The Near Post - March 2007
May 8, 2007
In this edition of The Near Post:
Melbourne Victory to Play Adelaide United in Launceston in July
First Round Draw for Lakoseljac Statewide Cup and Women's Statewide Cup
Robert Freke Commences Work for FFT as Referee Development Manager
Development Officers Appointed Around the State
Injury Management Course from Sports Medicine Australia
HO-FM and Ultra 106.5 Radio Stations Support Football
Clubwise Administration Courses for Clubs
Matildas Avoid Big Guns in World Cup Draw
Grandstand Bar Open at the Showgrounds
MELBOURNE VICTORY TO PLAY ADELAIDE UNITED IN LAUNCESTON IN JULY
Tasmanian football fans will once again have the opportunity to see some of the A-League's best players on display in Launceston after the release of the Pre-Season Cup draw for 2007.
Fans will have the opportunity to watch last year's Grand Finalists, Melbourne Victory and Adelaide United, play each other at Aurora Stadium on Sunday July 15th. This match, which will be the first between the two clubs since the A-League Grand Final decisively won by Melbourne 6-0, will provide an opportunity for Adelaide to exact revenge for their defeat and set their course for a successful season.
Both clubs are filled with some of the country's top players, with Melbourne boasting Socceroos Kevin Muscat, Archie Thompson and Ljubo Milicevic, while Adelaide boast Socceroos Travis Dodd and Paul Agostino, as well as exciting Young Socceroo Nathan Burns. The lineups are too good for any fan to pass up, and officials are hopeful of exceeding last year's attendance of just under 7,000.
Ticketing details should be out soon, so keep an eye on the FFT website or look for details in the next Near Post.
FIRST ROUND DRAW FOR STATEWIDE CUPS
The draws for the first round of the Statewide Cup for Men and Women have been completed and there are several mouthwatering ties in each competition. The Men's Cup will see a doubleheader played at KGV, with the North and South ladder leaders, Tilford Zebras and Devonport City, playing each other, followed by a Knights derby, when Glenorchy Knights host Prospect Knights. It should be a great afternoon's football for all the fans who will attend, as will the Launceston derby match between Launceston City and Northern Rangers. In the north-west, Burnie United will host Kingborough Lions in another match up that should two evenly matched teams battling it out to progress in the knock-out cup competition.
The full draw is as follows (home team named first):
Lakoseljac Statewide Cup
Saturday 26th May @ 2.00pm:
Nelson Eastern Suburbs v Clarence United
LauncestonCity v Northern Rangers
New Town Eagles v Somerset
Taroona v Hobart Olympic
Burnie United v Kingborough Lions
University v South Hobart
Tilford Zebras v Devonport City
Glenorchy Knights v Prospect Knights (play at 4.00pm after Tilford Zebras and Devonport City)
The Women's Cup has also thrown up some interesting matches. Tilford Zebras will host last year's runners-up Launceston City in a battle of the black and whites, while Ulverstone will host Somerset in a north-west derby. Taroona will have a challenge on their hands when they host an improving Northern Rangers outfit, while Devonport City have a home draw against their southern opponents South Hobart.
The full draw for round 1 is:
Women's Statewide Cup
Sunday May 27th
Taroona v Northern Rangers
Ulverstone v Somerset
DevonportCity v South Hobart
University v BeachSide
New Town Eagles v Glenorchy Knights
Tilford Zebras v Launceston City
Clarence United v Riverside Olympic
BYE - Nelson Eastern Suburbs
ROBERT FREKE COMMENCES WORK AT FFT AS REFEREE DEVELOPMENT MANAGER
FFT's new Referee Development Manager, Robert Freke, commenced work on April 30th and has started the difficult task of ensuring that our referee development programs meet the needs of an ever expanding game. Robert's main duties will be to provide support and development to our current referees in order to ensure they perform at as high a standard as possible, as well as recruiting and training more referees in each of the regions in the state. It's a difficult task, and one that will require not only hard work from Robert, but also support from the football community as we face the challenge of recruiting and training more referees.
To get the ball rolling, an introductory Referee's Course is being held in Launceston to recruit more referees in this area. This course will encompass both the Level 5 and Level 4, after which the recruits will be qualified to start refereeing matches.
The details of the course are as follows:
COURSE: Level 4 and 5 Referee's Course
DATES: Sunday June 10th, 17th, 24th and July 1st.
VENUE: Churchill Park Soccer Complex, Churchill Park Drive.
TIME: 9:00am to 4:00pm
COST: FREE
In order to enroll for the course you can visit the FFT website and enter your details in our on-line system. If you have any queries you can contact Robert on 6273 3299 or referee@footballfedtas.com.au
Another introductory Referee's Course will be held shortly in Hobart for anyone interested in becoming a referee and helping us to cover more games with accredited referees. Keep an eye on the FFT website to find the details which will be finalised shortly.
DEVELOPMENT OFFICERS APPOINTED AROUND THE STATE
FFT is pleased to announce the appointment of four part-time Development Officers around the state in order to assist the growth of football at grassroots level. The Development Officers will assist in the delivery of player and coach development programs in their region, as well as FFA's community football programs such as Telstra Football Anytime. The appointed Development Officers, who have already started their duties, are:
North-West: Mike Denton
Launceston: Mark Egan
Hobart: Geoff Freeman and Les Richardson
These positions, which are funded through the State Government's Development Grant will be of enormous assistance in the promotion and development of football at the community level, and we look forward to the important contribution that they will make over the coming years.
