The Gap Gators

Gators Back on Track

Tony Skinner — Sat, 04 Jul 2009 07:04:47 +0000

It wasn’t the most elegant game of football and took until the last 10 minutes of the game for the result to be secured but The Gap Premier League Division One team finally returned to winning ways with a 2-0 victory over bottom of the table Albany Creek.

The result was particularly satisfying with Grange Thistle’s 4-2 loss to University of Queensland meaning The Gap have opened up a 5 point buffer from the second from bottom team.

There were signs in the first half last week against University of Queensland that the Gators were playing to their expected ability and it continued in this game with a much more confident display. Despite a very uneven Wolter Park surface at Albany Creek The Gap scored inside the first 10 minutes when, following a set piece, an Andrew Harkins low cross was met by Dom Kibbey on the far post who just like a seasoned striker should, calmly slotted the ball way. Ironically, Dom was playing his second game in the back line but had moved forward to be involved in the set piece.

This should have been the opening of the floodgates as the Gators created one chance after another but could not convert and like the week before they let their opposition back into the game in the last 10 minutes. The post saved The Gap from a 1-1 half time score-line and what would have inevitably seen Albany Creek rise in levels of confidence.

After a clear and stern reminder by coach Gerry McAvoy to retain their mental discipline and concentration levels, and thereby avoid a repeat of the previous week’s capitulation the Gators duly obliged with skill and hard work that was sooner or later going to result in a second goal. It may have come late but was a result of ongoing pressure on the Albany Creek defence - good build up involving Robbie Callanan, Ivan Rojas and Andrew Harkins again resulted in Levi Beel finishing in the simplest of fashions.

Coach Gerry McAvoy couldn’t hide his delight at the result “ I was confident that we would get the result because we are at least a two goal better side and were on the night but I have to say I’m mightily relieved! We left it late but apart from a couple of chances they had down the middle of the park late in both halves we dominated the game. In contrast we created a number of chances in the first 30 minutes and we should have wrapped it up much earlier. That’s football though, it always serves to create extra tension and stress for you.”

The result aside the pleasing aspect of the game for the Gators was the improved performance across a number areas of the park. The defence looked solid and confident most of the night with the addition of Sam Buwalda adding extra experience and steel. While Buwalda is one of a number of the younger players who have stepped in and performed admirably this year his recovery from a severe injury last season to make his way back into the top side is worth extra praise. In midfield Steve Comino was expertly supported by a tireless Ivan Rojas who never stopped running all night. Finally up front the combination of Levi Beel and Andrew Harkins was always dangerous and in particular Harkins like his team mate Rojas ran himself into the ground.

Coach McAvoy was impressed with the performance of his troops “We’ve been trying to get the balance of the team right and the best personnel in the right positions for a little while and I feel now that we are pretty close to that with the way in which the lads combined tonight. Our defence is stronger and more reliable, the midfield has a great balance of experience, skill and fitness, and upfront we have genuine pace. In addition, we have great back up players who can slot into these roles at any time. I have the feeling that results and performances will continue to improve from here.”

The Premier Division One team are at home to Brisbane Force this coming Saturday 27 June and are keen to avenge the defeat against Force in the cup tie earlier this year.

Gators Win Overdue

Tony Skinner — Sat, 04 Jul 2009 07:01:53 +0000

They couldn’t beat them in four games last season, and quite frankly never looked like getting close but Friday night’s 2-1 win by The Gap over Slacks Creek was not only overdue but well deserved.

The platform for the win was a first 45 minutes where The Gators put immense pressure on the Slacks Creek defence and midfield pegging them back in their own half and forcing errors that allowed The Gap to create a number of goal scoring opportunities. It was a just reward for striker, and man of the match, Andrew Harkins who scored both of The Gap’s goals and caused havoc every time he was in possession. He was ably supported by a few other gargantuan performers in Levi Beel, his striking partner and wide players, and cousins, Paul Cavallaro and Michael Cardillo. Paul Cavallaro in particular in the first half seemed to be centrally involved in every dangerous attacking move of the Gators, while Michael Cardillo worked tirelessly up and down the park.

