On the Ball West Pymble Football Club From the Former President

What a season!

There is no doubt that this has been the most successful season for some years and a very enjoyable one it has been too. The success on the park has been tremendous and the social aspects have been equally good. I think it would be easier for me to list some of the highlights: • Membership grew a little to 940 members which means we are still the fourth largest club in KDSA. • We welcomed our Coaching Director, Greg Fuchs who introduced some fantastic programs. • We worked with KDSA and Kissing Point club to put lights on Howson Oval to increase our training capacity. • We were leading advocates in support of the KDSA’s wonderful initiative to introduce the small sided game for Under 6 and 7 age groups. • Sponsorship and fund raising was increased as we secured two new sponsors and had wonderful social events such as the FA Cup Night, Club Dinner Dance and Trivia Night • We had 7 Premiership winning sides and 6 Runners-up – the most ever in the club (see the list on page 3) • This includes two Division 1 winning sides, our Under 10A and Over 35 Div 1. How about that for success at both ends of the spectrum? Both these teams have reached the quarter final stages of the Champion of Champions as this newsletter goes to print. th • Our All Age Premier league side had their best season for a few years finishing 4 in both firsts and reserves then going on to win the KDSA Cup for the 6th time (the most wins by any club) th • Our Over 35 team also won the KDSA Rick Close Cup for the 7 time (it has been in existence for only 9 years!) • We had more representative players than ever before. Congratulations to all of our representative players: − Three of them, Annika Clayton, Meg Flannery and Ellie Moscou played in the Northern Tigers U12 Girls side that was unbeaten this season. − Annika and Meg have been selected to represent Northern Tigers in the Metro/North teams for the 2007 Football NSW State Titles Tournament in October along with Madison Lord in Under 14. It is a fantastic achievement by these girls to be playing at such a high level. I could go on and on in this vein. We also to have acknowledge that there were some challenges and sadness too this season. We had quite a few games cancelled this year because of the weather compounding the poor condition of the pitches. And most disappointing of all, we said farewell in April to our longest serving player and life member, Rick Close, after his quite astounding battle with cancer. Rick will be remembered and missed as someone who epitomised the fantastic spirit of the club. From my point of view it was my third and last season as President of this wonderful club, and I handed over the reins at the AGM three weeks ago to IAN PLANT. As I said then, it has been an absolute honour to work for the club as we have undoubtedly the best community in the district if not the region. I have never been involved in an organisation with so many dedicated and team oriented people. It is plain to me that, almost without exception, players and family members always give so much to the club to make it better for everyone not just themselves. This explains why we have remained strong since our days as the founding club of the KDSA. I wish Ian all the very best for the coming season and I am sure that you will all support him as you have me over the past three years. Thank you very much indeed. Lastly, I am delighted to announce that at the AGM the motion was passed to change the name of the club to reflect the growth of our wonderful sport in the world stage. We are from now to be known as West Pymble Football Club. As ever, if you have any ideas to help us all have a better time in football please don’t hesitate to write to IAN at [email protected]. “I wanna be a Pymble player……” he says with his foot firmly “On the Ball!” Steve Tatt

Inc

OCTOBER 2007

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West Pymble Football Club

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PREMIER LEAGUE

Who are our Premier League players?

We’ve seen them at the Bowlo on a Saturday night, we’ve read about their success in the Newsletter and we’ve watched them play some fantastic and skilful football, but what do we really know about our flagship team?

Player Profile Player profile: Favourite team: Favourite player: Position: Favourite food: Pre game Rituals:

Kevin Johnson Liverpool FC Kaka Sweeper Thai Having an early lunch of scrambled eggs

