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Mid-Match MiniRoos Fun at Cromer Park

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Young players from Wakehurst FC and ABH United FC enjoyed a memorable night at Cromer Park during Manly United’s Round 14 clash against UNSW FC.

The mixed MiniRoos teams were special guests for the evening, taking in the action from one of the corporate boxes before enjoying an unforgettable pre-match experience as player mascots. The young footballers walked onto the field alongside the teams and officials before having their photos taken on the pitch under lights.

The excitement continued at half time, when the players returned to the field for a MiniRoos match of their own at Cromer Park.

Experiences like these remain a special part of match nights at Manly United, helping create lasting memories for young players from grassroots clubs, strengthening the connection between the club and the wider local football community.

Enjoy the photos of the players on the night – going by the sound levels on the pitch during their half-time mini game, we would say they had a fantastic time!

Images: Football NSW / Facet Photography

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Recently, the MWFA kicked off its RESPECT campaign.

RESPECT is all about helping everyone involved in the game to enjoy their football experience – whether they’re playing on the pitch, officiating a game or supporting from the sidelines.

We’ll be talking about RESPECT much more across the course of the season.

For now, as a patron of football, we encourage you to familiarise yourself with these six principles and play your part in following them whenever you’re at a game. They are:

  • Support and encourage all players
  • Respect referees, coaches and officials
  • Be positive – no abuse or bad language
  • The referees decision is FINAL
  • Let coaches do the coaching
  • Keep our environment safe ane enjoyable

It’s up to us all to show our RESPECT towards others and help keep this game beautiful. Thank you for your support.

https://www.mwfa.com.au/2026/04/24/16133/

Football 2026 Lands on the Beaches

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It’s finally here! Football 2026!

Friday April 10th at 7pm marked the official start of the football season, with 19 grounds across the Northern Beaches hosting the first fixtures for 2026 and a further 700 matches taking place across a huge opening weekend.

It was wonderful to see so many people at football games – not to mention, a sunny, rain-free weekend to help accommodate them. Long may that continue!

Over 22,000 members have signed up to this year’s competition, including players, officiators, coaches and managers. This huge representation underlines just how popular our sport continues to be for residents across the Manly Warringah Association.

The team at the MFWA wishes all our members the very best for the season ahead.

Let’s all enjoy some football!

Connecting the Football Community

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Manly United’s Program Manager and the MWFA Community Football team recently met with coaches at Avalon Soccer Club, continuing the shared focus on strengthening ties between grassroots football and the formal player pathway.

It was a great opportunity to come together, share ideas and strengthen the relationship between all parties – an important step in ensuring players, coaches and clubs feel supported at every stage of their football journey.

Thanks to Avalon for hosting the session, which they tell us was incredibly informative and beneficial to their coaches. Off the back of our meeting, the club is now progressing to a workshop that will give their coaches even greater support from the Association and Manly United, based solely around their needs.

For all the clubs who have recently expressed their interest in hosting a similar session, we’ll be in touch soon to confirm a date. We’d also love to hear from any clubs who are still to reach out to us about a catch up – we’re always keen to connect and continue building a stronger football community together. To arrange yours, please email communityfootball@mwfa.com.au with your available dates.

Two Weeks Until Season Kick-Off

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We’re just two weeks away from the start of the 2026 season, with football returning across the Northern Beaches from April 10.

Behind the scenes, it’s been a massive effort from everyone involved. Initial thanks go to the Competitions team at MWFA HQ. With a total of 14,523 fixtures to schedule, building the competition draw is no small task – balancing teams, divisions and venues across the Association. Well done to the team for working through this complex and time-consuming process which sets the foundation for the season ahead.

A massive thanks also to the Association’s club volunteers, who put their heart and soul into grassroots football on the Northern Beaches. Without their support – encouraging participation, facilitating grading, selecting teams, ordering kits, organising equipment and ensuring everything is ready for April kick-off – no one would take to the field.

The countdown to April 10 is well and truly on. Let’s get ready to play!

MWFA Announces Its Newest Competition!

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Coming April 2026, MWFA’s newest lunchtime football league at Cromer Park! Are you and your friends/co-workers looking for a fun, social and competitive sport to play during your lunch break? A way to reset for the second half of the day? The MWFA are offering a term by term lunchtime football competition for local businesses in the Northern Beaches area.

To register your team – please fill in the below form:

MWFA Lunchtime League – Team Submission – Fill in form

The MWFA will then contact your team manager via email to pay the registration fee ($120 per player for each 10-week comp).

All players will need to be registered before taking the field.

 

What is the MWFA Lunchtime League?

  • A 6v6 mixed football competition available to local businesses and or Groups in the northern beaches area. Ideally, those in Brookvale, Dee Why, Cromer and Collaroy are best suited to this comp as they are close to Cromer Park.
  • Smaller goals, smaller fields and fewer players – aimed for quick and fun football, just like Summer Soccer. Cromer Field 1 will be split into 5 separate playing fields.