After hitting the woodwork twice and seeing the Slacks Creek keeper make three brilliant saves The Gap conceded a goal in the last 15 minutes. The Gators pushed more players forward trying to score a third to put the game beyond doubt and were left exposed in defence. They then had to survive a nervous finish to the game and can thank goalkeeper Matt Cooper, who pulled off at least two astonishing saves, for keeping them ahead on the scoreboard.

The result, The Gap’s second in a row now puts them 8 points ahead of Grange Thistle who are second bottom of the table and gives a bit of breathing space for them to try and consolidate their position in Premier Division One. Coach Gerry McAvoy, who was in communiqué during the game with Assistant Coach Steve Maugham again via a walkie talkie as he served the last week of his sideline ban believed the side is again playing to its potential “We went through a bit of a mid-season rut much similar to what happened last season but now we are playing with much more consistency, conviction and creativity. I put this down to being able to field the same line-up and structure in consecutive games with the players getting more familiar with each other. The midfield pairing of Steve Comino and Ivan Rojas is working really well and the backline of Buwalda, Jones, Kibbey and Stephens are solid and supportive of each other. The form of all players makes it hard for others to compete for first team spots and that is exactly what you want at the club.”

The Gators now need two or three more wins to cement their place in this Division and their next assignment is against Qld Lions at Richlands next Saturday, where they hope to go one better than the draw they got against them at home in the first round.

Harcourts Inner West

Tony Skinner — Sat, 04 Jul 2009 04:44:42 +0000

Harcourts Inner West at Ahsgrove is pleased to announce an incentive based scheme which would see The Gap FC earn a commission for the referral of anyone selling their property through Harcourts Inner West. Please advise your agent at the beginning of the engagement that you would like a commission paid to the club. This offer has great potential for the club and we are pleased to have the opportunity to trail this proposal.

Another great idea from Harcourts Inner West.

All Junior & Senior fixtures called off Saturday and Sunday

Stuart Watt — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 23:41:34 +0000

The amount of surface water on the pitches at the club means they are unplayable, so all junior and senior matches have been called off for Saturday and Sunday. The club does not make this decision lightly, but the fields are so wet they weren’t able to be marked.

I understand there is some disillusionment about decisions which have been taken recently to cancel training. The club takes these decisions to protect the fields, while also providing a duty of care to the players. Many people have chosen to ignore these requests. This has simply made the fields worse and is likely to result in more cancelled training sessions. Common sense must be used and training in wet goalmouths is especially un-acceptable no matter what the excuse.

Calling All Club Members

Tony Skinner — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 01:01:19 +0000

The Gap Pastime Club are actively seeking a minimum of 10 club members to make themselves available as club officials during Celtics stay in Brisbane between the 11 and 14 July 2009. The club is being used by Celtic for training and ground officials will be required.

For more information please ask myself, Tony Skinner, or Lee Gannon. Or alternatively email me on skinner_01@hotmail.com or info@gapfootball.org.au

Swine Flu

Tony Skinner — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 00:58:10 +0000