INJURY MANAGEMENT COURSE FROM SPORTS MEDICINE AUSTRALIA
Sports Medicine Australia will be running a Sideline Help course, which is aimed at providing an introduction to the basic principles of Sports Medicine, First Aid, Injury Prevention and Injury Management for club officials who may not have the time or pre-requisites to attend a full sports trainers course. This is a priceless opportunity for clubs to improve their knowledge in these important areas and provide a better service to club members. The first of these courses will be held in Hobart, with SMA set to schedule others in Launceston and the North-West in the near future.
The details of the Hobart course are:
DATE: Monday May 28th
TIME: 6:30 to 9:30pm
VENUE: KGV Soccer Park, Grove Rd., Glenorchy
COST: The course is free to all participants and this includes all course materials and a reference booklet.
In order to enroll for the course you can visit the FFT Website to download the brochure.
Details of the Launceston and North-West course will be forwarded to clubs and associations when available.
HO-FM AND ULTRA 106.5 RADIO STATIONS SUPPORT FOOTBALL
Those of you who listen to HO-FM in Hobart may have noticed a familiar voice providing football reports on Friday and Monday mornings in recent times. Walter Pless, well known in football circles as the state's top football correspondent, has joined with HO-FM to provide previews and reviews of the Southern Premier League matches each weekend. He can be heard during the news report on the hour of Friday morning previewing the upcoming matches, while on Monday morning he will give HO-FM's listeners a rundown on the weekend results. The support of HO-FM in providing an avenue for more publicity about the Southern Premier League is greatly appreciated by all football fans.
Also providing support for the game is David Wood from Ultra 106.5, with his weekly segment on Saturday mornings. David, who has also been known to referee a game or two over the years, has continued his successful Ultra 106.5 show that features a preview of the football scene for the coming weekend, and can be heard each Saturday morning between 8:00am and 9:00am. Ultra 106.5 have been great supporters of football over the past few years, and this support has continued for 2007 with David's show.
So if you are searching for a radio station to listen to while in the car or at home support the stations that support football – HO-FM and Ultra 106.5.
CLUBWISE ADMINISTRATION COURSES FOR CLUBS
One of the great initiatives from Sport and Recreation Tasmania for this year is the introduction of the Clubwise Administration courses for club administrators who want to improve the way their club is run. The courses are run all around the state and cover a wide range of topics that range from governance and committee management, marketing and sponsorship, grant applications, risk management to volunteer management and organisational planning. Numbers at each workshop are limited, so make sure you get in early to secure your place.
To find out what workshops are planned in your area you can visit the Sport and Recreation Tasmania website and book a place at the courses being run in your region. These workshops are a great opportunity to learn how to make your club run more efficiently and provide a better service to your members and community.
MATILDAS AVOID BIG GUNS IN WORLD CUP DRAW
Australia have been drawn into a competitive group for the 2007 FIFA Women's alongside Norway, Canada and Ghana at the official draw ceremony held in Wuhan China this evening. The Matildas were drawn into Group C avoiding reigning champions Germany, world number one ranked nation USA and hosts China.
Norway are ranked number four in the world having won the gold medal at the 2000 Olympic women's football tournament. Canada are ranked ten in the world with Ghana listed at 48.
Australia will open their campaign against Ghana on September 12 in Hangzhou, followed by the match against Norway on September 15 in the same city before the final group match against Canada on September 19 in Chengdu.
The top two teams in the group will progress to the quarter finals and meet the top two teams of Group D which features China, Denmark, Brazil and New Zealand
Group A contains Germany, Japan, England and Argentina. Group B features USA, Korea DPR, Sweden and Nigeria.
The 16-nation tournament will be held in the cities of Chengdu, Hangzhou, Shanghai, Tianjin and Wuhan, September 10-30.
See the following link for further draw details and other information about the 2007 FIFA Women's World Cup:-
http://fifa.com/en/comp/index/0,1534,WF2007,00.html?comp=WF&year=2007
The Matildas, now ranked 14th in the world, qualified for the World Cup courtesy of finishing runners-up at last year's AFC Women's Asian Cup in Adelaide after losing the final on penalties against China.
Australia have appeared in three previous FIFA Women's World Cup tournaments in 1995, 1999 and 2003. The Matildas are currently attempting to qualify for the Beijing Olympics with qualification likely to be decided in early June when the team travels to DPR (North) Korea before the return match in Coffs Harbour on June 10.
For more information on the Matildas click on the following link:-
http://www.footballaustralia.com.au/default.aspx?s=aus_matildas
GRANDSTAND BAR OPENS AT THE SHOWGROUNDS
For those senior teams that are playing at The Showgrounds, if you wish to enjoy a relaxing drink after your game you can now do so in the Grandstand Bar at the Showgrounds. Open from 12:00 midday, you can grab a hot pie, a cold beer and even a game of 8 Ball, so feel free to drop in after your match for a quick (or not so quick) drink.