I was of the understanding that it is North Coast Footballs home ground so all of their games get played there.It is an amazing facility and it looks no where near finished.There is a lot more land in the complex that could be used for more fields so who knows how much better it will get.
Sorry I should have been clearer, my bad. I meant when they play down here, because all the other clubs lose a home game when they play north coast as they always have to play at Speers, I was wondering who is absorbing that cost, since the rest of us has to pay to use the facility.
This seems a non issue for mine. Northern want North Coast in the comp and I’m sure they pay the same Speers Point duty as all the other clubs. considering the travel they do to play games here it would be wrong to charge them more. They’ll also be paying for their own facility up north extra costs on top to play here would be wrong.
Its become an issue now because they are the only team that are getting consistent game time, and everyone else has to pay to play there. If Northern was willing to ensure the integrity of the competition then they need to allow clubs to at least make up their games at the facility without charging a thousand dollars a day.
Ive been told the biggest issue with public funding for more upgrades is the lack of cooperation between clubs and sports.Council certainly isnt blameless but Ive been told on good authority proposals have been put to clubs yet clubs have rejected them.For sure council isnt blameless so hopefully some more work can be done with all parties to make better solutions.Personally I have no idea why more area around the hockey centre/knights facility/impending trotting track demolition hasnt been earmarked for a Speers Point style facility.
You would have to assume there is some sort of trade off for asking teams to travel 4 hours each way every 2nd week that they would be at least guaranteed a game.Having synthetic at both home and away legs is at least reassurance for the kids and parents that its worth the commitment.I agree it may one day decide a premiership or finals spot, but hopefully it spurs clubs and councils alike to get on with making sure all kids get their games in every week by improving facilities.
A number of venues have already been washed out across the Premier Competitions this weekend. These include:
NPL Boys NNSW Youth round 18
Macquarie Field – Lake Macquarie City v Maitland FC
Rockwell Automation Park – Weston Workers FC v Mid Coast FC
Cahill Oval* – Valentine FC v Cooks Hill United (pending pitch inspection)
Magic Park* – Broadmeadow Magic v Adamstown Rosebud (moved to Myer Park pending pitch inspection)
Darling Street Oval* – Newcastle Olympic v Charlestown Azzurri (Potential venue swap to Allen Davis Field being explored pending pitch inspections)
"It is not that I am afraid to die; its just that I don't want to be there when it happens" - Woody Allen
Link here: https://www.newcastle.nsw.gov.au/get...ic-Sports-Plan
Yep, you are correct Hunter – the Strategic Sports Plan recommended Edden and Blackley becoming a centre of excellence for football with synthetic pitch at Edden. But a strategic plan isn’t a development plan, so its pie in the sky until someone forces it to happen. Maybe it’s time for Newy clubs to band together and push this with their local councillors and MPs? We know things only move in this town if there is noise. Lets get noisy.
Interestingly the strategic plan says “The consultation process did not indicate a consensus view on the provision of synthetic surfaces. Synthetic playing surfaces are appropriate in areas where there are limited grass playing field opportunities, high use of existing facilities, and/ or an inability to adequately maintain grass fields to suitable standards. Where intensity of use exceeds the capacity of a playing field(s), alternative solutions should be explored before developing a synthetic surface(s) e.g. upgrading irrigation/ drainage, increasing maintenance, exploring the availability of other fields in the network.” I wonder how this consensus view has changed in the last two years?
That document is already completely irrelevant and obsolete. NCC have documents supporting the fact that a vast majority of the current fields in its care are under-utilised. There will be no development of football fields unless individual clubs push the barrow, chase the finances, and do the lobbying. All NCC will do is supply a "letter of Support", all funding must come from state or federal sources, then charge the club a DA fee to upgrade improve their own asset, then notify the club that works must be carried out by their "inducted" contractors, adding 40% to the project cost. Just ask Olympic.
Clubs have been promised facility upgrades since Noah's ark finally ran aground. I know of a community club that were finally "guaranteed" to have an extra 2 lights placed on an existing pole for the start of the 2022 season to expand their training area, previously budgeted and committed in 2019, 2020, and 2021 only to have correspondence 2 weeks before the due date of 2022 commencement asking to now pay for the 2 light fittings ($7000) and essentially council "will install". Using current advertised rates, those 2 lights would have added $1300 to their yearly fee bill.
Thought for the day... with our fields so wet during the year that council have not been able to mow, mark, put goals up etc... what have those council parks workers been doing all year?
what have those council parks workers been doing all year?[/QUOTE]
Go to the grounds in the morning and you'll find council work vehicles hidden out of view, hiding and the the guy's fast a sleeping in the cars. NCC are and always will be a JOKE.
NOFC have graciously move their game to Allen Davis
Now waiting for the other hungry 3 pointers to change theirs
does anyone have concerns about how this affects clubs in the youth space when pro/rel is introduced if rules like this continue to be thrown in just as they come up.
I would have really hoped northern had taken the time during covid when we had 2 really disrupted seasons to do proper contingency planning…..
Of course no one knows WHEN it’s going to rain, flood, covid, be too hot, etc etc . But you know the 6 p’s of planning does help things a fair bit.
Last edited by KITZ; 09-07-2022 at 05:11 PM.