By: Elizabeth Musgrave

We have come to a point in time where we need to agree on protocols in relation to Swine Flu. I’ve checked the current advice from Qld health on Swine Flu, which naturally changes all the time as the pandemic situation changes. Interestingly Government advice does not appear to align with their current practice of closing schools when cases appear in school populations. However, they are sensible guidlelines, and will be practice after the impending school holidays, so we should adopt them. The current Govt advice on the Swine Flu, as set out at the govt. web-site Current phases - H1N1 Infl uenza A (Human Swine Infl uenza) Queensland [http:// www.health.qld.gov.au/swinefl u/html/phases.asp] requires ‘voluntary home isolation for those who have mild illness. However, contacts will not be placed into quarantine or provided with antivirals.’
It goes on to state….
‘All school children exhibiting a fl u-like illness will be asked to stay home. In the general community, voluntary home isolation will apply only to those who are sick. Mass gatherings such as sporting events will not be cancelled but those people who are sick will be expected to consider others and stay home.’ The current phase is referred to as a ‘protect’ phase and it is intended to protect those most vulnerable in our communities. It recognizes that viruses travel quickly amonst children. So the follwoing advice stands. If your child is exhibiting fl u-like symptoms you should keep them at home. If you believe your child may have been exposed to H1N1 infl uenza you should seek advice from your medical practitioner. If your child is diagnosed with H1N1 infl uenza, she must remain absent from training and games as advised by your medical practitioner and/or Public Health. And you should inform your team manager. Keeping your child at home if they have fl u-like symptoms is very important. The most at risk in our communities include people with respiratory illnesses and supressed immune systems. These people are present all around us in our communities and are normally, ordinarily healthy. They are our coaches, grounds keepers and fellow team members.
Thank you for your consideration in dealing with this.

Desperately seeking U16 Div 1 girls

Stuart Watt — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 10:53:10 +0000

The club’s U16 Division 1 girls side has been struck by injury and is in need of new players.

Training is on Tuesday and Thursday nights, 5:30pm-7:00pm.

If you are interested, please contact Laura on 0431 452 316.

Amart All Sports to the Rescue

Tony Skinner — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 10:45:10 +0000

Amart All Sports has agreed to the provision of $12,000 of sponsorship to The Gap Pastime Club. The funds will be directed to the purchase of light weight portable goals and rebound netting behind the main field creek end goal. Without this funding The Gap Football Clubs facilities would not have been up to the required standards for the Celtic event to be held in mid-July. Amart All Sports direct support to the club has been a saviour.

The club looks forward to having a long-term relationship with Amart All sports and are extremely thankful for their support for the Celtic event to be held.

Thanks and welcome aboard

New Clubhouse Meals

Tony Skinner — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 02:06:28 +0000

The Gap FC Restaurant Menu

* 300g Rib Fillet $14.00

Served with chips & salad

* Chicken Parmesan $9.00

Served with chips & salad

* Gator Burger $6.00

Served with chips

* Fish & Chips $7.00

Served with a seafood sauce

* Chicken Caesar Salad $7.00

* Beef Nachos $6.00

The Gap FC kids Menu

* Kids Fish & Chips $5.00

* Kids Nuggets & Chips $4.00

* Kids Spaghetti Bolognaise $5.00

* Kigs Sausages & Chips $5.00

* Plate of Chips $3.50

*Sauces: Tomato, BBQ, Dianne, Mushroom

PLEASE ORDER AT THE BAR

Clubhouse News

Tony Skinner — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 06:11:14 +0000

The Gap Past Time Club is pleased to announce that as of Friday the 12th of June there will be a new food menu available for purchase over the bar. This is too be made by our very own and brand new in house chief. This weekend also celebrates an old tradition where by both our senior Men’s and Women’s teams will play at home on Saturday the 13th of June. This is a great opportunity to bring the family and spend a great afternoon/night watching the best teams the club has to offer, and while your down don’t forget to go and pick up your Gap FC membership cards which gives you 10% off our new food menu.

Remember it costs nothing to get in and any money you do spend goes back into supporting The Gap football club and its players. First match kicks off at 12:45pm and will feature The Gap Women’s Reserves vs University of Queensland Reserves. Followed by The Gap Men’s Reserves vs University of Queensland Reserves at 2:45, The Gap Women’s Firsts vs University of Queensland Firsts at 4:45 and finally The Gap Men’s Firsts vs University of Queensland at 7pm.

Hope to see you all there!