Season 2007 can only be described as a successful one for the West Pymble Premier League squad. Both 1st Grade and Reserve Grade finished in the top 4 of their respective competitions, with the highlight of the season being the thrilling triumph in the KDSA Cup Final against Asquith, a side that our 1st Grade team had not beaten in the previous 6 years. The season began with big changes all around with the most noticeable being the appointment of Greg Fuchs as player coach. Greg's focused approach to training and coaching deviated from past campaigns, and a few eyebrows were raised when Greg implemented his 3-5-2 regime and 2 training sessions a week. At the end of the season all players were content with playing the possession (and more enjoyable) football that Greg encouraged and this was reflected on the scoreboard with winning seasons for both 1st Grade and Reserve Grade. Reserve Grade had success with a solid finish in 4th place. Reserves only lost 4 of their 18 matches and played some top notch entertaining and attacking football throughout the season — however when this was combined with a miserly defence, Reserves found themselves sitting just off 1st place with 4 matches remaining. The end of the season was slightly disappointing as they were unable to topple the other teams competing for the title. However the season total of 9 wins, 5 draws and just 4 defeats in a competition which seems to be getting tougher every year says it all. For the 3rd season in a row Reserves finished towards the top of the table and showed that on their day they can beat any team in the competition; with more consistency and a little more collective commitment next season, surely the Reserve Grade Premiership is at their mercy. The best reflection of the performance of Reserves was that approximately half of the team played 1st Grade at one stage or another throughout the season. Special mention should go to Gerrie Lenting, the Reserves keeper and Dutch import, who again excelled in his 3rd and final season with the Club. Other players to excel were the skilful Rogerio and Thiago (our Brazilian imports), Heath and Ron were solid and consistent in the centre

of the park, 'cranky' Hans and new boy Dave Porter were solid at the back, and Trav showed himself to be amazingly versatile and skilful in playing just about every position on the park, including goal keeper. First Grade had an up and down season — luckily the down period was the middle of the season and the up period was at the end. Our 1st Grade team were the best performing team in the last 6 weeks of the competition culminating in 3–0 victories over both North Sydney (in the League) and Kissing Point (in the Cup semi final): these teams ended up finishing 1st and 2nd in the League. These outstanding results were topped by a 1–0 victory over local rivals Kissing Point in the League which denied the old foe the Premiership. This performance could only be topped by a Cup Final triumph, and 1st Grade duly obliged with a courageous and memorable 2–1 victory over Asquith in the KDSA Cup Final, capping one of the most successful days in the history of the Club after Over 35s had earlier in the day won their Cup Final. Under Greg Fuch's guidance the team developed throughout the season into a formidable combination, playing creative attacking football and superb team goal scoring combined with a solid defence and the traditional West Pymble team spirit. This winning formula was was reflected in outstanding performances and a well-deserved Cup Final success. A 4th place finish in the League and the KDSA Cup triumph gives the team a lot to look forward to in 2008. Outstanding performances throughout the year came from our new gun striker Josh Murphy who became more prevalent in front of goal as the season progressed, Greg Fuch's class in the middle of the park, and the consistently solid and committed performances provided by Nathan Rayment, Martin Laslett, Quinton Herbert and James Diment. Clem made a welcome return to West Pymble in 2007 with an outstanding season between the sticks. With Greg committing to coaching next season, and most of the squad committing to returning for another campaign, you can be sure that other Clubs will be looking over their shoulders at us in Season 2008.

