Football is a Journey
A message from our Director of Football - John Curran
As the 2023 season reaches its finale Sydney University SFC have a lot to celebrate, again. This coming week will be the biggest of the season beginning on Saturday with the FNSW Girls youth league div. 1 under 16 semi-final at Valentine Sports Park. The ‘Entertainers’ as they are affectionately known probably should have won the premiership and tomorrow provides another chance to earn some silverware on grand final day on Sunday, September 17.
On Sunday, our FNSW Boys youth league div 3 teams under 13’s – 18’s plays their final matches of a mammoth thirty-week season at home v local rivals Dunbar Rovers. This season has been a huge learning curve for all concerned where the scoreboard has not indicated the effort and hard work put in by everyone. Some of the football played at times throughout this season has been a joy to watch, may it continue to the end. On the girls front the club have another four teams in semi-finals on Sunday. Good luck to our FNSW Girls youth league div. 1 under 14’s who took out the premiership undefeated, our under 15’s and 18’s and our NPL Women’s reserve grade who all finished third in their respective league competitions. The club are very proud to have the largest representation on show over this weekend. Congratulations to everyone on a huge effort and good luck, don’t leave anything out on the park this weekend.
Monday marks the first of our club’s presentations, with the girls, and boys SAP programs to be acknowledged for a solid season. Thank you to Emily and her team of coaches for your wonderful efforts in managing both training and matches throughout the season where learning was paramount. Different fields for training and matches are always difficult to manage but we did. A big thank you to Sara for great communication and organisational skills in making it all logistically possible. The teams played some great football, had some tremendous success on the scoreboard too but most of all enjoyed themselves. The boys had an interesting season with some changes in leadership, a revolving door of coaches and some mixed results at times, especially early on. In the end the ship was stable, thank you to Oz and Steve for jumping in when we were floundering a bit. Thank you to all the coaches and managers for your commitment to the cause but the biggest thank you goes to the players. We hope to see many of you again next season as your football journey continues.
Wednesday’s presentation is for the Boys and Girls youth league. Every team in this section of the club gave their best every week with many highs and many lows. The boys were affected by lack of numbers and lack size in some age groups throughout the season and not to mention our injury toll. To the majority, thank you for staying strong, thank you for not giving up when games were lost and thank you to Tom and his coaching staff, team managers, and parents for your endless support. Tough season but it can only go one way from here. Stick with it, you will see the returns in the future, you just don’t know it yet. Yes girls, 4 from 4, congratulations. Some outstanding individual and team performances which will be honoured and remembered on the night. To Amy and her bevy of coaches and support staff, thank you on a job well done. Let’s see it through till the end. Special mention to Jono & Beck, I always knew I made the right decision pairing you two, stats speak volumes for an outstanding team performance. To Olivia Vanderlaan, records are made to be broken. You told me at the start of the season I’ll score 50 goals, I thought possible with the right supply, don’t forget to thank your teammates you can’t do it without them. Well, 56 to date and counting, keep it going. If I was asked at the start of the season to take a top three position on the ladder for the four girls’ teams and throw a premiership in for good measure, what would I do, I would have taken it. To the four girl’s youth head coaches in your inaugural season with the club, very well done.
Friday is Blue Carpet night, where our men’s & women’s senior FNSW squads (under 18’s – 1st grade) and our All-Age teams celebrate their seasons efforts. Our two major club awards the Jim Zammit Medal for female Club Player of the Year and the Rob Smithies Medal for the men’s Club Player of the Year are up for grabs as are our individual team awards, the Players’ Player, and the Coaches Player of the Year. It is also a night we honour and celebrate the players and coaches who have been stalwarts of the club over a long period of time as they move on to greener pastures. The most notable of these are FNSW WNPL 1 head coach & GSAP technical director Emily Husband who is moving to take up the role of head coach with the newly formed A-League women’s side, the Central Coast Mariners. Emily started her Sydney University SFC adventure in 2016. Her contribution has been nothing short of amazing just ask this season’s girls SAP parents or the opposition coaches after her outstanding 2022 season where she was instrumental in lifting the premiership and club championship trophies for the club as well as the Coach of the Year award. Moving with her are club captain Taren King (12 years’ service) and first grade players, Bianca Galic (11 years’ service), Annabel Martin (6 years’ service) and former GSAP player Tess Quilligan (6 years’ service). Added to this list are our ‘Matildas’ from the recent Women’s World Cup, student athletes Clare Hunt (6 years’ service), Clare Wheeler (5 years’ service) and former player Cortnee Vine (2 years’ service). All these individuals need special mention, I am so proud of them all.
We have had our ups and downs. We have produced some great players (A-League & W-league and finally Matildas) and we have won much silverware in both the men’s and women’s space. We have been the leading women’s club in the country since 2015. We have won the women’s University Nationals title for the last ten years straight and a handful of men’s titles in that time, too. We will soon return to China for our second World University games representing Australia, no pressure Amy Shepherd. We have produced some great coaches, with our last three head women’s coaches Heather Garriock, Alex Epakis and Emily Husband moving onto A-League women’s clubs. Thank you, Sydney University Sport and Fitness, for your continued support. Thank you to our past and present presidents, coaches, managers, players, parents, and support staff for going the extra mile when it was needed.
Finally, this will be my final Blue Carpet as I step down from the role as Sydney University SFC Director of Football at the end of October. I have struggled with this decision but now believe it to be the right one. We need to replace the tyres, get some new drivers and check the map to ensure we are on the right road for the future. The club is in good hands, we need to work hard together to make it better. My greatness pleasure from this whole experience is seeing young boys and girls making something of their lives through football and education. Providing a Plan A, and/or a Plan B and more often both is hugely satisfying, it’s a lifelong gift.
A special thank you to Bruce Ross for being my biggest supporter, Leonie Lum for assisting with players throughout my time here, Stephanie Glanville-Fyfe (nee Clarke) current president, who I have watched grow from a SUSFC player to operations manager to a wife and now a mother. Most of all I need to thank Maisie for your constant support, your patience, and your advice even though I don’t always hear what you are saying or admit you are right, but I do listen. I have a lot to make up to you. Football has been my saviour, my outlet, my passion, and my life for over 62 years, it is now time to revisit some of the pleasures in life that I have put on hold for so long. Looking forward to catching up with as many of you on presentation night. Cheerio for now!!
PS: I will still be involved in the club in some capacity but on a voluntary basis when needed. To the players and parents, past and present if you need advice or help with anything, please get in contact. Thank you again and remember ‘Football is a Journey’.
- John Curran