Field One Closure (3 July 2009 to 14 July 2009)

Tony Skinner — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 04:59:50 +0000

Due to Glasgow Celtic using our facilities the main field will be out of bounds from the 3 July 2009 to 14 July 2009. An email has already been sent to Football Brisbane advising of this field closure and a request to reschedule any matches due to take place between these dates. Please see your coaches for further information with regards to this matter.

Clubhouse For Hire

Tony Skinner — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 23:34:46 +0000

The club rooms at the football club are available for hire - both the upstairs bar and restaurant area.

This is a revenue-raising option that is new to the club and we urge you to consider it if you are looking for a venue for parties, weddings - anything really.

However, these rooms are not just available to make a profit for the club. They are also available for use by non-profit groups as part of the club’s commitment to the local community.

For those groups, only a nominal cleaning fee will be charged.

Fees for use of the rooms are:

Club with full bar facilities:

Members - $250
Non Members - $350

Full bar prices apply.

Club with no bar facilities:

Non-profit organisations - $25 per hour
Others - $35 per hour

Club Meeting Room:

Non Profit Organisations - $20 per hour
Others - $30 per hour

Not What Was Planned

Tony Skinner — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 03:24:51 +0000

The Gap Gators Premier Division One game against Grange Thistle on Saturday night went horribly awry from what was planned when they went down 2-0.
In a game where football was at a premium due to the uneven playing surface Grange created early chances, hitting the woodwork twice, before The Gap settled into some semblance of its normal playing style. However, a resolute Grange defence and a lack of width by the Gators saw too many of its attacking forays halted before any shots could be unleashed on the Grange goal.
A 0-0 half time score-line left the opportunity for The Gap to raise its playing standards in the second half but 15 minutes into the half a lack of concentration in defence left a Grange Thistle striker on his own in the box and able to place the ball past an unprotected Matt Cooper in goal.
Chasing the game The Gap conceded a second from a corner when a Grange player outjumped The Gap defenders and converted with a strong header. Although the Gators kept working hard and the injection of Mark Biddle and Ivan Rojas created some extra firepower the Grange keeper was never really tested throughout the game.
Once again Matt Cooper was The Gap’s outstanding player with one reflex save in the first half as good as you will ever see. Jared Raimondi performed capably in his first game for the top side this season and Steve Comino again showed his class, often being involved in most of the Gators promising attacking moves.
The Reserves also had an unfortunate night going down 3-2 after leading 1-0 at half time.
The Gap take on Slacks Creek in the re-scheduled, previously washed out game on Wednesday 10 June after a break over the Queens Birthday weekend.

Not So Welcome Start

Tony Skinner — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 22:14:01 +0000

What started as a somewhat gracious welcome to their Premier Division One season turned totally inhospitable for The Gap on Sunday at the hands of hosts University of Queensland (UQ).
Looking controlled and comfortable in the first twenty minutes, and with The Gap coaching staff thinking that the step up a Division wasn’t such a major one, a lapse of concentration in defence let UQ go one up and from that point on they dominated the game. The final scoreline of 5-0 was an embarrassing start to The Gap’s campaign with the only consolation being that the side surely must improve from here.
Without looking for excuses the unfamiliar earlier and warmer kick-off time, the number of players still not at full fitness levels, and the uncertainty about the best playing formation, particularly in defence indicates that improvement will occur. While a number of players probably got their worst performance out of the way first up there were encouraging signs and if one of the handful of good scoring chances had been taken in that first twenty minutes the result may have been different.
Individually, there were also some solid if not superb performances. Ian Stephens never stopped working all day on the flank and there were times late in the game that he was providing both attacking and defensive stability. Steve Comino showed again why he is so valuable to the club and his steel and guile in some of his tackles, and his clever distribution, unfortunately were not replicated by most of his team-mates. Finally, a fully fit Mark Biddle will be a handful for opponents again this season with glimpses of his speed and strength putting pressure on UQ’s defence late in the game.
After such an undistinguished start the club has now got to look forward and there is no better place to focus than on this Saturday’s first home game – a classic local derby against Albany Creek.
In the earlier game The Gap Reserves acquitted themselves well and were a little unlucky to go down 3-2 after equalising in the second half and getting on top of their opponent who had been stronger in the first half. The Gap’s goals were extremely well finished by Chris Wood and Ben Walton.