KDSA CUP (Saturday 1 Sept, 2007) West Pymble v Asquith A Result 2–1

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West Pymble Football Club

WPSC - 2007 KDSA Title Winners Premiers Team

Division

Comment

10A 10B

Under 10 – Div 1 Under 10 – Div 3

Unbeaten Third year in a row for the club

11D

Under 11 – Div 6A

Massive goal difference

W12 C

Girls Under 12 – Div 4

Won all games

W14

Girls Under 14 – Div 3

Lost only 2 games

Over 35/1

O35 – Div 1

Undefeated

Over 35/1 Reserves

O35 – Div 1R

Undefeated for second year

Team

Division

Comment

10D

Under 10 – Div 8

W10

Girls Under 10 – Div 1

All Age 7

All Age – Div 7

Over 35/3B

O35 – Div 3

W Over 30/1

W Over 30 Premier League

W Over 30/1 Reserves

W Over 30 Premier League – Reserve grade

Runners Up

Undefeated – title lost on goal difference

Cups Team

Cup

Comment

All Age – Premier League

KDSA Cup

Sixth time – most by any club

Over 35 1

Rick Close Cup

Seventh time – out of 9 years played

Committee 2008 President Ian Plant unfilled Secretary Vice President - Admin Scott Gresham Vice President - Football Brad White KDSA Womens Mary Anne Stephens KDSA Junior Steve Tatt KDSA All Age John Hill Treasurer Tim Taylor Communications Co-ord Sarah Plant Webmaster Declan Murphy Recorder Margaret Taylor Sponsorship Stewart Attewell/Kevin Johnson Fundraising Manjit Singh/Stuart Glover Clubhouse Co-ord Geoff Hancock Grounds Co-ord Nigel Dunn Risk Manager Glenn Kirkman Photographs Co-ord Darren Ashley Director of Coaching Greg Fuchs Coaching Programs Kevin Howard All Age Co-ord Trent Bird/Martin Laslett Over 35 Co-ord Louis Longhi Women's Co-ord Stewart Attewell

Junior Comp Co-ord U10 Co-ord U11 Co-ord U12 Co-ord U13 Co-ord Junior Non Comp Co-ord U8 Co-ord U9 Co-ord Girls Co-ord Asst Girls Co-ord Special Needs Co-ord Referees Co-ord Registrar Junior N/C Registrar Junior Comp Registrar Girls Registrar Over 35 Registrar Women’s Registrar Historian Gear Steward 2nd Hand boots *for a full list see the website

Ian Bentley Phillipe Cordier Geoff Hancock Frits Moscou Martin Ralphs Mark Daniels Paul Fletcher Danny Collins Channy Shergill Shaun Flannery Paul Phelan Kim Welinski Graeme Burt Margaret Gordon Martin Ralphs Lynton Dickens Lynton Dickens Alison Welinski Michael Jarosczewicz Scott Gresham Darren Ashley

West Pymble Football Club

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JOB OF THE MONTH — CLUB SECRETARY The Secretary has 2 primary roles within the Club. Firstly the Secretary is responsible for organizing the efficient operation of the Committee via organizing meetings, agendas etc and preparing the minutes of meetings. The Second primary role is to act as the official contact for the Club (with President). Most official correspondence to the Club will be addressed to the Secretary. This is highlighted with the Club’s relationship with KDSA (the Association). All correspondence from KDSA is directed through the Secretary and conversely all contact with KDSA must go through the Secretary or President. This contact includes:

∗

The affiliation of the Club with KDSA each year.

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Organising the Training Ground allocation with KDSA.

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All pre season ground booking requests and insurance sanctioning of same.

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Special Time requests.

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Weekly correspondence from KDSA of forfeits, draw changes and suspensions.

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Distribution of general correspondence from KDSA to appropriate club officials.

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Attending KDSA information meetings and AGM (with president).

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Gala Day activities.

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Handling all WPSC members’ enquiries to KDSA.

In addition since I have been secretary I have taken on some other roles which are related to Secretary. These are:

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Child Protection Officer – Organise for the Working with Children declarations from all coaches, managers and officials and act as the contact for complaints concerning the treatment of children.

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Training Allocation within the Club – Recording training requests and allocating requested time slots.

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Ground dressing of Mimosa Oval – Organising dressing and undressing of ground. Neil Hazelwood

Please consider making yourself available to help with the running of the Club. If you feel you can help please let us know via email [email protected] BRA CUP WON AGAIN BY W30s The second annual Brooklyn Bra Cup was won by a combined team from West Pymble, representing all three W30 teams from Season 2007. Defending their title on Saturday September 1, the WP ladies made it to the final with style. Just as in 2006 they then won the final in a thrilling penalty shoot out against Berowra. Pictured (team for final): Lenore George, Margaret Gordon, Jane Taggart, Teresa Mills, Diaan Wajon, Jane O’Connell, Jane Randall, Susie Fletcher, Sally Dickens, Merryn Cooper, Nancy Parsons.

‘If history repeats itself, I should think we can expect the same thing again.’

Terry Venables

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West Pymble Football Club

TROPHY WINNERS SEASON 2007 Perpetual Trophies Coach of the year Junior Non- Comp Player of the Year Junior Comp Player of the Year Junior Girls Player of the Year Junior Team of the year

Geoff Hancock Henry Morris Jonathon Chong Serena Hope U10A

U10A U8A U18A G12C

‘Well, we got nine and you can't score more than that.’