 

For more information – click here! 

MWFA Celebrates Willa Pearson’s A-League Milestone

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The Manly Warringah Football Association recently celebrated one of its brightest young talents, presenting Willa Pearson with a commemorative jersey to mark her remarkable start to life in top-flight football.

The special presentation recognised Willa’s historic achievement of becoming the youngest player to score a goal in the A-League Women, surpassing the previous record held by Matildas superstar Sam Kerr. The jersey, proudly bearing Willa’s Association playing number 6, was presented in honour of both her incredible milestone and her strong connection to the local football community.

Willa’s journey began at BTH Raiders, where she spent four seasons in the MWFA mixed competition from 2022 to 2025. During that time, she made an enormous impact on the field, co-captaining and helping guide the team to an incredible run of success – four Premierships, four Grand Finals, two State Cups and two Champion of Champions titles. Beyond her performances on the pitch, Willa also became a valued mentor, regularly assisting with junior teams and setting a fantastic example for younger players.

Willa first made headlines last year when she debuted for Sydney FC against Melbourne City, becoming the youngest ever player in A-League Women history. She also made her first international appearance the same year, playing for the Australia Women Under 17s team. Her latest accolade is yet another exciting milestone in a football journey that continues to gather momentum.

Her achievements are even more impressive when considering the demands she balances as a multi-sport athlete. Alongside football, Willa competes at State and National level in Cricket, AFL and Netball, with aspirations of one day becoming a dual international in football and cricket – following in the footsteps of her sporting inspiration, Elyse Perry.

While her footballing talent is clear for all to see, those who know Willa best say her character stands out even more – grounded, humble, and always ready to help others.

An exceptional footballer and an even better person, Willa Pearson continues to be a role model for the Northern Beaches football community, and the MWFA is incredibly proud to celebrate her achievements while wishing her every success in the years ahead.

 

MWFA Select Sides Shine in 2026 Series

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The MWFA Select Series delivered three high-quality fixtures showcasing the very best of our Association’s Premier League talent – and it was our Men’s squad who capped off the campaign in style, claiming both the Select Plate and Select Cup.

Men Take the Select Plate in Dramatic Fashion

The series opened with a thriller, as the MWFA Men went toe-to-toe in an incredibly tight contest that couldn’t be separated at full time. Locked at one goal apiece after 90 minutes, the match was decided in a penalty shootout.

Holding their composure when it mattered most, MWFA emerged victorious to lift the Select Plate.

Josh Thomas (St Augustine’s College FC) was named Player of the Match for his standout performance in a game that had quality and intensity from start to end.

Women Push NSFA All the Way

The MWFA Select Women also delivered a strong performance against the Northern Suburbs Football Association at Cromer Park, narrowly falling 2–1 in a competitive and entertaining encounter.

In a match that could easily have gone either way, our side showed resilience and attacking intent throughout. Somerset Littleboy (Manly Vale FC) was deservedly named MWFA Player of the Match for her performance throughout.

Men Seal the Series in Style

Travelling to Charles Bean Oval for their return clash with Northern Suburbs FA, MWFA produced a commanding 4–0 victory to wrap up the series emphatically and secure the Select Cup.

Darragh Reynor (Forest Killarney FC) and William Hodge (Mosman FC) gave MWFA a strong first-half platform, before Hodge completed his brace in the second half. Dean O’Donnell (Forest Killarney FC) added the fourth to cap off a clinical team display. A special mention goes to goalkeepers Joshua Dijkstra (Pittwater RSL FC) and Declan Annear (Narrabeen FC) for combining to keep a well-earned clean sheet.

Finally, a sincere thank you to the support staff – Ryan Gibbs and Ludo Ledieu (Curl Curl FC) who coached the Women’s team, and Luke Tinker (Mosman FC) and Mark Femia (MWFA Manager) who guided the men.

With silverware secured and strong performances across both teams, the future continues to look bright for football across the MWFA!

Images credit: Facet Photography

Coaching Courses Are A Sell Out

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In recent weeks, the MWFA has hosted two coaching courses, the Foundation of Football and the C-Diploma, and we’re proud to say that both courses were completely sold out!

It’s fantastic to see such a strong commitment to coach education and development within our football community – a big thank you to everyone who participated and contributed to making these courses such a success. We would also like to highlight the five female participants who committed to continuing their coaching journey. Increasing female representation in coaching is vital for the growth of our game, and their dedication, passion, and drive to prepare for the upcoming season are commendable.

A special mention goes to the Association’s Development and Emerging Talent players who took part in the C-Diploma course as ‘coachees’, providing the course delegates with a more comprehensive experience by having real players on whom to practise their coaching.

Do you want to book a coaching course? 

If you are new to coaching or already a coach and looking for a refresher course before the season starts in April, the MWFA is running two more Foundation of Football courses in March:

Mar 2/9: Monday evenings x2, 6-9.30pm

Mar 29: Sunday, 9am-5pm

For information and to book, visit our Coaching Courses page.