http://www.footballfedvic.com.au:85/ Latest news from www.footballfedvic.com.au en http://www.footballfedvic.com.au:85/typo3conf/ext/tt_news/ext_icon.gif http://www.footballfedvic.com.au:85/ 18 16 Latest news from www.footballfedvic.com.au TYPO3 - get.content.right http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss Wed, 16 May 2012 17:02:00 +1000 http://www.footballaustralia.com.au/news-display/FFA-and-FIFA-Indigenous-Grassroots-Connection/47316 Victorians Joel Sloan and Alexa Allana attend Grassroots Proactive Program in Alice Springs Headlines Wed, 16 May 2012 09:55:00 +1000 http://www.footballfedvic.com.au/index.php?id=17&tx_ttnews%5Btt_news%5D=420&cHash=0ae097e02af7a86f885471d464b5bbf8 Victoria's largest boys football tournament is only a month away.
With over 500 of regional Victoria’s best footballers set to converge on Bendigo on the Queen’s Birthday Weekend, the RCC is cementing its position as regional Victoria’s largest and most prestigious football tournament for country Victoria’s junior males.

Teams from Ballarat, Bendigo, Geelong, Cobram, Goulburn North East, Echuca-Moama, Shepparton, Sunraysia, Swan Hill and Warrnambool have been invited to enter teams and the take up rate so far is higher than last year’s successful tournament.

After lifting the trophy last year, Bendigo will be eager to go back-to-back and have entered five teams in four age groups to try and achieve this.

The winning region will be determined by competition points as well as respect points in the same format as last year. 

Respect points will be awarded by the referees on how well each team respected their opponents and the match officials.

FFV CEO Mark Rendell said that the RCC is one of the major highlights on the Victorian football calendar.

“The Regional Challenge Cup is a terrific showcase of the depth of talented young players we have in regional Victoria,” said Mr Rendell.

“This is a great opportunity for regional players to represent their local area and develop their skills against high quality opponents.

“The Epsom Huntly Recreation Reserve is one of the top football facilities in Victoria and is a great venue for the tournament.”

Coinciding with the Regional Challenge Cup will be the Country Leagues Football Association's girls’ tournament.

For more information on RCC, click here or give FFV offices a call on 9474 1800.]]> Headlines Mon, 14 May 2012 15:09:00 +1000 http://www.footballfedvic.com.au/index.php?id=17&tx_ttnews%5Btt_news%5D=408&cHash=ffb8f267e8beb1522b866b5736137f8e Melbourne Victory Women’s Rebekah Stott has been called into New Zealand’s U-20 women’s football... Like Melbourne Victory Women on Facebook

After making her Westfield W-League debut in Week One this season, Stott went on to start in every match as Melbourne came within seven minutes of making their first Grand Final.

In the best form of her career so far, the Papamoa-born player moved to Australia as an 11 year old and is seen as a strong contender to force her way into Olympic contention with the full New Zealand side later this year.

As part of preparations for August’s FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup in Japan, the Junior Football Ferns will meet two time U-20 world champions USA in Los Angeles on May 19, preceded by matches against semi professional club sides LA Strikers and Pali Blues on May 15 and 17 respectively.

The Junior Football Ferns squad boasts five players with senior international experience, and Coach Aaron McFarland is excited about the opportunity to get a near full-strength side together as they build towards Japan.

“Given the crossover in players between our team and the full Football Ferns side, opportunities like this to have the squad together and build cohesion and combinations are relatively rare but extremely important,” McFarland said.

“The USA are consistently among the leaders in women’s football and their U-20s are no exception. They will be among the favourites to lift the title in Japan and they will be a great test for us, as will the two senior club sides.”

]]> Headlines Fri, 11 May 2012 15:20:00 +1000 http://www.footballfedvic.com.au/index.php?id=17&tx_ttnews%5Btt_news%5D=407&cHash=4e90d09145ec410e067cf20d6ecc59dd Open trial for Melbourne Victory Women in July 2012, apply now.  
This trial process will commence in early July 2012 and interested players need to apply below via the online application process by 5pm on Monday June 25th 2012. 
 
Click here to apply to trial 
 
Players must meet required standards of experience and age to be included in the trial process.
 
