see, because he recognises that the better he can get as a coach, the better his players can become, and this is something every coach should be mindful of.“

Well done Michele and Matt, and keep up the good work!

As a reward and recognition for their efforts, we are also pleased to provide the team with a few special gifts:

  • extra training balls, because every coach wishes they had more balls to use so they can do exercises where every player has a ball each to work on their control
  • mini goals, because scoring into actual goals always makes training more fun, and finishing is a skill we should encourage players to develop ever more
  • a whiteboard, so coaches can help players understand their positions and how to support each other visually, which is much more effective than just using words

 

Next week, we will announce our MWFA Coaches of the Year, so stay tuned to our website to see who they are!