North Coast Football
Encyclopedia
North Coast Football is an association football competition on the north coast of New South Wales
New South Wales
New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...

 extending from Iluka
Iluka, New South Wales
Iluka is a small village at the mouth of the Clarence River in New South Wales, Australia. It is situated directly across the river from the resort town of Yamba. At the 2006 census, Iluka had a population of 1,739 people. The town's name is derived from an aboriginal word meaning 'near the sea'.It...

 in the north to Macksville
Macksville, New South Wales
Macksville is a small town on the Nambucca River in Nambucca Shire, New South Wales, Australia. It is halfway between Sydney and Brisbane.-Town information:...

 in the south. The association was established in its current form in 2005, having previously been known as the separate entities of Holiday Coast Soccer and Clarence Soccer. Its offices are located in Coffs Harbour
Coffs Harbour, New South Wales
-History:By the early 1900s, the Coffs Harbour area had become an important timber production centre. Before the opening of the North Coast Railway Line, the only way to transport large items of heavy but low value, such as timber, was by coastal shipping. This meant sawmillers on the North Coast...

, the largest city in the region.

For the past 27 years the North Coast region has had a men's competition colloquially called "The Premier League". This concept was launched in 1980 when Lloyd Nolan, Gregg Hall, Aart Hooykaas and a handful of other keen supporters of the game broke away from their local competitions to form a representative competition across the Mid North Coast. The competition is conducted by Northern New South Wales Football
Northern New South Wales Football
Northern New South Wales Football is the governing body for football of the northern zone of New South Wales, Australia. It is a member of the national governing body, the Football Federation of Australia.-NBN State Football League:...

, the governing body in the region.

The current North Coast Football president is Phil Holt, who took over in 2011. The previous president was Peter Rowe.

Clubs

There are 23 clubs in the region:
  • Bellingen
    Bellingen, New South Wales
    Bellingen is a small town on Waterfall Way on the Mid North Coast of New South Wales, Australia. It is approximately halfway between the major Australian cities of Sydney and Brisbane...

     SC
  • Boambee FC
  • Coffs City
    Coffs Harbour, New South Wales
    -History:By the early 1900s, the Coffs Harbour area had become an important timber production centre. Before the opening of the North Coast Railway Line, the only way to transport large items of heavy but low value, such as timber, was by coastal shipping. This meant sawmillers on the North Coast...

     United FC
  • Coffs Coast Tigers FC
  • Corindi
    Corindi Beach, New South Wales
    Corindi Beach is a small seaside town in New South Wales, Australia, 33 km North of Coffs Harbour and 50km South of Grafton. Corindi is surrounded by ocean on one side and the highway on the other. The 30 degree South latitude line runs through Corindi Beach. At the 2006 census, Corindi Beach had a...

    /Red Rock
    Red Rock, New South Wales
    Red Rock is a small suburb in the northern beaches of the coffs coast beside the banks of the Red Rock River on the Mid North Coast of New South Wales, Australia, and is surrounded by National Parks. At the 2006 census, Red Rock had a population of 274 people....

     SC
    Corindi/Red Rock Breakers Football Club
    -Club Details:Corindi/Red Rock Breakers FC is a football club in the North Coast Football league based in the small NSW beach towns of Corindi and Red Rock...

  • Coutts Crossing
    Coutts Crossing, New South Wales
    Coutts Crossing is a rural village located in the Clarence Valley region and Clarence Valley Council of New South Wales, Australia. The village is about 18 kilometres south-west of Grafton on the banks of the Orara River along the Armidale–Grafton Road...

     FC
  • Dorrigo
    Dorrigo, New South Wales
    Dorrigo is a small town located on the Waterfall Way in northern New South Wales, Australia. It is approximately 580 kilometres north of the state capital, Sydney via the Pacific Highway, and 60 kilometres from the coastal city of Coffs Harbour. The town is situated on the Dorrigo Plateau near the...