Bobby Robson

Team Awards — Junior Teams Coach’s Award Best & Fairest Best & Fairest Best & Fairest Best & Fairest Best & Fairest Best & Fairest Best & Fairest Best & Fairest Best & Fairest Best & Fairest Best & Fairest Best & Fairest Best & Fairest

Peter Plant Andy Scott Charlie Williams Flynn Covey Mathew Steel Jackson Wonderlich Margan Quan Ryan Wood Nicholas Moody Georgia Cooper Katrina Ryder Lucas Asher Raz Aziz Rupert Campbell Most Valued Player Emma Watkins Best Team Player William Grant Best & Fairest Dean Ockenden Best & Fairest David Hazelton Best & Fairest Felicity Buchmaier Players Player Jake Morgan Best & Fairest Christopher Spencer Player of the Year Mathieu Cordier Players Player Patrick Johansson Best Team Player Robert Zammit Best & Fairest Benjamin Howes Players Player Trenton van Loon Coaches Award Katrina Jiminez Best & Fairest The entire 10B Team Best & Fairest William Watt Best & Fairest Jourdon Whitfield-Horesh

U6Scorpions Bears Eagles Lions 6E's Redbacks Sharks U7 Tigers Lions Pumas Cheetahs Panthers Leopards 7H's 8A 8B 8C 8D 8E 8F 8G 9Aces 9Bulldogs 9C 9D 9D 9E 10B 10D 11A

Best & Fairest Best & Fairest Best & Fairest Best & Fairest Best & Fairest Coaches Award Best & Fairest Best & Fairest Best & Fairest Best & Fairest Best & Fairest Best & Fairest Best & Fairest Best & Fairest Most Improved Player of the Year

Best & Fairest Best & Fairest Players Player Best & Fairest Best & Fairest Best & Fairest Players Player Players Player

Harrison Devenish-Meares Thomas Chirnside James Handsaker Charlie Roberts Michael Hazelton Liav Shalev Liam Flottman Alexander Worsley Nathanael Merchant Sunny Wu Jonathan Chong Will Daly Lucy Mackie Rhianna Dawson Sarah Korte Tania Van Zyl Serena Hope Tessa Pollard Claudia Gray Amanda Skellern Kimberley Skellern Ashleigh Hastings Jacqueline Coleman Alice Rowley

Team Awards — Senior Teams Players’ Player Players’ Player Players’ Player Players’ Player Players’ Player Players’ Player Players’ Player Players’ Player Players’ Player Players’ Player Players’ Player Coach’s Award

Bobby Colville Greg Lynch Karl Penn Jason Horn Brad White Don Frankish Shaun Flannery Mohommed Dandan Paul Fletcher Dave Hunt Matthew Davies Raymond Lee

35/1 35/1R 35/2 35/2R 35/3 Scars 35/3R Scars 35/3 Warriors 35/3R Warriors 35/4 35/4r PL PL

Coach’s Award Players’ Player Players’ Player Coach’s Award Coach’s Award Players’ Player Coaches’ Award Coaches’ Award Players’ Player Coaches’ Award

Clem Burgmann Kevin Johnson Jane Randall Bronwyn Hand Nancy Parsons Louise Tiller Jane Taggart Margaret Gordon Jane Worthington Caroline Pilot

PL PL Res W30/1 W30/1 W30/1 W30/1R W30/1R W30/1R w30 pl d2 W30/2

11Bombers 11C 11D 12A 12B 12C 13A 13B 14 15A 18A 18B W10 W12A W12A W12B W12C W14A W14B W14C W14C W16A W16B W16B

West Pymble Football Club

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West Pymble Under 10A Win the Canterbury Junior Soccer Club Gala Day The winning team! Back (left to right): Geoff Hancock (coach), Kiran Best, Sam Orchard, Xav Cordier, Hayden Tucker, Greg Fuchs (Director of Coaching) Middle: Brad Paikin, Thomas Heward-Belle, Jason Cohen, Angus Morrissey Front: Zac Tome, James Benson, Conor Parsons, Patrick Flottmann, Aidan Hancock, Daniel Alessi Missing: Hans Belle (coach) For the full report see your July Newsletter

