Mr MATT KEAN (Hornsby) [6.14 p.m.]: Tonight I refer to some of the recent achievements of the Northern Suburbs Football Association, on and off the pitch.
I know that the member for Willoughby, who is in the Chamber, is an enthusiastic supporter of the Northern Suburbs Football Association and I am happy to share these achievements with her. The association's chief executive, Duncan Tweed, special project coordinator Greg Hay and competition manager Damien Miles have all overseen a period of positive growth for football in the Hornsby, Ku-ring-gai and North Shore areas. Tonight I place on record my appreciation to the chairman of the Northern Suburbs Football Association, Mr Chris Rayner. He is an example of the best in our community. He has dedicated 30 years of his life to not only promoting sport in our community but also building a better community, for which I thank him. I also place on record my appreciation for the support given to him by his wife, Wendy. Between them they make a great difference to northern Sydney and to sport in this State.
The association, which encompasses 34 clubs catering for under-6 to Premier League competitions and spreading from Brooklyn to North Sydney, now has over 16,500 registered players. This is a great achievement for our local association which often battles field shortages, with hundreds of games being played every weekend. I commend the association's senior management team for its ongoing efforts in promoting grassroots sport, which has a vital role to play in our community. Football is the highest participation sport in New South Wales and caters for thousands of junior players at all skill levels. Recently, the juniors competition has been overhauled with the introduction of small-sided games, which is having a great effect on skills development and the retention of junior players.
Our new Minister for Sports and Recreation, Gabrielle Upton, will agree with me that investment in grassroots sport is vital to promote healthy lifestyles and identify talented players for representative honours. I am told that Premier Barry O'Farrell, my neighbour in the Ku-ring-gai electorate, was also a handy goalkeeper in his younger days. The Premier played his junior football in Victoria but will join me in acknowledging the five Australian internationals that have emerged over the years from the Northern Suburbs Football Association. Earlier this year I was honoured to be able to assist the Northern Suburbs Football Association by teaming up with Hornsby Council to donate $27,000 for the construction of new floodlights at Berowra Oval. I thank the mayor, Steve Russell, for his ongoing support and commitment to sport in our area and in particular the Northern Suburbs Football Association. That donation will enable the association and Berowra Soccer Club to host night matches, meaning more games and more players will benefit from the Community Building Partnership grant.
While I am speaking about the Berowra Soccer Club, I would like to make special mention of Berowra Soccer Club President Cathy Ruggero, who dedicated a lot of her time and effort to write and compile the club's submission and apply for the Community Building Partnership grant. The Berowra Soccer Club, like other soccer clubs in the district, is an amazing club because of the people who give up their time to make it great. I know that Bruce Waterhouse and Greg Steptoe have given many years to making it a great club. I thank them for their contribution. I also make special mention of the northern suburbs biggest representative club, the Northern Tigers. The Tigers finished eighth in this year's National Premier League NSW Mens 2 competition. The club has a long and rich history in the Asquith area and has been a past contender for promotion to the NSW Premier League. I look forward to them making the Premier League in the near future.
Over the years the Tigers have produced many decorated players, including Australian international and former Adelaide United player Bruce Djite; Fox Sports commentator Andy Harper; and former Australian assistant coach Robert Hooker. I share the club's excitement about the next chapter in its development with the announcement of the Football Federation Australia [FFA] Cup competition. This will give the Tigers an opportunity to play off against New South Wales Premier League and A-League club opposition for the first time in a knockout tournament. The FFA Cup is a great initiative by Football Federation Australia, the governing body, as it will create a clear player pathway for the first time in the code's history.
I also congratulate this year's Northern Suburbs club champion, Asquith Soccer Club, which finished the club season ahead of both Knox United and Wahroonga. I am delighted about this because that club is in my electorate and it does a wonderful job. This is a great achievement by the Asquith club and I congratulate the club's president, Chris Hemming, and his team on their hard work and dedication. Although Lindfield is out of my electorate, I would like to highlight a recent tournament win by the Lindfield Football Club. Lindfield has become the first club from the Northern Suburbs Football Association to win a female Champion of Champions title after a gutsy 3-1 win over the Killarney Heights district in the under-14 girls final competition. This is an impressive win by the girls who defeated the best teams from across New South Wales to win the under-14s crown.
I am sure the sports Minister will join me in acknowledging the girls' achievement and in wishing them the best of luck for the future. If the girls continue with results like that we could be seeing some of them representing the Matildas in international women's soccer. I look forward to seeing members of the northern suburbs football fraternity again on Saturday at the annual President's Dinner function in Killara. It gives the community an opportunity to acknowledge the work of our volunteers in supporting our local soccer clubs and promoting sport in our local area.
Read full transcript in Hansard here.