     Highlanders SC
  • Grafton
    Grafton, New South Wales
    The city of Grafton is the commercial hub of the Clarence River Valley. Established in 1851, Grafton features many historic buildings and tree-lined streets. Located approximately 630 kilometres north of Sydney and 340 km south of Brisbane, Grafton and the Clarence Valley can be reached...

     City SC
  • Iluka
    Iluka, New South Wales
    Iluka is a small village at the mouth of the Clarence River in New South Wales, Australia. It is situated directly across the river from the resort town of Yamba. At the 2006 census, Iluka had a population of 1,739 people. The town's name is derived from an aboriginal word meaning 'near the sea'.It...

     FC
  • Lawrence
    Lawrence, New South Wales
    Lawrence is a small town located 13 km from Maclean, New South Wales, Australia. It is accessed by the Lawrence car ferry from Woodford Island or by travelling 30 kilometres north from Grafton. At the 2006 census, Lawrence had a population of 390 people...

     SC
  • Macksville
    Macksville, New South Wales
    Macksville is a small town on the Nambucca River in Nambucca Shire, New South Wales, Australia. It is halfway between Sydney and Brisbane.-Town information:...

     SC
  • Maclean
    Maclean, New South Wales
    Maclean is a town in Clarence Valley Local Government Area in the Northern Rivers region of New South Wales, Australia. It is on the Clarence River and near the Pacific Highway. At the 2006 census, Maclean had a population of 3,245 people...

     FC
  • Majos SC
  • Nambucca
    Nambucca Heads, New South Wales
    Nambucca Heads is a town on the Mid North Coast of New South Wales, Australia in Nambucca Shire. It is a holiday and retirement centre located on a ridge north of the estuary of the Nambucca River near the Pacific Highway, which now bypasses it. Its 2006 population was 6,137, including 445 ...

     Strikers SC
  • Northern Storm F.C.
  • Orara Valley FC
  • Sawtell & District
    Sawtell, New South Wales
    Sawtell is a coastal suburb of Coffs Harbour in northern New South Wales, Australia.- History :The original inhabitants of the land were Aborigines of the Gumbaynggirr clan. The Aboriginal name for the land where the town now stands was Bongil Bongil....

     SC
  • South Services Gunners SC
  • Tucabia Bears SC
  • Urunga
    Urunga, New South Wales
    Urunga is a small town on in the Mid North Coast region of New South Wales, Australia, in Bellingen Shire. It is famous for its surf spots . At the 2006 census, Urunga had a population of 1,919. The town is south of Coffs Harbour and Sawtell and north of Nambucca Heads...

     FC
  • Westlawn Tigers FC
  • Woolgoolga
    Woolgoolga, New South Wales
    Woolgoolga is a town on the Mid North Coast of New South Wales, Australia. It is on the Pacific Highway, approximately 550 km north of Sydney and 400 km south of Brisbane. The closest city to Woolgoolga is Coffs Harbour, which lies 25.8 km to the south. Woolgoolga has two beaches on...

     United FC
  • Yamba
    Yamba, New South Wales
    Yamba is a town in northern New South Wales, Australia at the mouth of the Clarence River. The first European to visit the area was Matthew Flinders, who stopped by in Yamba Bay for six days in July 1799....

     FC

Structure

A requirement to enter a team into the 'North Coast Premier League' in 1980 was that each club provided a First Grade and a Reserve Grade team. Given that most clubs in those days were district 'feeder' clubs (e.g. Coffs Harbour and District Soccer Club, Sawtell District Soccer Club, Urunga District Soccer Club), and the competition encompassed a truly representative area - including Taree, Wauchope, two Port Macquarie teams, Kempsey, Urunga, Sawtell, Nambucca, Coffs Harbour, Woolgoolga and some seasons as far afield as Armidale and Grafton - the rule that clubs must provide two teams was seen as a logical requirement in those days. Since then, the structure has been changed so that the highest placed club in the 2nd Division competition (who does not have a team in the 1st Division competition) is promoted. Requirements such as the standard of the club facilities, the ability to travel to all away games, accommodate traveling supporters and be able to field consistent numbers on a weekly basis, must be met before promotion is granted. The lowest placed team in the 1st Division competition is relegated to the 2nd Division competition, and if they already have a team in the 2nd Division competition, they in turn go to the 3rd Division competition. Clubs can enter unlimited teams in the 2nd and 3rd Division competitions. The 2011 season saw the introduction of a play-off between the bottom placed team in 1st Division and the top team in 2nd Division in order to determine promotion/relegation.

