Belswans are looking for a new coach
Belswans are looking for a new coach
Any truth to the rumour that Kahibah are looking at St John's Oval as a possible venue for NPL promotion?
They told me they're very close to a major multi-million dollar upgrade of Harold Knight Oval at Gateshead. Word is that some portable facilities will be put there next year for All Age and Juniors to play with New-FM/NPL to eventually go there. Three fields, big grandstand, all the works. They've been working with LMCC for 18 months. P.S, heard some guy come up with a Cooks Hill rumour that I'm sure you'd love to hear. Won't say it on here in case it's somehow true but 99.5% sure it's not.
Also to back up ForeverRed's comment, I've been told from a good source that Belswans are without a coach. Still not sure on the number of players they have. This weekend's trial against Berkeley Vale will be telling. It can't be good to have this going on three weeks out from the season.
Harold Knight is hard to explain. It's across from Charlestown Toyota and near the Windale turn-off. There's a few fields together called the Mick Middleton Fields which is where they're planning on building their new facilities. St John's Oval is right next to Kahibah Oval, where the Central Charlestown Rugby League team plays.
Cheers, I'm with you.
So if the Harold Knight development goes through does that mean the whole club will eventually move?
What does that mean for the current facility at Whitebridge?
I for one hope they don't go down the path of sharing with the Rugby League, just look at Valentine games at Cahill Oval.
Yep. All Age/Juniors could be playing there in 2017. Whole club would move. Do you mean current facilities at Kahibah? Whitebridge is CCB's ground. As for Kahibah Oval, would imagine it would lay dormant in winter time and be used by Charlestown cricket in the summer.
And shared grounds can work. Just look at Toronto with Lyall Peacock Field. I went there late last season and it was in good nick.
Yeah Kahibah current ground, technically its classed as Charlestown but think its more Whitebridge. Didn't the Council Irrigated and Turf it just a few years ago for them? Know they want to up and leave, surely building on what they have already got would be a more financially logical option.
Not sure about that. From what they've told me, the council have been in back and forth contact about the new ground and it looks like a real possibility. Building on what they've got would make sense but the club are keen on Gateshead. Whichever happens I'd much prefer to see the whole club stay at one venue. Either New-FM and Juniors at Kahibah or at Gateshead and not a mix of both. Could become a force in Newy football if they build what they've said they want to build.
Just my opinion.
It would be an absolute farce if Council spend more rates and tax payers money on a Club that already have adequate facilities when there are other Clubs that have far more urgent upgrades required. I guess it's who you know and how good you are at milking the LMCC tit rather than sensible and researched spending on infrastructure.
So if Kahibah moves to Harold Knight are they going to change their name to Gateshead FC?
The problem if Kahibah moves their whole operations to Gateshead then they are no longer Kahibah. That may be fine for the elite kids but Kahibah FC is a community club first and foremost. What happens to the hundreds of local juniors that want to walk to their under 7s game each saturday?
Not something I can comment on but definitely a valid point. Cooks Hill play in Cooks Hill, Wallsend play in Wallsend. Gateshead isn't exactly a short walk from Kahibah either. If they've got some money then why not rent St John's Oval on alternate weekends to the footy.
Or better yet move the Cricket nets and storage facilities and lobby the council to build cover seating there. Whilst were on lobbing the Council, I wonder if the Council know how much they're paying their players whilst they have their hand out asking the Council for more money.
Sorry to waffle on but things like this really erk me. There are other clubs around Newcastle and Lake Macqurie that have kids playing on what can be best described as Carparks and need urgent money spent on them. Yet on the other foot you have Clubs that are paying people to play for them then they cry poor to the Council when it comes to upgrades.
It's an absolute joke if you ask me.
I think money should be shared round more. Maybe the whole LMRFF could have been forgotten and that 12 million spread around the region's clubs. As someone who isn't involved in any board/council talks, I consider LMCC a lot more supportive of football then NCC. All Kahibah need IMO are covered seats and some better changerooms. And maybe take away a bit of the carpark up the far end and put in a little facility for the juniors/AA to use so we don't have AA teams trying to force away New-FM teams out of the sheds if they're on the same day. Also, on that, build some sort of temp fence/netting to separate the two grounds as no other grounds have Premier comp mixing it with Zone/AA on the same patch of grass at the same time.
Agreed 100%
What a massive advantage to Kahibah......just to try and get into NPL
What about CCB & Valo who are already in NPL ???
A quality facility given to a single club is huge, would he a significant advantage for recruitment and registrations.
What about Valo with highest junior registration in the NNSWF area, playing out of pretty ordinary facility at crowdace bay and scattered everywhere ??? And in NPL currently not trying to get in.....couple of mill would be massive for them
All for building new facilities and the Harold knight area is a great location but build a sports facility not just for soccer, but hockey, training facilities etc and council should own and operate, sports high could use, Kahibah, CCB could share, hockey clubs, netball
The thought of millions of public $$$ being spent on one club disgusts me
Possibly I'm a little bias as just 2-3kms up the By-Pass from Harold Knight Oval I play for Garden Suburb.
Whilst our bottom ground isn't great and needs work it's at least playable.
However our top ground where majority of our Juniors play is a clay based nightmare. Our Cubs Junior numbers aren't huge but they're modest for the area and the Club is well run by sensible people. Yes we have a well established Zone League side but our Juniors are the most important commodity to our Club (I'm a Zone League player with no kids). If a brand new facility was built 2-3kms away from us I feel it could be the death knell of our Club, if you were a parent where would you want little Sue or Johny to play? A brand new facilitie or a Concrete like pitch?
To think Kahibah will have all this money/facility just handed to them after just a few years from when their groud gets refurbished makes me sick when I see kids playing football on the sad excuse LMCC call a football ground when we pay the same fees as everyone else.