From the Editor

What better way to start July than a sunny day! Amongst all the rain at times it felt like we’d never get to be out on the park again.

The State Cup continued last month and we’ve got two of our teams in the semi finals!

For all you SSF players, Sydney FC is again offering their free Junior Blues memberships. It’s a great offer that makes me wish I were a kid again.

The Referees Branch also said farewell to “Referee No. 1” Paul Matthews. As a fellow referee I’d like to thank him for his mentoring and I wish him all the best.

Enjoy the sunshine and enjoy your football.

- Gregory Calacouris

Sunny outlook for July

There was staggeringly over 300 matches either washed out or deferred during the wettest June in six years.

The past two weekends were complete washouts (with the exception of David Phillips, of course) whilst the first Sunday of the month suffered a similar fate. This left nearly half of the football in June being postponed.

Despite the rain, there we did have 338 matches played in June and thankfully it looks like July should have clearer skies.

We are already busy working with Clubs to tackle the backlog of matches that need to be rescheduled. As expected, please keep an eye on your draw, as there may be changes to your fixtures.

State Cup Round-Up

In last month's Offside we followed our teams up to the third round of the State Cup. The fantastic run for Easts G14s and Queens Park AAW continues.

Round 3
The third round was another strong performance from ESFA teams. All five of our girls and women's teams earned a spot in the quarter finals. They were also joined by Premier League Champions, Glebe Wanders. Queens Park U18 Boys bowed out of the Cup after losing to Beacon Hill.

Quarter Finals
As the State Cup approached the pointy end of the tournament our teams faced stern opposition in the Quarter Finals. Queens Park G16s and Dunbar Rovers AAW fought hard but ultimately were defeated whilst Glebe Wanderers had a heartbreaking defeat, losing 4-3 in a penalty shootout. 

The dream run for Easts G14s and Queens Park AAW continued with a 2-0 and 3-0 win respectively.

Semi Finals
The rain on Sunday, 30 June forced the Semi-Finals to be postponed to a later date. Easts G14s and Queens Park AAW will have to wait a little longer to face Balmain DFC and Albion Park Women, respectively.

The fixtures are rescheduled for Sunday, 7 July. 

Premier League title race wide open

Coogee United lead both the First and Reserve Grade tables in two very different title races as the ESFA Premier League heads into the second half of the season.

The First Grade table sees League Title Winners, Coogee United, lead only by goal difference, as they are locked on 19 points along with Dunbar Rovers and Waverley Old Boys after 11 matches.

League Champions, Glebe Wanderers, have not quite found the superb form that saw them see out the end of last season, suffering surprising defeats early in the season. However, they currently sit in 6th spot with two games in hand and a win in both matches will see them leap to within 3 points of the top of the table.

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Easts G14 superb run in the State Cup

The Easts G14 have had a superb run up to the semi-finals of the State Cup. Team Manager, Michael Furlong submitted this fantastic match report from their game against Lilli Pilli

Easts Girls 14As had a tough match against Lilli Pilli at Solander Playing Fields, Woolooware with the Easts girls getting up 1-0 in a tough, hard and furious encounter against a game and athletic opposition.

Genia Furlong scored our goal from a free kick ten minutes into the first half and the Easts' side were able to defend their lead despite a seemingly continuous onslaught from Lilli Pilli, who had much the better of possession and a marked territorial advantage in the second half.

The Easts side looked like wounded warriors by full-time with a number of players - Consy Brahimi, Bella Lucas, Genia Furlong and Georgia Aston-Davies to mention a few - suffering injuries due to the physicality of the Lilli Pilli side.

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Sydney FC Junior Blues Membership

Players aged between 5 and 12 can now register for a free Sydney FC Junior Blues Membership for the 2013/14 season.

The membership provides them with free entry to all Sydney FC home games, a personalised membership card, free public transport to and from games and much more.

To renew or register for the Junior Blues, click on the link below.

Junior Blues Membership

Referees Branch Farewell Paul Matthews

The Referees Branch bid farewell to Paul Matthews last month, who is returning home to Wales.

Paul was a founding member of the Referees Branch in 2009 and has previously served as Chairman. Paul was known for using a dummy when he refereed, offering it to whining players.

His colleagues at the Referees Branch wish him all the best and will miss him dearly.