In recent years, a promoted club into 1st Division must be also be able to field a Youth League side (formerly Under 19s with up to 3 over-age players, now Under 21s with up to 4 over-age players) in order to fulfill the requirements as stipulated by the governing body. The Youth League competition is hence only open to clubs competing in Men's 1st Division. If a club is relegated from Men's 1st Division, their Youth League side will not be able to compete in the next season, regardless of where they place (a famous example was the Westlawn Tigers 2009 Premiership win in Youth League, but the side was not able to defend their title as their Men's 1st Division team finished bottom of the ladder).

The other main competitions that come under the bracket of North Coast Football are the Men's 2nd Division, Youth League/Reserve Grade (Under 21s, with a maximum of 4 over-age players per team), Men's 3rd Division (North and South) Women's 1st Division and Women's 2nd Division. In the 2009 season, Youth League was an Under 19s competition, with a maximum of 4 over-age players per team. This was changed to Under 19s with a maximum of 3 over-age players per team for the 2010 season, and then to the current form of Under 21s with a maximum of 4 over-age players per team in the 2011 season.

Minor divisions in the zone range from Under 6 to Under 11s (divisions which operate under the Small Sided Games
SSG
- Organizations :* Chief of Naval Operations Strategic Studies Group, within the United States Navy* Safesoft Global, former name of Seioglobal, a Chinese IT company* Särskilda Skyddsgruppen, a special forces unit of the Swedish Defence Forces...

 format recently implemented by Football Federation Australia
Football Federation Australia
Football Federation Australia is the governing body for the sport of football in Australia. Before 1 January 2005, it was known as the Australian Soccer Association , which succeeded Soccer Australia in this role in 2003...

), Under 12s to Under 16s (juniors) and Over 35s.

A recent issue arising in the competition is the standard of floodlights required in order to hold night matches in senior competitions. The 2009 season saw the introduction of floodlight testing, and many clubs in the area have failed the lighting tests or failed to gain approval for lighting installation (in the case of Northern Storm at their home ground 'The Cove' in Korora). Sawtell was the most notable club to install lighting which met the regulations, and clubs such as Coffs Coast Tigers (at their Polwarth Drive ground) and Coffs United Lions (at their former home ground, 'The Den' at the Coffs Harbour Showground) met the regulations with their pre-existing lighting. These regulations resulted in most clubs having to hold day matches for safety reasons.

Recent Seasons

10 clubs competed in the 2009 Men's 1st Division competition: Boambee FC, Coffs City United FC, Coffs Coast Tigers FC, Maclean FC, Northern Storm FC, Orara Valley FC, Sawtell FC, Urunga FC, Westlawn Tigers FC and Woolgoolga FC. Grafton City were initially promoted to the top tier in 2009 but were not able to field a Youth League squad. Westlawn Tigers took their place, infamously winning the Youth League competition and Club of the Year award while being relegated from 1st Division (their Youth League side hence not being able to compete the following season). Yamba Breakers were promoted from 2nd Division for the 2010 competition, winning both the Minor Premiership and Grand Final. They were relegated at the conclusion of the 2010 season, being replaced by Westlawn Tigers who were promoted once again.

