I?ll take that 😀Originally Posted by Yesk21
Toronto
Westy
Singo
Belswans
Southy
Cessnock
Kahibah
Thornton
Wallsend
I?ll take that 😀
Toronto
Westy
Singo
Belswans
Southy
Cessnock
Kahibah
Thornton
Wallsend
Returning coach Chris Gallagher believes Wallsend's shock withdrawal from the men's second division last week was the reality check the historic football club needed to spark supporters into action.
The Red Devils, formed in 1887 and believed to be Newcastle's oldest continuous football club, informed Northern NSW Football last Tuesday they were pulling out of next year's Northern League One and Premier Youth League. It came after the resignations of president Darren Hampson then coach Michael Gatt. The club has also been unable to fill requirements in the PYL. Last season they fielded only one side, in the under 18s.
Following the Newcastle Herald story revealing the club's demise, supporters held a crisis meeting on Friday night at the Racecourse Hotel. From there, a working group was formed, while Gallagher, who coached the club in 2010-14 and 2017, returned to guide the NL1 seniors.
Wallsend will now stay in NL1 in 2024 and try to again field an under-18s, while working to build their youth program for future years.
Gallagher, who coached Wallsend's under-18s last season, was happy with the rally from supporters but said the club needed more.
"I think it was kind of what the club needed, a bit of a reset, because it's sparked a lot of the old boys into action," Gallagher said.
"Greg Frame and Allen Hardes, they have been instrumental. Graham Webber and a few others were down there as well. But we want all the old boys to come down and help out, even if it's just coming down and watching.
"That's how clubs survive, it's the ex-players and the families who want to keep it going."
He said most players from this year had indicated they would return.
"Our primary focus is trying to secure first and reserve-grade teams, and depending on numbers over the next couple of weeks, we may have an under-18s," he said. "Then it's a 12-month plan try to figure out how to bring 13s to 18s back to the club, then the season after hopefully another plan to brings 9s to 18s back. But you not only need funding, but volunteers and players."
He said the club's finances were "operational" and they would save money this year by not paying players or coaches. He hoped the club's plight would attract more sponsors.
"Trying to get junior teams back at Wallsend is something we really need to do, but how we do that, I don't know, because it's a huge burden on every club, with training and match day facilities to pay for," he said.
"And when you are playing at a place like The Gardens, it's a big financial strain on the club."
Wallsend have produced 20 Australian representatives and were a powerhouse in the 1930s, '40s, '50s and '60s, but they have regularly battled tough times in lower divisions since the loss of home ground Crystal Palace in 1985. They have spent recent years at The Gardens greyhound racing venue - the former Breakers Stadium site - which they lease.
Treasurer David Maher said the club was "all fine" from a financial viewpoint.
Maher said last week's decision was "more about people".
"[The news] went out and now we've got plenty of people on board, so it's all positive," Maher said.
Gallagher said The Gardens would be leased for another 12 months but the club needed a home of their own.
"If we can get an area in Wallsend from the state or federal government where we can actually build a ground again, that would be the ultimate goal," he said.
"We need our own home and if anyone had land in the Wallsend area we could use, it would be greatly appreciated."
https://www.newcastleherald.com.au/s...-club-kicking/
They have to bite the bullet and talk with South Wallsend, juniors at their doorstep
Sometimes ? surrounding ? junior clubs don?t see the big picture and consider a bigger senior club ( Wallsend ) talking to a junior club as a ? takeover ? rather than a coup for the areas kids. I know, Westlakes and morisett considered Toronto a takeover years ago, rather than an avenue for the more talented kids in to NL1 or NPL.
Great to see diggers sponsorship of stags continue on their FB page.
It's something about some juniors clubs not liking kids going on to bigger things. Seems some committee look at their club as their own little fiefdom and everything external whether it be players going to Youth League or players going into NPL or NL1 is an attack on the club and must be stopped.
