Daily Australian News 2012

[Pico]

Johnston offers to help design football headquarters
By DAMON CRONSHAW
Sept. 13, 2012, 10:41 p.m.







NEWCASTLE'S greatest footballer Craig Johnston has given a ringing endorsement to the proposed $11 million regional football headquarters planned at Speers Point Park.

Johnston grew up at Speers Point and played junior football for Lake Macquarie before moving to England and starring for Liverpool.

Johnston said Speers Point was a nursery for football talent.

"It's a prime area for it, always has been," Johnston, 52, said.

He has offered to help Northern NSW Football design the facility, which is planned to include two full-sized synthetic fields, 10 five-a-side courts and a multipurpose centre.

Johnston designed similar projects in England, working with the British government.

"I've developed a system of 3D grids for dribbling, passing, heading, shooting and touch, control, feel," he said.

"You could waste a lot of money on something everybody else has, but I'd like to help them build something extraordinary."

Johnston said Speers Point was an "idyllic place" for growing up and playing football.

"Never a day would pass where we weren't playing soccer, surfing or jumping off the old pier at Speers Point," he said.

Johnston, who lives in Florida, would like to return home and work on a football project. His parents and sister live in Lake Macquarie.

"I've been looking for a place to house the Johnston Academy and transfer my knowledge and expertise," Johnston said.

"Speers Point would be ideal."

Northern NSW Football chief executive David Eland said concept drawings had been done for the project, but the "next step is the intricate design".

"With a guy like Craig's pedigree and experience in the game, we'd be mad not to have a discussion with him," Mr Eland said.

Northern NSW Football will provide $4 million for the project and Lake Macquarie City Council will seek the rest from the NSW government.

http://www.theherald.com.au/story/33...arters/?cs=305

Geez seems everyone wants to get in on the academies now, would like to see Johnson get involved with some newy projects.

[pv4]

Johnson wouldn't come cheap, the only problem.

[MFKS]

That article rings of give me a call and I have some ideas but it's gonna cost you some coin

[boz-monaut]

agree, he's had financial troubles so I wouldn't put it past him

plus he can hardly call himself Australian when he turned his back on us to play for England

[pv4]

the only way you can say he's not money-driven anymore is he's wound up with a sugar-mumma so is financially sorted. but the type of guy he is - wouldn't put it past him to say "I'll do it for the community" whilst chargin a motza.

no disrespect to Liverpool fans, who I'm sure get offended when anything non-glowing gets said about their boi

[hawk]

the only way you can say he's not money-driven anymore is he's wound up with a sugar-mumma so is financially sorted. but the type of guy he is - wouldn't put it past him to say "I'll do it for the community" whilst chargin a motza.

no disrespect to Liverpool fans, who I'm sure get offended when anything non-glowing gets said about their boi

Why are you sure?
I thought jonno gave the game away like his cash. Prefer to leave the specialsist work to the professionals for mine.

[Grunta]

Hahaha No mate.. I wasn't trying to change the world or anything..
Just reading all the talk about the trial game, and also being psyched up for our grand final.. Wishing there was some magical answer but there isn't..

Hey Bon I'll be watching the Jets with fingers crossed for the Burbs. Good luck.

[Zico]

agree, he's had financial troubles so I wouldn't put it past him

plus he can hardly call himself Australian when he turned his back on us to play for England

"Representing Australia in Football is like representing England for surfing". He was a great player but a dick of a man who has a long history of stuffing up almost everything he touches (post football). The bloke should be a multi millionare 10 times over with his different ventures that worked a charm but then failed through one reason or nothing. That being said I'd still like NNSWFF to give him an ear and hear if what he says or demands will be of benifit to the game in this area.

[Bon]

Hey Bon I'll be watching the Jets with fingers crossed for the Burbs. Good luck.

Hahaha You legend Grunta.. Enjoy a beer there for me..

[furns]

All these comments on Johnno are bordering on sacrilege. Let him come home and use his expertise.

[furns]

"Representing Australia in Football is like representing England for surfing". He was a great player but a dick of a man who has a long history of stuffing up almost everything he touches (post football). The bloke should be a multi millionare 10 times over with his different ventures that worked a charm but then failed through one reason or nothing. That being said I'd still like NNSWFF to give him an ear and hear if what he says or demands will be of benifit to the game in this area.

Football in Aus at the time was a basket case. I don't blame him tbh

[Pico]

All these comments on Johnno are bordering on sacrilege. Let him come home and use his expertise.

I tend to agree people judging someone on one call, seems fairly silly to me, especially the calls that its all about money, the bloke showed his true character when he gave up his professional career to be with his family.

[GazFish35]

That article rings of give me a call and I have some ideas but it's gonna cost you some coin

Where do you get that impression from?

[Zico]

Football in Aus at the time was a basket case. I don't blame him tbh

but his comments pushed the game further back.
Like I said give him an audience but he has a poor track record for both his person and professional life. I personal think the bloke is a inspiration for what he has achieved in football but knowing him on a personal level, he can be a pig of a man at times.

[Zico]

I tend to agree people judging someone on one call, seems fairly silly to me, especially the calls that its all about money, the bloke showed his true character when he gave up his professional career to be with his family.

I follow Liverpool and that was not the only reason he quit the game.

[MFKS]

Where do you get that impression from?

Ummm

I can't work you out sometimes!!

Sarcasm or Serious question???

[GazFish35]

That article rings of give me a call and I have some ideas but it's gonna cost you some coin

Im serious, not sarcastic.
I didnt read it this way at all, I'm interested in what is in the article that makes you draw those conclusions... Cos I've missed it.

To me it read "I loved growing up in the area, and I've got some expertise to share"

[plague]

Yeah so engineers, architects, plasterers, groundskeepers, coaches etc are going to get paid to be involved but people have a problem with a consultant getting anything out of it?
It's a commercial project, you need experts.
I don't get the hate.

and by the way I didn't read it as him asking for money either, I would just expect a bloke to get paid for his services regardless.

[MFKS]

Im serious, not sarcastic.
I didnt read it this way at all, I'm interested in what is in the article that makes you draw those conclusions... Cos I've missed it.

To me it read "I loved growing up in the area, and I've got some expertise to share"

Just my perception of him. Has a very low profile most of the time but comes trotting out like Larry Emdur with a big cheesy grin everytime one of his next business ventures is on the go.

The other thing with it is why would his opinion really be relevant here?? I am not being disrespectful but surely as far as consultation for this Football HQ goes a bloke who retired what 25 years ago wouldn't be that high up on the list.

I am sure the players in the Jets squad could offer a wide range of views / ideas from their diverse playing experiences elsewhere in the world.

GVE could be consulted, FFA hierarchy and if we needed the voice of yesteryear I am sure Ray Baartz now the Jets Advisory board does SFA could throw some ideas up. Add in many other stars of yesteryear could also be asked. I am sure we could even contact/ garner ideas from others around the planet for the Football HQ also

I've developed a system of 3D grids for dribbling, passing, heading, shooting and touch, control, feel," he said.


To me that is also offering a product which I am sure will probably not be gifted to NNSW Fed for free. If he wanted to give it away for free he could have done that at any time. Doing so when there is money to be spent on this project indicates he may be after some money.

[plague]

To be fair from memory didn't he invest a lot of time and money in youth development and skills schools in the UK back in the day.
I'd say that would give him some cred in this.