Successful applicants will then receive a confirmation email inviting them to any relevant trial sessions.
 
Please note: All players who are successful in being selected for the final squad must be willing to live in Melbourne and be self-supported from September 2012 through to the end of the season in January 2013.
 
Please do not hesitate to contact Anthony Grima – High Performance Programs Manager on (03) 9474 1804 should you require any further information.]]> Headlines Fri, 11 May 2012 10:58:00 +1000 http://www.footballfedvic.com.au/index.php?id=17&tx_ttnews%5Btt_news%5D=405&cHash=b761774680f300633aa064c471cde163 The Round Five draw for the FFV State Knockout Cup has been released with twelve matches to be...
Advice for Round Four matches yet to be played will be confirmed later this week.

Round Five:

South Melbourne v Port Melbourne
Oakleigh Cannons v Altona Magic
Morwell Pegasus v Old Camberwell Grammarians
Pascoe Vale v Hume City
Diamond Valley United v Heidelberg United
Dandenong City v Bentleigh Greens
Dandenong Thunder v Springvale White Eagles
Green Gully Cavaliers v Kielor Park
Ballarat Red Devils v Melbourne Knights
Falcons 2000 or Western Suburbs v Southern Stars
Sunshine George Cross v Mildura City or Castlemaine Goldfields
Werribee City or Cobram Victory v Moreland Zebras or Shepparton United]]> Headlines Wed, 09 May 2012 15:50:00 +1000 http://www.footballfedvic.com.au/index.php?id=17&tx_ttnews%5Btt_news%5D=403&cHash=81ce97a1a39179c93f7a8556ac5412ae Sunshine George Cross and Pascoe Vale are even atop the State League One ladder after they both... Ante Jukic

Georgies moved ahead of Whittlesea on the table with their comfortable 3-0 win against the Ranges at Chaplin Reserve to give themselves their third win out of four.

Leo Shin, Nick Scerri and Tom Cahill all found their names on the score sheet in what was a dominating performance, while Pascoe Vale edged out Port Melbourne 1-0 at Hosken Reserve.

Dandenong City came out of Arndell Park with three points in tow; defeating Werribee 2-1 on Sunday afternoon.

Looking comfortable at 2-0 against the promoted Bees outfit after a Rossi Lagana own goal and Tomi Razov volley in the 69th minute, the visitors let their opponents back into the game as they conceded in the 75th, leaving for a tense finish.

Much to the relief of Dandenong coach Joe Biskic, his side was able to hold on for a valuable first win ahead of this week’s clash with North Geelong.

“I was more than happy with how we played for most of the match,” he said.

“We played the game on our terms through keeping the ball, especially after going 1-0 up, although how we scored was unfortunate for Werribee.

“They didn’t create much for most of the game and we put ourselves under pressure with the goal, but we held on and for that we must be satisfied.”

Dandenong were in control for the most part and would have gone 3-0 up through Vlado Juric’s header in the 71st minute if not for the frame of the goal.

From there, Dandenong started to lose their rhythm in midfield, but held firm to set up an intriguing encounter against North Geelong this Saturday at Frank Holohan Reserve.

The Warriors, following their 2-2 draw with Springvale, sit two points from Georgies in fourth; collecting eight points so far.

Warriors coach Ante Skoko was upbeat post-match on Saturday at Elcho Park after being dominated for the opening hour against the White Eagles and almost snatching the win.

“In terms of chances late in the game we could consider ourselves unlucky not to win, but next week should be an interesting match-up against Dandenong. I’m looking forward to it.”

Springvale coach Bojo Jevdjevic, given Springvale’s start to the season, was content with a point.

“The boys performed well today, playing their heart out.

"We conceded two goals but at the end of the day this is a hard ground to come and play.

“North Geelong are a well organised team and I’d say that 2-2 is a fair result.”

In other results, Saint Albans were 1-0 winners against an out of sorts Altona Magic at Churchill Reserve while Bulleen went on from a first half own goal to demolish Western Suburbs 6-2 at the Veneto Club last night.