Obviously you either don't have kids Taffy or you haven't been outside in a while, because this is a clueless take.
Why would you blame the junior clubs that have done a great job of creating a fun environment that allows kids to do exactly what they want, to play football with their friends, instead of the NPL/NL1 clubs who are so terrible at attracting young kids/families to their clubs every year?
I know full well how proud the board at my club is whenever a kid makes it into the emerging Jets, or an NPL/NL1 clubs youth set up. The board will do everything they can to help out the small number of kids who want to push themselves at a higher level, but 99% of them just don't care, they only care about wanting to have fun.
So if you give me the choice between charging hundreds of kids higher fees to offset the first team just to help a club who's too lazy/poorly run to go scout and attract talented kids themselves, or keep costs down low for everyone and focus on the kids who want to push themselves when they are spotted at training. I think that's a very easy decision to make.
I'm not blaming junior clubs for anything, clearly you didn't read my post correctly.
That's super.I know full well how proud the board at my club is whenever a kid makes it into the emerging Jets, or an NPL/NL1 clubs youth set up. The board will do everything they can to help out the small number of kids who want to push themselves at a higher level, but 99% of them just don't care, they only care about wanting to have fun.
And that's your choice, don't get upset at the kids or parents for deciding to leave for one of these clubs. Or the other clubs for existing and accepting these kids coming to them.So if you give me the choice between charging hundreds of kids higher fees to offset the first team just to help a club who's too lazy/poorly run to go scout and attract talented kids themselves, or keep costs down low for everyone and focus on the kids who want to push themselves when they are spotted at training. I think that's a very easy decision to make.
Not every club in NPL and NL1 charges fees to offset the cost of the seniors. While some NPL clubs certainly do and charge over $2k, others, including the one where I am, charge less than $1,000 and the first grade players don't get paid. The fees we charge cover the costs of entering teams, kits etc. Remember the team / comp fees are higher in the premier youth league than in community and that is not the fault of clubs.
As to clubs being too lazy or poorly run to scout:
a) Fronting up to a community club game or training and approaching players, even if you have introduced yourself to the coach etc, is never easy. There is always resentment from the community club, whether it is from the coach, players/parents offended that their child was not approached, players/parents upset that you are trying to take their teams best player that gives them the best chance of winning. While your contention is that the kids just want to have fun, fun includes winning, and taking away the team star lessens the chances of winning going forward.
b) All coaches at all levels are busy. Work, coaching, family etc. They may simply not have the time to go scouting community clubs. I know of several coaches that wait until the last few rounds of the community comp before they go looking and then only go to watch A grade top four teams. They play the odds that it is these teams that will have the better players.
c) Every PYL club advertises their trial dates on social media. They promote their trials. The community player has some responsibility to seek out a higher level if he wants it. Waiting for an invitation doesn't always work.
It is great that your club is supportive of the those that move up to the PYL or Jets, but I can assure your, from personal experience, that not all do. What would be even better is that clubs like yours that are favorably inclined to thier kids moving up, identify the talented kids and approach their nearlest PYL club and put the kids name forward. Perhaps build a relationship that could see PYL kids that are let go, moving to your club as well as your best kids going up.
"It is not that I am afraid to die; its just that I don't want to be there when it happens" - Woody Allen
As I said pretty clearly, the club I am at are stoked when kids leave to play for a bigger NPL/NL1club or Emerging Jets. There is the complete opposite of resentment when one of the kids aims higher than what we can offer.
Your point was that smaller clubs that don't offer these pathways should align themselves with the bigger clubs in order to help foster youth progression, which was in reply to someone saying that a NL1 club should go and convince another local junior club to join them in order to fulfill the requirements of the league.
Basically it came down to someone like Moriset or Westlake's should just merge with Toronto and that would solve Toronto's junior issue as well as be better for the kids at Morisett/Westlakes. I highly disagree with the second part of that and anyone who's been around for more than 5 mins would probably agree.