Dinner Dance 2007

TRIVIA NIGHT 2007

28 July 2007 Avondale Golf Club Christmas In July was celebrated with great style by WPSC at Avondale Golf Club. It was a night of good food, music and fun. The Clubman of the Year Award went to Lynton Dickens. President’s Awards were presented to: Aidan Kinder, Stewart Attewell, Sally Dickens, Tim Taylor, Graeme Burt and Neil Hazlewood. These were one off awards for great service to the club in recent years. Aidan Kinder receiving his President’s Award

What a sensational night! It was a full house at West Pymble Bowling Club for the WPSC inaugural Trivia Night: a night of challenging trivia, hilarious games and fabulous raffles on offer. We had a successful silent auction which included great prizes donated by junior and senior teams and some sports memorabilia. We also had some wonderful prizes donated by generous members of the club. A huge thank you to the following local businesses who donated vouchers as prizes: Thai Tucka Gordon, The Ranch, North Ryde and West Pymble Newsagency. Approximately $6,000 was raised on what will be the first of many trivia nights for West Pymble Soccer Club. Congratulations to the Taylor table who were the winners.

Outgoing President, Steve Tatt in the dummy spitting competition.

Thank you to our age coordinators and team managers for your wonderful support and time organising hampers from your teams. Aidan Kinder, Stewart Attewell

‘I felt a lump in my mouth as the ball went in.’

Sally Dickens

Terry Venables on the opposition scoring

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West Pymble Football Club

Age

Group

Winner

Runner Up

U7

8

West Pymble 7B

U7

24

West Pymble 7H

U9

7

U10

1

West Pymble A (joint winners) West Pymble A

U10

2

West Pymble B

U11

1

West Pymble A

U11

4

U13

2

West Pymble B

U15

1

West Pymble

U18

1

U18

2

West Pymble B

U14G

2

West Pymble A

U14G

3

West Pymble B

Bannockburn G (joint winners)

HAPPENINGS AT THE BOWLO DINING ON THE NEW DECK

West Pymble D

West Pymble A

JUNIOR GALA DAY RESULTS (SAT AND SUN)

We plan to commence our “cook your own” dining (Friday and Saturday nights and Sunday brunches) around the first week of Oct. WATCH THIS SPACE AND BRING ON THE SUNSHINE! A very positive meeting was held at the Bowlo in August consisting of representatives of the following clubs: bowling, soccer and netball. The idea is to form a sporting association so that the sporting clubs of WP can combine (inc. swimming, rugby, and cricket). This will give us a stronger voice with council and sponsers etc. and will make the Bowlo the hub of social and sporting activities for the families of WP.

Ross ‘If you can't outplay the opposition, you must outnumber them.’

Terry Venables

WHERE HAS BEANIE BEEN? Season 2007 Winner!!!

Colour in the player Draw a picture of your favourite West Pymble player (it could be you!) and send it to [email protected]

Oliver Owens Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

West Pymble Football Club

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Keeping it in the family WPSC is a community club with a strong family focus. There are many families in the area who all play the “world game”. Each month the Newsletter will feature one of these families. If all the members of your family play for WPSC send us a story ([email protected]).

Playing, coaching, managing, refereeing...and more… The Taylor family moved to West Pymble in 1998 towards the end of the season so did not get involved with the Club

