discussion here
discussion here
Very quiet in here.
Two rounds in and plenty of goals in all grades. Seems to be a big gap from top to bottom in the grades.
Did WPL manage to get to play today?
Not surprised that FMNC aren't doing well, very young team and some players playing both games.
Adamstown will also go poor this year, some of their better players have left, they cling on to long term players that aren't deserving of a starting 1st grade spot and a couple players that happen to get injured every year.
FMNC 0 New Lambton 7
Buds 2 South Wallsend 4
Other 2 games washouts.
Looks like being
Warners Bay
Merewether
New Lambton
Day Light
Wallsend
Sth Wallsend
Daylight
Adamstown
Daylight
Thornton
Mid North Coast
Honestly looks to be a 4 horse race. Maybe Wallsend could be there or there abouts with some good results throughout the year. Still, must be a record number of w league players past and present in the competition which can only be good for the league? Hopefully girls from the bottom 4 sides don’t loose too much confidence from there encounters with the top 4 sides
Shaping up to be a great season. Getting a decent amount of media attention too which is good for for the league.
Saw the New Lambton coach complaining about their game against Adamstown being played on #2
Firstly why was it played on #2 and not #1?
Secondly why has the club dramatically reduced the size of #2 they have decreased the width by about 10m and decreased the length by about 5m. Poor field and poor form for the club to make such a small field
The field has been shifted toward the Clubhouse to avoid bad drainage in the corner near the drain. Council moved it as there was lots of room further across, and it is exactly the same size as always, just shifted. Hopefully that keeps it dry during winter as it is usually rained out for half the season. Nothing to do with the Club. It's a Council Field that gets marked once at the start of the season. The Club just remarks it.
Games were on Number 2 because Number one was used by the NPL Teams all weekend.
But in all seriousness why is he complaining all the grounds other than Adamstown 1 are pathetic in that competition. It’s a supposed Premier League competition played on community grounds. I heard unconfirmed that the Thornton match got called off because the cricket pitch area was too hard. Seriously!!! As for the competition itself three clubs are just making up the numbers. Hasn’t the New Lambton club brought players from other clubs that are now struggling. How can they be paid its unsustainable.
Well New Lambton play at Alder which is a decent ground and some of their games are also played at Arthur Edden. Mid North's ground is good and John St Oval is fine at the start of the season. But I do get your point, though for whatever reason the club has decided to make Adamstown #2 much smaller, at least others are of a decent size. Though I do get your point, Myamblah and Walker Field are terrible as well.
I know the Thornton match got called off in NewFM this week because the cricket pitch was unsafe to play on, it's a joke and Thornton should look at moving. Don Lawrence would be better.
Not sure about New Lambton buying players from other clubs, the two clubs that are struggling is Thornton (no players from there at New Lambton) and Adamstown (Laura Allen went there but she didn't want out because of money). New Lambton do pay players as do Warners Bay and I believe South Wallsend. Adamstown at the very least give all 1st grade players free rego.
Thornton Cricket pitch doesn't surprise me, we played on it the weekend before and the field was great other than the cricket pitch which was VERY wet and slippery. Not surprised that once it dried out it went like concrete. Got no idea how they resolve that issue either.
Think your confused - Unsustainable = NPL, costs and spend on WPL a fraction of the $150K+ budgets of the big NPL clubs.
Seriously any female being paid is getting virtually nothing and way below what they deserve but good on them for finally being able to earn some pocket money.
I will agree on this, Merewether & Southy home grounds are terrible.
One would wonder why the council didn't move it based on bad drainage in the corner that has been like that for a couple seasons. The council isn't concerned about that stuff while they initially marked it to say the club had nothing to do with it and didn't discuss it with the council is a furphy and goes against how Newcastle Council operates. That is to say they don't care about that stuff.
The ground is most certainly smaller than in previously both length and width, even if it has been shifted across.
I recently spoke with a player about this and was told that the New Lambton Coaches comments were taken out of context.
The main point he was trying to make is that all WPL games should be played on a pitch that is held to a certain standard, not the individual circumstances of playing on Adamstown no.2.
Does the WPL have a player points system in place to prevent team loading?
If not, it needs it. I can understand the desire for players wanting to move in order to try and win the league but is is detrimental to the entire competition seeing the best players from the lower teams moving to the top teams every season. This just results in teams being stacked as they currently are and a completely lopsided competition.
Couple of years ago they introduced a limit on current W-League players, restricting each club to 3. As far as I know that is the only rule. It is difficult for the lower teams trying to attract players but of the players that switched clubs this year I do believe it was more about what the calibre of the coach and being in a competitive side than anything to do with money, if they do happen to get paid its virtually nothing.
I'd agree with that statement regarding coaches. South Wallsend is a good example of this.
The Club culture and how women's football is treated and developed is another aspect for sure.
Haven't seen many games but around the half way mark of the competition here is my prediction on how I think the table will finish after round 21:
1. New Lambton
2. South Wallsend
3. Merewether
4. Warner's Bay
5. Wallsend
6. Mid North Coast
7. Thornton
8. Adamstown
Leading goal scorer will come from the top 5;
Andrews (NL) - 20 from 8 games
Kingsley (WB) - 19 from 12 games
Dobson - (Mer) 17 from 11 games
Brodigan (SW) - 16 from 10 games
Allan (NL) - 15 from 11 games