Wow! After a terrible few seasons impacted by COVID and then rain, it was great to have a virtually uninterrupted season! This allowed us to provide a full year of football to our ever growing membership base.
In 2023 we ended up with 1,252 players, including 10 Dual Registered Girl’s, across 93 teams. Of the playing group 1,001 of those were juniors, as we continue to grow in our youngest ages, especially the U6 group. We also had 384 registered female players, meaning nearly a third of the club was girls and women, a number that we proudly see grow every single year.
I’d like to take this opportunity to thank our sponsors for 2023, starting with major sponsor – LJ Hooker, who’s support across a few difficult years has been invaluable.
Also a big thanks to our other other key sponsors this season, Brown Bros Skip Bins, Besteam Sport, Johnson Brothers Mitre 10, 3D Automation, Coastal Kitchens, Linisil Plumbing, The Hungry Ghost Café, Barrenjoey Designs, Avalon Brewery, Avalon Law, Royal Motor Yacht Club, Spencer Health, Polo Smash Repairs, Avalon Tyres, Ken Simpson Motors, Cranzgots Pizza, Poolnerds and Happy Pics.
I also want to give a huge thank you to my tireless committee, our VPs, Age Coordinators, and all the volunteer Managers and Coaches at the club. We simply could not operate without you all.
On the field we have mixed results as a number of successful 2022 teams, moved into higher divisions. We ultimately finished with 6 Semi Finalists, 1 Grand Finalist and 1 Grand Final Winner. A huge congratulations to our League and Grand Final winning U13/3 team, coached by Roger Barber, who won the double and ended up with a positive goal difference of 95, taking the competition by storm.
We also saw positive results and growth in our U14 – U18 boys teams, with strong performances in division 2, and a number of players stepping into older age groups to continue their development. Reef Roberts from our U16/2s, also made his senior football debut with our AL1 squad.
On the women’s side, we proudly fielded division 1 teams in W12-W16s, with our W16/1s achieving the best result in the junior club, finishing 3rd behind 2022 Grand Final winners Seaforth and the 2023 Champion and State Cup winning team Pittwater. They also had 5 players move up to represent the WAL1s, who ended their season also in 3rd place, making them the highest finishing senior team at the club.
It was a huge year for the W16s, with the Vanuatu tour successfully relaunched – albeit with the odd travel hiccup – as the squad fundraised and delivered a mountain of donated goods to schools and communities recovering from the cyclones earlier this year. The team also performed superbly in 2 matches against the national team. The 2024 plans are already in full swing.
And also a word for W16s player Annmarie de Uriarte who made her national team debut for the Paramatildas in Japan last month. Annmarie represented herself and the club amazingly well, scoring 7 goals in her 3 appearances. We are very proud of her.
While the dust has barely settled on season 2023, we are already well into the planning for 2024 and beyond. There will be some changes to competitions next year with a new format for U12s and the possibility of a W7s competition as the interest from girls in playing football booms.
A full season has allowed us to start to think more about the direction of the club in the future. Already this off-season we have met with officials from Northern Beaches Council about maintenance and improvements for Careel Bay, as we look to deliver facilities that our members can be proud of.
We are really looking to drive our PROJECT 2030 plan forward in the coming year, and form sub-committees dedicated to looking at our four key pillars – Football Development; Club infrastructure; Sponsorship and Marketing; and Member Services. But to do this, we need you. Our current committee is stretched as thin as they can possibly go, and we new blood, and fresh volunteers to help us.
There’s also a need to fill our current committee vacancies. We are looking to recruit new volunteers in the following roles, so if you are interested please reach out:
- Senior Registrar
- Assistant Registrar
- Social Media/Website Manager
It’s incredibly fulfilling to give back to such a wonderful community through this club and you can play a part in determining our future. Our Club AGM is on Mon 20th Nov where we are hoping some great volunteers come forward to join our already fantastic hardworking committee. It is an exciting time to be involved at Careel Bay.
I hope that everyone involved has enjoyed their time playing with us this year and felt proud to pull on the famous red Avalon jersey to represent our Club, your family and football here on the beaches.
Enjoy your break, see you at the Bay in 2024, Avalon is Magic!
John Kowtan (JK)
President, Avalon Soccer Club.