Click here for this week’s fixture information.]]> Headlines Tue, 08 May 2012 15:26:00 +1000 http://www.footballfedvic.com.au/index.php?id=17&tx_ttnews%5Btt_news%5D=402&cHash=9da8dc21c1f2b59b0d4d95ab04919cff Let your vote count when the Johnny Warren Football Foundation searches for our best ever.
Now, the debate of who is the Greatest Ever Australian Footballer is finally being decided and Australian football fans can play a part in the ultimate decision. From 72 extraordinary players and coaches nominated by an expert judging panel, the public can vote online to decide:

•    Greatest Ever Australian Football Team;
•    Greatest Ever Australian Female Player;
•    Greatest Ever Australian Coach;
•    Greatest Ever Australian Footballer.

Nominees that have played a part in Victoria’s football history include;

•    Alan Davidson; Altona City, South Melbourne, Melbourne Knights, Collingwood Warriors
•    Oscar Crino, Argentinean  born; South Melbourne, Footscray JUST, Preston Lions
•    Jimmy Mackay, Scottish born; Melbourne Knights, South Melbourne
•    Vince Grella; Carlton
•    Josip Skoko, South Australian born; North Geelong Warriors, Melbourne Heart
•    Jimmy Rooney, Scottish born; Essendon Lions, Fitzroy Alexander
•    Paul Wade, English born; Green Gully, Brunswick Juventus, South Melbourne, Heidelberg United
•    Atti Abonyi, Hungarian born; Melbourne Hungaria
•    Mark Viduka; Melbourne Knights
•    Eddie Krncevic; Melbourne Knights
•    Harry Kewell; Melbourne Victory
•    John Aloisi; Melbourne Heart
•    Branko Buljevic; Footscray JUST, Heidelberg United, South Melbourne
•    Rale Rasic, Yugoslavian born; Footscray JUST, South Melbourne
•    Melissa Barbieri; Box Hill United, Richmond, Melbourne Victory

Once all the votes are counted, Australia's football community will come together in a star-studded, once in a lifetime, gala event to celebrate the sport and its best.

The champions and characters, the famous and infamous, the legends and larrikins will come together for the announcement of the winners and to raise funds for the Johnny Warren Football Foundation (JWFF) on Thursday 12 July 2012 at Sydney's Darling Harbour Convention Centre.

All funds raised by the Greatest Ever Australian Footballer project, through sponsorship, event ticket sale and event auction, will go to the Johnny Warren Football Foundation to fund its programs.

For more information please refer to the website or the brochure.]]> Headlines Tue, 08 May 2012 12:16:00 +1000 http://www.footballfedvic.com.au/index.php?id=17&tx_ttnews%5Btt_news%5D=389&cHash=6e6fd7a95e016003e235be0791982a4e Newly formed club Mazenod United are taking the Metro League S/E by storm
One of these clubs is Mazenod United; a club based at Mazenod College in Mulgrave.

Like all newly formed clubs, Mazenod United is the result of a lot of hard work put in by the committee, since early 2012 in this case.

As well as working hard, the Mazenod United committee have also worked smart to develop a detailed strategic plan to guide their club forward.

Mazenod United President Daniel Paone explained that this was done to provide a solid foundation for the club and to make sure that they were not “here today and gone tomorrow”.

“In our plan we outlined what our mission would be and firstly it was to become financially viable. Secondly, we need to be community orientated and finally to be a successful football club on the pitch,” he said.

The club also has a list of sponsors which would be the envy of top level clubs with CMI Hino signing up as the major sponsor and over half a dozen other sponsors also secured for 2012.

Though the team plays in the Metropolitan South East League in 2012, Daniel is adamant that their stay will be short lived.

“There are no ifs or buts; we’re not going to be in the Metro League next year,” he said. 

“We’re going to do everything that we need to do to ensure that we are promoted. We want to work closely with FFV in 2012 to ensure we prepare ourselves to be in a position to be promoted.

“To date the relationship with FFV has been fantastic; we’ve had the guidance we need and that’s been really important.”

Fulfilling Provisional League criteria is one thing but Mazenod are determined to win their league as well.

“We had to convince players that they could be playing State League in the future to get them to play in Metro League where the quality of football isn’t going to be the same as what they’d be used to. We’ve also picked up players that are outside of the Mazenod community and that’s great,” he said. 

“The only way we’ve recruited such good players is through reinforcing and communicating our vision.”
Mazenod United has already made a great start to 2012 with over 175 people attending their launch including Melbourne Victory’s Archie Thompson and Grant Brebner as well as Number 1 ticket holder George Calombaris.