until the 1998/99 season when eldest boy Mike joined the mighty U7Es with dad Tim as coach. Mike has played every season since and is now in the U15As battling in Div 1 and juggling school soccer commitments on Saturday mornings. His nickname “D10” came from the number of games he missed in year 7 with so many Deten(10)tions!. This year he’s also qualified as a “man in black” joining dad in the ranks of KDSRA referees. Tim, having coached Mike for a couple of seasons re-found the playing bug after giving away all age football with North Sydney at the tender age of 34, joining the inaugural O35 team in 2000/01 as goal keeper. He’s seen the growth from struggling to get 9 un-injured players on the park in that first season, to the ten teams and 160 plus players we have today. In 2004 after a career in goal, he decided to have a run around on the park and was top scorer in Div 2 for West Pymble in that first year!! Over the last three seasons he’s worked his way back to left back in the Div 1 reserves. 2006 was his most successful season so far, being part of the Div 1 reserves premiership and the KDSA O35 Rick Close Cup winning sides. He joined the committee in 2002 and since then has held the jobs of gear steward, recorder and treasurer, the position he currently holds. Next to join the ranks of the West Pymble army was youngest son Bill who joined the U6Es in 2002 with mum Margaret as coach and has, like Mike played every year since, currently in the 11As. Like dad he has displayed a talent for goalkeeping, but like dad loves running around on the park and scoring goals when he can. 2006 was also a good year for Bill, when his team, the 10Bs won the Div 3 premiership and Gala day. Margaret, having coached Bill and gained her level one coaches certificate and stood on the sideline watching the “boys” young and old, enjoying the beautiful game, decided in 2005 that she was missing out on too much fun and joined the inaugural O30 womens team, the “Chardys” who enjoyed early success finishing runners up to the other West Pymble team the “Champers”. Easy to see where the post match focus of the ladies’ teams lies!! This year she has enjoyed a more social season with the Div 2C team with, you guessed it, Tim as coach. Margaret took over from Tim as recorder and still looks after all the results for the Club each weekend of the season.

RICK CLOSE CUP (Saturday 1 Sept, 2007) West Pymble A v St Ives Result 5–0

Our Vision: Fair play and fun will bring success to our community football club

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West Pymble Football Club

ASK GUS… Do you have football question you just can’t answer? Does the offside rule still leave you confused? Are match reports an enigma?

Just ask Gus… Gus, there must be some really, really famous football fans in the world. Can you name some? Here’s my top 10 famous football fans: 10 Warren Mitchell Famous as the West Ham supporting racist bigot, Alf Garnett in the BBC sitcom “’til death us do part”, Mitchell was actually a Tottenham Hotspur fan and a regular at games. He is now an Australian citizen. 9 Pope John Paul II Was a goalkeeper in his youth. When he met the then Liverpool goalkeeper and fellow Pole, Jerzy Dudek, he said he was a fan of Liverpool and always watched for their result. Mind you he said that about a lot of teams. 8 Luciano Pavarotti Was rumoured to have played for his home town team Modena in slimmer times. Quoted thus “Every Italian play football. The first gift they give you when you are 3 is a ball. Then they teach you how to fall in penalty box.” He didn’t say that last bit. 7 Sylvester Stallone Played a pilot-turned-goalkeeper in the risible 1981 football film “Victory.” Last season was seen at Goodison Park, the home of Everton where he declared, “I'm an Everton fan now. Reading's goal was offside, or whatever.” 6 Rod Stewart Was once an apprentice at Brentford and is football crazy. Although sounding like a cockney he has genuine Scottish ancestry. He wrote the Scotland team song for the 1978 World Cup, which included the memorable line, “ole ole, ole ola, we’re going to bring the World Cup back from over tha’.” He once offered the use of his back garden to Glasgow Celtic when they were short of a training pitch. 5 Boris Becker The ginger German and former Wimbledon champion is often seen at games of the national team. He is also a fan of football club Bayern Munich and serves on its advisory board. 4 Diana Ross Not strictly a football fan. But she did take part in the opening ceremony for the 1994 World Cup, where she had to kick a plastic football into an open goal from 6 yards. She missed. 3 Julio Iglesias Played in goal for Real Madrid before being hospitalized in a car crash in 1963. While there he was given a guitar by a nurse and the rest is history. In what is surely a coincidence, Clive Jackson, Coach of West Pymble O35s Div 2 was recently seen leaving a guitar shop with two bulky packages. 2 Elton John Nephew of Roy Dwight, who broke his leg in the 1959 FA Cup final, Mr John bankrolled Watford when they were in the old English 4th division and, as Chairman oversaw their rise to the first division. Cried at the 1985 FA Cup Final, in which Watford lost 2-0 to Everton. Although no longer Chairman, he is still right behind the players of Watford. 1 Albert Camus The Nobel prize winning author and philosopher once played in goal for the University of Algiers team before TB finished his football career. Out of his mouth came possibly the most famous quote about football, still seen on T-shirts everywhere: “All that I know most surely about morality and obligations, I owe to football.” That’s it for Ask Gus for this season. So until next season... Ask Mum, Mum knows!

