Tallebudgera Valley Tigers FC will finally have a place to call home after they approve a new clubhouse for their valued members.

The clubhouse will feature a main entertaining area, canteen, bar, office and toilets, with plans to expand to additional new changing rooms on the horizon.

It is something that club President, Luis Marquez, says is extremely important for the future of the club.

“Right now we have a great club without a home. Our parents and players don’t have a space that they can treat as a second home, but with the new project that will fix that problem.”

Funds to construct the project have been supported by local council, with Councillor Gail O’Neill and the Get Playing Plus project for Coplicks being the push and help the club needed.

“The amount of work and time that Councillor O’Neill has put into helping us achieve our project has been amazing. We cannot thank her enough for her contribution,” said Marquez.

Founded in 2013 with only 35 players in the initial year, the club has grown to just under 300 in the 2018 season.

Fielding teams from Miniroos through to Senior Metro teams, Tallebudgera will now have the facilities it needs to pursue greater feats as a club.

“We can now look at the possibility of fielding senior teams in the weekend competitions and expand our player numbers.”

“We just want to make it a homely atmosphere for all our members and anybody coming to visit our great club,” said Marquez.

Football Gold Coast are delighted to announce a working partnership with Goals Australia for 2018 and beyond!

The partnership will see FGC work with Goals in creating Summer League Competitions for age groups ranging from Under 8’s to U15’s.

The aim is to see football being continued throughout the off-season and beyond, giving every child the opportunity to play football all year round.

Goals Australia Owner and Operator, Cameron Watson, said the relationship can only bring the best for football on the Coast.

“For me it’s all about the kids staying involved and active during their off season, but at the same time making it affordable for parents. The idea of keeping the boots on and having fun with their mates while playing outdoors makes perfect sense,” said Watson.

Football Gold Coast Operations Officer Alan Marquez said the move comes at a perfect time where we are looking to expand the game.

“We are looking at all avenues to increase the time we play football here on the Coast. The work and vision behind what we are trying to do aligns with Goals, so it is a partnership we are looking forward to growing.”

For more information regarding the competition and registration, please follow the link below.

https://www.goalsaustralia.com.au/register/

 

 

Football Gold Coast are excited to announce a new partnership with LOAP (Life Opportunities Alternative Pathways).

LOAP is a service which allows a young sportsperson the opportunity to achieve life opportunities through the US College system.

The service partners with College Fit Finder and have seen over 5,000 athletes commit to USA Colleges throughout the past six years. With over 5,300 colleges in the USA with direct contact, the service is a great opportunity to showcase what they can offer with a simple, ready to use system

The service targets from ages 14 and 18 as they are at the crucial stages in their live to consider what their options are post secondary education.

Barry Saunders, LOAP Director of Operations, says that the service is about developing players and people for the future.

“We want players to have the opportunity to consider alternative career opportunities that with a bit of hard work can be achieved. We want to provide the Football Gold Coast family the best opportunity to do so,” said Saunders.

FGC Football Operations Officer Alan Marquez said the partnership is unique to the organisation and appealing to the broader football landscape.

“We are delighted with the partnership with LOAP and know that it is a great service for the future career opportunities for the players. It is great to see a service like this available for our members,” said Marquez.

The service is available for a one off fee of $390 to players. For more answers to FAQ, please see below or contact LOAP via their website at https://site.loap.com.au.

FAQ’s

What is the name of the application/service?

LOAP (Life Opportunities Alternative Pathways).

Our objective is to provide information and support to any young sportsperson to achieve life opportunities through sport.  USA College (University) Opportunities is one of our key initiatives and through our partnership with College Fit Finder the whole process has been made easier and more cost effective.

 

How long has it been running for in the USA and now in Australia?

LOAP partnered College Fit Finder as their Australian counterpart in November 2017. College Fit Finder has been in operation in USA for 6 years and seen over 5,000 athletes commit to USA Colleges through their system.

 

What is the basic service and use for a player/parent?

This service provides players/parents with all the information and resources needed to become a student athlete in the USA. On the LOAP website you can go to the USA College Opportunities page where it has information regarding academic conversion and college tests required for entry into USA Colleges. By going to the LOAP Fitbox link a player/parent has all the information and resources needed for the identification process.

 

What age group does the service target and why?

This service is design for players aged 14 to 18 years old who are in the process of considering career options for when they leave school.

 

What benefits does it have for the players/parents?

The key benefits and unique features this service provides is the digital profile building platform which has a simple step by step process. As a player`s profile is being built they simply press “college search” and it best fits them to USA colleges based on a players academic and athletic profile.