The 2010 season saw Yamba Breakers relegated after their first season of top flight football, with Coffs Coast Tigers taking out the Minor Premiership. Coffs United Lions took out the grand final win with a 6-1 humiliation of Coffs Coast Tigers that saw them return to dominance in the Men's 1st Division competition. 2010 also saw the inception of the NNSWF State Cup, which saw 3 North Coast Football teams represented in the quarter-finals (Maclean Bobcats, Woolgoolga Wolves and Coffs City United), none of which progressed to the semi-finals. The 2011 competition saw 5 out of 7 North Coast Football teams progress to the 2nd round.

2010 Results

  • Men's 1st Division:
    • Champions: Coffs City United Lions
    • Minor Premiers: Coffs Coast Tigers

Yamba Breakers were relegated
  • Youth League
    • Champions: Coffs City United Lions
    • Minor Premiers: Coffs City United Lions
  • Men's 2nd Division
    • Champions: Westlawn Tigers
    • Minor Premiers: Westlawn Tigers (promoted)
  • Men's 3rd Division South
    • Champions: Corindi/Red Rock Breakers
      Corindi/Red Rock Breakers Football Club
      -Club Details:Corindi/Red Rock Breakers FC is a football club in the North Coast Football league based in the small NSW beach towns of Corindi and Red Rock...

    • Minor Premiers: Corindi/Red Rock Breakers
      Corindi/Red Rock Breakers Football Club
      -Club Details:Corindi/Red Rock Breakers FC is a football club in the North Coast Football league based in the small NSW beach towns of Corindi and Red Rock...

  • Men's 3rd Division North
  • Champions: Iluka FC
    • Minor Premiers: Iluka FC
  • Women's 1st Division
    • Champions: Coffs City United Lionesses
    • Minor Premiers: Urunga Raiders
  • Women's 2nd Division
    • Champions: Maclean Bobcats
    • Minor Premiers: Maclean Bobcats
  • Women's 3rd Division
  • Champions: Nambucca Heads Strikers
    • Minor Premiers: Dorrigo Cedars

2009 Results

  • Men's 1st Division
    • Champions: Maclean Bobcats
    • Minor Premiers: Coffs City United Lions

Westlawn Tigers were relegated
  • Youth League
    • Champions: Westlawn Tigers
    • Minor Premiers: Coffs City United Lions
  • Men's 2nd Division
    • Champions: Yamba Breakers
    • Minor Premiers: Yamba Breakers (promoted)
  • Men's 3rd Division
    • Champions: Dorrigo Highlanders
    • Minor Premiers: Dorrigo Highlanders
  • Men's 4th Division
    • Champions: Corindi/Red Rock Breakers
      Corindi/Red Rock Breakers Football Club
      -Club Details:Corindi/Red Rock Breakers FC is a football club in the North Coast Football league based in the small NSW beach towns of Corindi and Red Rock...

    • Minor Premiers: Corindi/Red Rock Breakers
      Corindi/Red Rock Breakers Football Club
      -Club Details:Corindi/Red Rock Breakers FC is a football club in the North Coast Football league based in the small NSW beach towns of Corindi and Red Rock...

  • Women's 1st Division
    • Champions: Urunga Raiders
    • Minor Premiers: Urunga Raiders
  • Women's 2nd Division
    • Champions: Urunga Raiders
    • Minor Premiers: Urunga Raiders
  • Women's 3rd Division
    • Champions: Nambucca Strikers
    • Minor Premiers: Urunga Raiders

History

North Coast Football was originally formed in 1980 under the name of the North Coast Premier League, and later Holiday Coast Soccer, but the name was changed in 2005, a period which also marked the evolution of a number of clubs into their current forms (for example, Korora became Northern Storm in 2003).

The league currently contains over 5000 players, and is also home to the two largest clubs in Northern New South Wales, Coffs City United FC and Northern Storm FC. Defunct clubs in the region include Scotts Head
Scotts Head, New South Wales
Scotts Head is a coastal village of the Nambucca Shire Local Government Area in the Mid North Coast region of New South Wales, Australia. Located on the coast of the Pacific Ocean, approximately from the Pacific Highway and from Sydney, it stretches southwards from just south of the mouth of the...