WPFS SUMMER TRAINING Macquarie University Tuesday—Men’s Thursday—Women’s Cost $125 for the summer. All players must be registered with WPSC. See the website for registration and further details

‘It's a 90 minute game for sure. In fact I used to train for a 190 minute game so that when the whistle blew at the end of the match I could have played another 90 minutes.’ Bill Shankly

3 NIGHT GET-A-WAY SHOAL BAY, PORT STEPHENS Tired and stressed — need a break!!!! A gorgeous, newly refurbished 3 bedroom beach cottage, only a short distance to beach, cafes, restaurants and shops. Outdoor BBQ area, Foxtel for those who need their sport and news! Bikes of varying sizes are in the garage if you would like a ride. Sleeps 6 (2 x queen and 1 x twin room) So much to see and do; whale watching, tobogganing, rock climbing, great shopping, cafes and beaches. Easy 2 hour drive from Sydney (Pymble to Shoal Bay).

For bookings, please phone: 0411 803 800

West Pymble Football Club

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Samuel King Oval 25 Aug 07: W Pymble o35 Div 1R’s celebrate back-to-back undefeated Premierships

CHAMPIONS!

TREMENDOUS TREBLE SENDS TATT OUT ON TOP In September West Pymble o35’s completed an unprecedented treble by securing all three major honours in the KDSA 2007 competition: Premierships in both Div 1 Firsts & Reserves and the Rick Close o35 Knockout Cup. And the victories were achieved in style, with the Div 1 squad undefeated all season [until they met the Div 2 squad in the intra-club Waratah Cup, that is!] The treble success was a tribute in particular to five men who have inspired the o35 ranks of the club in their different ways: the late Rick Close; the outgoing Club President, Steve Tatt; Guvnor for the previous two seasons, Stuart Codling; the man who started it all, Richard Williams; and long-standing Div 1 Manager, John Hill. Fittingly, W Pymble’s first ever Div 1 Premiership title was secured by beating winners for the last five seasons, Chatswood Rangers, 4-0 in the defending premiers’ own back yard at Castle Cove. Champagne football on the park was followed by sparkling (if not so tuneful) celebrations off it. As if to emphasise their dominance, WP 1sts went on to defeat comfortably their only near rivals, St Ives, twice in the following two weekends: the first was a 3-1 wallow in the mud, to complete the undefeated record; the second was a 5-0 thrashing, on the lush turf of Mills Park, to take out the Rick Close Cup. By contrast the 1R’s showed true grit and pride to snatch a late equaliser at Castle Cove and keep

intact their unbeaten sequence that extends back to 2005. A 2-0 win at St Ives completed the 1R’s title defence and held off a valiant, season-long challenge from N Sydney. Throughout the season there were some impressive individual contributions, such as Bobby Colville’s 31 goals and 1sts’ skipper-sweeper Paul Cummins marshalling his defence to concede just two away goals. However the success belonged to an entire squad effort – not just in Div 1, but the ten o35 teams which W Pymble fields each weekend. An afternoon facing W Pymble o35 Div 1 in 2007 put opponents under constant pressure from 1pm to 4.30pm. Each interchange player continued to turn the screw tighter until all-comers cracked. But the season is not yet over. WP o35 1sts go on to represent KDSA in an effort to become the district’s first ever NSW o35 Champion of Champions. Three more victories would see WP in the Grand Final at Valentine’s Park on Sun 28 October. It is too early to be booking the date in your diary. However, with the spirit of the Close/Tatt/Codling/Williams/Hill fivesome behind them, who is to say this squad could not create a little more history for season 2007? STAT-MAN Update: Season 2007 not yet over for o35 1sts —they had a 5-0 win on 23 Sept in Rd 2 of NSW Champ of Champs, so onto Qtr Finals. Will it ever end?

If you want your team photos in the newsletter, please send them to [email protected] All managers and coaches forwarding photos of children must submit a signed consent form from the parents.