Let junior clubs who are doing well continue to do their thing, and the higher division clubs should stop spending as much money on first teams and start spending it on building their youth teams up instead. More competitive registration fees would be a start, but less drama and nonsense from coaches/board members would also help.
I can't comment on the first part as I have no experience either way.
But, our club has good contacts all throughout Newcastle's bigger clubs. I know there are a few that the club have great rapport with, and some that they don't. When a parent says to anyone at the club that they think their kid might need more of a challenge or whatever, we usually have someone at the club who can help them contact another club as you said.
As I said in reply to Taffy, competitive Rego fees and less nonsense from coaches/board members is usually how to get yourself good contacts.
I just don't agree that wholesale changes are needed from junior clubs to solve issues with an NL1 team. Changes need to made at the NL1 club to foster youth instead of a quick fix like taking over in some capacity an entire junior set up. Especially one that most likely always has senior football that would then be itself cut off from its junior pathways.
As Hunter said it's good your club is like that, others certainly aren't.
Think that was someone else making that point, though I disagree with the statement that it won't help any kids.Your point was that smaller clubs that don't offer these pathways should align themselves with the bigger clubs in order to help foster youth progression, which was in reply to someone saying that a NL1 club should go and convince another local junior club to join them in order to fulfill the requirements of the league.
Basically it came down to someone like Moriset or Westlake's should just merge with Toronto and that would solve Toronto's junior issue as well as be better for the kids at Morisett/Westlakes. I highly disagree with the second part of that and anyone who's been around for more than 5 mins would probably agree.
I agree with this but that doesn't mean individual clubs don't behave as I and Hunter stated nor would doing as you suggest stop it.Let junior clubs who are doing well continue to do their thing, and the higher division clubs should stop spending as much money on first teams and start spending it on building their youth teams up instead. More competitive registration fees would be a start, but less drama and nonsense from coaches/board members would also help.
Can you just not be an arrogant *hole for a change. These guys were talking some truths here. Just because your chest beating club does something different WGAS.
The strain between juniors and seniors has been evident for decades in many clubs. So before you insult others stfu.
Btw what arrogant club are you at so i can send kids elsewhere. Newcastle is a small town champ.
Absolutely not.
Love you Jim, you're as insightful as always.
Just my 2 cents.
It’s possible that both exist.
I played community growing up and had no idea that NBN/NEWFM existed. My club has ID2s, I think equivalent of ZL1 now? And they invited me to fill in and train with them. Which to me was incredible that they wore a different kit and had an away strip. They wanted me to dual register but mostly play for the senior team the following year. The president called me up one day and asked if I had ever considered playing a higher level for NBN Youth and I said I’d never really heard of it but probably wouldn’t be much good. He made some calls, found some clubs that still had some open trials and got me a training trial with another club. He went above and beyond what I would have expected, and I owe him a lot of fond memories.
That said, there were talks that the club were going to merge with a nearby NBN club. We already used their facilities for a few of our a grade matches. But the junior club felt they were all about the money. That and the name and colours of the new club identity were a bit too contentious it seems.
While refereeing, I went to many community clubs and some with namesake NBN or NEWFM seniors and not many of them seemed to have a good relationship.
On paper, it makes sense. Large junior base, no seniors. Merge with no juniors, seniors in elit comps.
But the reality is, that it probably won’t work in the way it is intended or imagined.
Now that the will they or won?t they of Wallsend has died down in all seriousness how is their strength of squad looking
When?s draw out ? Anyone ?
The draft draw is with clubs currently for review, I think we?ve got to have our change requests and whatnot back to them today / tomorrow.
Fixtures up on fb page
Be a good round 1, the trophy between South Cardiff and Wallsend up for grabs straight away
Darren Stewart Cup
Toronto Awaba v Apia 23s
February 10
Lyall Peacock 2pm
Becoming a Great day on Newcastle calendar.
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