, Toormina, Repton
Repton, New South Wales
Repton is a small town in New South Wales, Australia, located near the mouth of the Bellinger River. At the 2006 census, Repton had a population of 620 people....

 (now part of the Urunga
Urunga, New South Wales
Urunga is a small town on in the Mid North Coast region of New South Wales, Australia, in Bellingen Shire. It is famous for its surf spots . At the 2006 census, Urunga had a population of 1,919. The town is south of Coffs Harbour and Sawtell and north of Nambucca Heads...

 club), Macleay Valley
Macleay River
The Macleay River is a major river on the Mid North Coast , Australia.The headwaters of the Macleay River rise as the Gara River on the eastern side of the Northern Tablelands near Armidale and Walcha, New South Wales. From here the Chandler River, Styx River and Apsley Rivers are important...

 and Valley United (a combined team from Macksville
Macksville, New South Wales
Macksville is a small town on the Nambucca River in Nambucca Shire, New South Wales, Australia. It is halfway between Sydney and Brisbane.-Town information:...

, Nambucca
Nambucca Heads, New South Wales
Nambucca Heads is a town on the Mid North Coast of New South Wales, Australia in Nambucca Shire. It is a holiday and retirement centre located on a ridge north of the estuary of the Nambucca River near the Pacific Highway, which now bypasses it. Its 2006 population was 6,137, including 445 ...

, Bowraville
Bowraville, New South Wales
Bowraville is a small town in the Mid North Coast hinterland of New South Wales, Australia in Nambucca Shire.The town invites some tourists with such things as a folk museum, a war museum, a historic theatre, and other historic features. It also invites new residents with its scenic beauty and...

, Scotts Head
Scotts Head, New South Wales
Scotts Head is a coastal village of the Nambucca Shire Local Government Area in the Mid North Coast region of New South Wales, Australia. Located on the coast of the Pacific Ocean, approximately from the Pacific Highway and from Sydney, it stretches southwards from just south of the mouth of the...

 and Taylors Arm
Taylors Arm, New South Wales
Taylors Arm is a village in Nambucca Shire in New South Wales, Australia. It is known for being the site of the "Pub With No Beer" which was immortalised in song by Australian country singer Slim Dusty.-History:...

).

The Coffs Coast Tigers club are based in west Coffs, and Majos SC is situated in Grafton. Northern Storm are based in Korora and east Coffs. South Services Gunners are an amalgamation of South Services and Grafton Gunners, and they share their home ground (Rushforth Park) with Grafton City. Tucabia Bears represents the outlying northern regions of Tucabia, Ulmarra
Ulmarra, New South Wales
Ulmarra is a small town on the south bank of the Clarence River in New South Wales, Australia. It is located in the Clarence Valley district. At the 2006 census, Ulmarra had a population of 446 people....

, Pillar Valley, Wooli, Minnie Water and Diggers Camp. Westlawn Tigers are based in Junction Hill.

On September 25, 2009, a North Coast Football select Under 21s squad consisting of Josh Wiseman (Coffs United), Matt Hughes (Boambee), Todd Barden (then Coffs United, now Orara), Dominic Kelly-Ramirez (Urunga), Frank La Spada, (Northern Storm), Tom Willett (Urunga), David Adjassou (Coffs Tigers), Scott Goddard (Coffs United), Edwardo Oliveira (then Urunga), Sinai Shaul (Urunga), Kodjo Adjassou (Coffs Tigers), Navrin Deane (Woolgoolga), Todd Milne (then Coffs United, now Orara) and Mark Parkins (Sawtell) took on the Central Coast Mariners youth team at the BCU International Stadium
BCU International Stadium
BCU International Stadium is an Australian stadium located in the coastal city of Coffs Harbour, New South Wales....

. With some questionable tactical decisions from coaches Richard Evans and Gordon Barton playing a significant role in the final outcome of the match, Mariners were victorious 9-0.

