Magic 2 - 1 Olympic
Azzurri 1 - 0 Maitland
Magic 2 - 1 Olympic
Azzurri 1 - 0 Maitland
Hey Carl,
I agree with most of what you're saying in regards to the club, and honestly i don't think most people's comments are against Valentine as a club or the people involved. It is a nice location, good junior base and hopefully the club can grow with their new facility when it is built. Valentine were the Macquarie district powerhouse. I'm not sure if they still are, but they had the most players by far when I was around. Before all these elite youth programs, they always had very strong A-Grade teams that would rival the Magic and Olympics. Re-harnessing that should be vital imo.
As you say, they earned their right to play NPL when they were promoted, and I don't think they should be removed, unless they are relegated through performance, when/if the time comes.
I think they are often referred to in relation to "criteria" as their facilities, at this point in time, are similar/worse than some clubs in NEWFM that were denied a license.
The difference, imo, is that Lakes and Adamstown have a decent grounds. So, despite their poor results, they can't often be used in an argument as to why some NEWFM teams deserve a license. Those are performance metrics.
The point of the discussion is the re-introduction of promotion and relegation to keep all clubs on their toes and allow clubs with NPL aspirations, to actually work towards it. Conversely, clubs that don't continue to develop and are stagnant, will be relegated. For this to happen, NEWFM clubs need to be granted licenses for meeting the magical criteria.
The argument for the most part is, "if Valentine can meet criteria and have a license, why don't x,y, and z?"
Understand it comes across as flack sometimes, but I think the frustration is aimed at NNSWF. As you say, most could understand why they aren't investing in facilities at the moment. But the counter side is that those current facilities, are worse/similar to all NEWFM teams who were denied a license. NEWFM teams were told that NNSW doesn't care for "plans to" it cares for "now" and the use of CB Complex as an NPL venue kind of screams hypocrisy from NNSWF.
Unrelated, but I've been to a few NPL4 grounds in Sydney, and they are atrocious in comparison to our NEWFM grounds. If these grounds meet NSW Football's NPL criteria, which I imagine they enforce more diligently, then all our NEWFM clubs could get a license.
Agree Great Post.
When a Club that wins the 2nd Division easily 3 years in a row and can't displace a Club that is perennially a bottom 2 or 3 club each year in almost all grades there is something ethically wrong. Not to mention their current facilities being inferior to Cooks Hill's current ground.
Been to both, neither is great. cooks hill looks dead as of last Friday, and at valo players come away with cuts and bruises from the rock hard ground. its a stalemate if you ask me, lots of better grounds around, and its a rough deal that valo just has to keep putting up with it, since generally committees are stuck at the whim of their local councils.
Thank you for your understanding and I agree. The last placed team should be relegated and currently that is not Valentine. I think NNSWF should help clubs lobby local councils for facility upgrades. I think we would all love to see every club have great facilities. I think NNSWF should be more lenient in their criteria provided clubs can show a plan and demonstrate steps they are taking to getting up to specs. If Valentine finish last then they should be relegated. The fact is they are not so deserve to remain in NPL.
Based on facility/fields, this would be the NPL.
Edgy - Magic - Olympic - Azzurri - Maitland - Lakes - Town - Jaffas - Weston - Belswans - Westy - Toronto
A 12 team comp.
Southy might feel leftout but Jaffas,Olympic,Belswans and Maitland are just that bit better.
Peoples ground preferences are always going to be contentious.
And it’s interesting hearing people’s “must have” criteria.
An NPL4 semi final I watched the other week, no grandstand, just an undercover platform/walkway that ran 60% of the field on one side, with a single row of portable chairs along it.
No spectators were allowed out of this area.
I think all NEWFM grounds beat that.
Pitch was “good”, on a terrible (2012 edgy after a week of rain) to excellent scale (magic on a sunny GF day).
Because there’s more to football than having a complying facility. If only it were so simple.
I’d rather pay $10 (or a bit more) to watch a cracking game of quality football, than pay the same and sit in a shiny stand watching numpties get their ass handed to them 9-0.
Valo losing Jacob Bailey, Danny Ireland, Ben Hay, Alex Read for next year. Big money being saved for next year.
Probably all go to west wallsend where sills is coaching, maybe
At Azzurri
1st grade Maitland beat Azzurri 5-4 pens
Reserve Maitland beat Buds 5-4 pens