The club has also made a lightning start to the Metro League season winning their first four senior games and three of their first four reserves games.

FFV would like to wish new clubs Mazenod United, Golden Plains, Hotham Sporting Club, Mt Eliza, Old Ivanhoe Grammarians, Pakenham, Prahran, St Kilda and Truganina the best of luck for 2012 and beyond.

]]> Headlines Thu, 03 May 2012 16:45:00 +1000 http://www.footballfedvic.com.au/index.php?id=17&tx_ttnews%5Btt_news%5D=386&cHash=b72c6fa9a599ccaf8798ea12f0517fb6 State Government pledges an extra $1.45 million to improving Victorian football facilities
The Minister for Sport and Recreation The Hon Hugh Delahunty announced the extra funding as part of a $3.9 million injection to sport, including a $2.4 million package to the Significant Sporting Events Program over the next two years.

Football is one of the fastest growing sports in Australia, with FFV recording an increase of more than 40 percent in player registrations between 2007 and 2011.

FFV CEO Mark Rendell has thanked the State Government for their continued commitment to the sport.

Mr Rendell says the increased funding will go a long way to making football more accessible to all members of the community.

“Increasing the quality and quantity of our facilities is one of our major initiatives highlighted in our Strategic Plan for the next four years,” said Mr Rendell.

“With the increased numbers participating in our sport, including the significant growth in female participation, it is putting pressure on the quality and quantity of the facilities we already have. This can inhibit the growth of the game but the State Government’s announcement will help FFV implement plans to help meet the demands of our stakeholders.”

Over the last four years FFV has achieved a great deal with its investment in improving facilities. These include:

•    The facilitation of $65 million state wide on a broad range of football facilities. 
•    The completion of the FFV managed Knox Regional Football Centre including the first Football Fives facility in Victoria. 
•    The commencement of regional football centres development in Bendigo, Ballarat and Shepparton. 
•    The facilitation of 56 upgrade projects funded under Strengthening the World Game program.
•    Growing the number of synthetic pitches from 3 to 36, which more than rest of Australia and New Zealand combined.

Minister for Sport and Recreation The Hon Hugh Delahunty said that the increased funding will boost facilities state wide, helping to facilitate for the massive increase in player participation.

“Our $1.45 million investment will continue the Coalition Government’s support for soccer facilities across Victoria, including funding for projects like the Spring Gully and Strathfieldsaye synthetic pitches, which I recently announced,” said Mr Delahunty.]]> Headlines Tue, 01 May 2012 17:26:00 +1000 http://www.footballfedvic.com.au/index.php?id=17&tx_ttnews%5Btt_news%5D=385&cHash=934e4a297bec5e4ff00fed4276822ee9 Richmond Junior Eagles special needs football program kicks off in May for 2012
With the Richmond being one of the strongest junior clubs in the region, it was keen to provide a program to a section of the community who may not be included in local community sports including children within the Autism spectrum, Intellectual Disabilities, Down syndrome and Cerebral Palsy communities.

The Junior Eagles approach to how young people with special needs, their parents and siblings participate in community sport concentrates on the entire family’s experience.

For Team Manager, Annette Hall, the Junior Eagles success is brought about by encouraging parents and siblings to also participate. 

“We not only aim to teach the child but support the family as well, if mum wants to stand on the sideline and just watch their child play and dad wants to get out there and get involved or vice versa all the better,” said Ms Hall.

The philosophy behind Junior Eagles coaching is that players focus on individual skill development, group participation, fitness and teamwork whilst supporting each player’s own unique talent and ability. 

Each training session includes a warm?up, then skill based activities and finishes with either scoring a few goals or a small sided football match where everyone takes part.

Junior Eagles also acts as a fantastic introduction for children with special needs who may one day want to play in club based competition teams but require some additional coaching support and confidence building before taking the next step in their football careers.

Membership of Junior Eagles in season 2012 is $100 per family and includes 12 weeks of coaching, FFV Registration, gala day, uniform, team photo and presentation day.

Click here for more information on the program and to get involved. 

]]> Headlines Tue, 01 May 2012 11:17:00 +1000