On September 27, 2009, a North Coast Football select All Age squad consisting of Josh Harrigan (Orara), Richard Yarnton (Orara), Hayden Kelly (Sawtell), Jaxen Heward (Urunga), Brent Turner (Coffs United), Ryan Turner (Coffs United), Nathan Silvy (Coffs United), Travis Armstrong (Maclean), Wade Parker (Boambee), Nick Lambert (Coffs United), Luke France (Sawtell), Fraser Robinson (Maclean), Ben Mackay (Coffs United) and former Sydney Olympic striker Brady Parker (Boambee) took on the same team at Pacific Bay, with the final score being 5-0 to the Mariners.

Men's 1st Division Grand Final Results

  • 2010: Coffs City United Lions 6 def. Coffs Coast Tigers 1
  • 2009: Maclean Bobcats 2 def. Coffs City United Lions 1
  • 2008: Coffs City United Lions 5 def. Boambee Bombers 3
  • 2007: Coffs City United Lions 1 def. Sawtell Scorpions 0
  • 2006: Urunga Raiders 2 drew Coffs City United Lions 2 (Urunga Raiders won 8-7 on pens)
  • 2005: Coffs City United Lions 2 def. Sawtell Scorpions 1
  • 2004: Coffs City United Lions 4 def. Coffs Coast Tigers 0
  • 2003: Coffs Coast Tigers 3 def. Sawtell Scorpions 0
  • 2002: Coffs City United Lions 3 def. Coffs Coast Tigers 2

Men's 1st Division Golden Boot

  • 2010:
    • 1st Place: Kodjo Adjassou (Coffs Coast Tigers) - 38 goals
    • 2nd Place: Brady Parker (Boambee Bombers) - 24 goals
    • 3rd Place: Fraser Robinson (Maclean Bobcats), Ben Mackay (Coffs City United Lions), Nick Lambert (Coffs City United Lions) - 16 goals
  • 2009:
    • 1st Place: Ben Mackay (Coffs City United Lions) - 29 goals
    • 2nd Place: Kodjo Adjassou (Coffs Coast Tigers) - 24 goals
  • 2008:
    • 1st Place: Brady Parker (Boambee Bombers) - 24 goals
    • 2nd Place: Fraser Robinson (Maclean Bobcats) - 18 goals
    • 3rd Place: Luke France (Sawtell Scorpions), Ben Mackay (Coffs City United Lions) - 17 goals

2010

  • Club of the Year: Sawtell FC
  • Male Player of the Year: Kodjo Adjassou (Coffs Coast Tigers)
  • Female Player of the Year: Kylie McDonald (Boambee Eagles)
  • Referee of the Year: Blayne Whiteman
  • Men's 1st Division Coach of the Year: Gordon Barton (Orara Valley Dingoes)
  • Women's 1st Division Coach of the Year: Neil Witherdin (Boambee Eagles)
  • Golden Boot (Male): Kodjo Adjassou (Coffs Coast Tigers) - 38 goals
  • Golden Boot (Female): Janice Lacy (Woolgoolga Wildcats) and Kylie McDonald (Boambee Eagles) - 19 goals

2009

  • Club of the Year: Westlawn Tigers
  • Male Player of the Year: Kodjo Adjassou (Coffs Coast Tigers)
  • Female Player of the Year: Breanna Martin (Urunga Raiders)
  • Referee of the Year: Scott Anderson
  • Men's 1st Division Coach of the Year: Greg McCoy (Urunga Raiders)
  • Women's 1st Division Coach of the Year: Jason Hillier (Coffs Coast Tigers)
  • Golden Boot (Male): Ben Mackay (Coffs City United Lions) - 29 goals
  • Golden Boot (Female): Gabby Dickinson (Corindi/Red Rock Breakers
    Corindi/Red Rock Breakers Football Club
    -Club Details:Corindi/Red Rock Breakers FC is a football club in the North Coast Football league based in the small NSW beach towns of Corindi and Red Rock...

    ) - 23 goals

External links

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