This then give players the opportunities to research the college, location, subjects, sporting achievements, costs and type of scholarship program offered at the college. Once a player starts identifying some potential colleges this system provides the direct contact details of the college coach where players can start the process of being identified and negotiate a potential part or full scholarship.

This system also works in reverse where coaches search for potential players; we currently have players being invited to ID camps for this current recruitment season. There are numerous other features such as all lists of college ID camps and if a club or organisation was to attend a showcase tournament a player roster brochure can be created to hand out to college coaches observing games.

 

How many connections has the service got around the USA?

This system is connected to all 5,300 colleges in the USA with direct contact details to all male/female college soccer coaches.

 

What is the future plan and vision for the service in Australia?

Our vision is to continue providing a platform which assists organisations to use their sport to provide possible opportunities for their members.  There are no guarantees in life but through opportunities and using sport as the vehicle a player can set their personal goals and achieve some valuable life experiences.

 

What is the cost of the service?

Access to the LOAP website and LOAP fitbox is free for anyone to view if interested. Any Player from the age of 14 years old that signs up through with LOAP will receive unlimited access to College Fit Finder until the December after they leave school for a one off  fee $390

Tweed United have implemented a new procedure to develop the up and coming young referees within their club.

The club approached 18 year old Tye Gleeson to mentor a referee program to rebuild and bring the best out of the referee numbers at the club.

With a number of referees moving on to other jobs, the club needed to find and nurture referees aged between 12 and 15.

“We were low on referees last year and having to get coaches to referee some Miniroos games. With Tye now co-ordinating the referees, it has resulted in a massive shift and a growing numbers of referees within our club,” said club president Mark Thelwall.

Majority of the referees involved within the club are players themselves. The club have seen that it has helped their young players because they are able to see both sides of the game.

“The togetherness that we have brought together within the club and our referees has brought many benefits. We are working on building a culture and presence within our club based referees,” said Thelwall.

The club has a plan for the next step to integrate their referees with Football Gold Coast.

“We plan on working with Referee Development Officer Craig O’Neill and the program to increase the numbers within referees on the Coast. We feel as a club we have a moral obligation to provide and feed the chain of referees,” said Thelwall.

Tweed United have been a cornerstone in Women’s Football on the Gold Coast for a number of years.

Having had a long time battle with Broadbeach in previous seasons, the club pulled out of the Women’s Premier League competition prior to the 2019 season.

The club felt that they lost their way in the women’s program and needed to change the way it worked.

They began the season with a fresh face and a new outlook leading into the year, which President Mark Thelwall said was a must.

“We brought in Mark G as the coach our women’s program and has a lot of experience in the game as not only a coach but a referee also. He’s brought the best out of our girls especially with the age gap between our youngest and oldest player,” said Thelwall.

The new processes have improved the structure for the program, with the women creating a culture that is impacting the whole club.

“We make sure that our junior girls teams are involved as much as possible with joint training sessions. The bond we are creating are resulting in positive numbers in attendance for the women’s team,” said Thelwall.

The club plans on moving forward with extra sessions for female players aged 9-14 to further enhance the culture that the club is trying to build.

We spoke to Tanja Skorka from our Club in Focus Tweed United this week! See what she had to say below!

Name: Tanja Skorka

Age: 14

Team: Tweed United Womens FC

Position: Right Defender

Years Playing: 2nd

Favourite Club: FC Bayern

Favourite Player: Manuel Neuer

Favourite Movie: Two Brothers (Tiger cubs)

Favourite Food: Pancakes

First Footballing Memory: 2010 FIFA World Cup

Goal for 2018:Become an even better football player and saving the goals and reach top marks in school.

Well done Tanja and keep up the great work!

We spoke to our Volunteer of the Week Paul Appleby from Tweed United Football Club this week! Find out more about Paul below!

Name: Paul Appleby

Role: Premier League Manager/Strapper

Tasks Completed: Team Manager duties and strapping, survey fields and line mark when needed, help coaches and players during game day and training doing whatever they need

Years Volunteering: 18 years

Previous Clubs: None

Favourite Food: Lamb Shanks

First Footballing Memory: Playing U4 playing for Como West in the Sutherland shire. Watching Pele and George Best with dad at home on TV

Idol: Neil Armstrong

Favourite Footballer: George Best/Messi

Favourite Holiday Destination: Any island with a reef and a pool bar

Goal for 2018: To help our club consolidate a spot in the Premier League and sing the team song on Grand Final Day!

Great work Paul and keep it up!