The Ups and Downs of a Trip to Toowoomba

Tony Skinner — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 22:12:54 +0000

A trip up the range to Toowoomba is never an easy affair and last Saturday night was no exception for The Gap Premier Men’s Division One and Reserves. A nil-nil draw in the top game and a 2-1 loss for the Reserves doesn’t appear all that profitable but it could, and should have been so different.
The top side, still recovering from the unbelievable and unjust loss to Pine Hills the week before, squandered five golden opportunities (and they were wasted opportunities that should have been converted) in the first half that would have seen them go into the half time break with a comfortable lead. However a combination of good goalkeeping and uncharacteristically errant finishing left Toowoomba Raiders in the game. Mark Biddle caused headaches for the Toowoomba backline and was ably supported by the attacking duo of Dom Kibbey and Brendan Zerafa, while in defence Josh Jones, Paul Cavallaro and Ian Stephens were solid and well organised, nullifying anything that Toowoomba mounted in attack.
The second half was a more even affair and it could have gone either way in the last 15 minutes when the game opened up and The Gap’s midfield lost its shape and control. If not for some superb goalkeeping from Matt Cooper during this time it could have been a miserable finish for the Gators. Coach Gerry McAvoy was reasonably pleased with the result but admitted that his side needed to kill sides off early in the game when chances come their way “We are always creating goal scoring opportunities which is a real positive but we need to be far more clinical and ruthless with our finishing. We won’t get this many chances against teams higher in the league even though I believe we are as good a footballing team as anyone in this Division”.
The Reserves were unlucky to see a well deserved 1-0 lead cruelly overturned in the second half following some innovative refereeing resulting in Sam Buwalda being sent off and Toowoomba scoring two unanswered goals. Despite this setback the Reserves are gaining some consistency in their performances from week to week and are capable of dominating any side in their competition – Toowoomba are top of their league yet were outplayed for most of the game.
Next Saturday The Gap travel away to meet Beenleigh in what promises to be an entertaining fixture.

Bettered by Beenleigh

Tony Skinner — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 22:10:16 +0000

For the first 15 minutes of The Gap Gators game against Beenleigh anyone who didn’t know what position both sides held in the Premier Division One table would have thought that The Gap was in first place not Beenleigh.
A bright attacking start to the game saw The Gap go 1-0 up from a Dom Kibbey header courtesy of a glorious chipped cross from Brendan Zerafa. It could easily have been 2-0 with good chances falling to Mark Biddle and Andrew Harkins as the away side pressed forward keen to knock Beenleigh off top spot.
However, Beenleigh’s mobility and movement around the park particularly through the midfield and up front allowed them to not only get back into the game but go into the half time break with a deserved 2-1 lead. Coach Gerry McAvoy’s tactical shuffle at half time, pushing Dom Kibbey back into the midfield swung the balance of the game slightly back The Gap’s way. A third Beenleigh goal half way through the second half sealed the result for Beenleigh despite concerted pressure from The Gap who probably deserved a second particularly when two strong penalty claims were turned down by the referee – one on Ian Stephens and the other on James McDonald.
There were some positives to come out of the game – Paul Clifton did a superb job of filling in at the back for Steve Comino, Dom Kibbey was solid in the midfield, Chris Harris had a good debut in the top side as a second half substitute, and Levi Beel worked tirelessly despite a back injury. For all this coach Gerry McAvoy stressed the need to get more points “With the exception of Qld University game we have competed equally with every other team at this level and we are getting recognition for this across the League but we must start getting three points from games where we are on top. Single points are not enough and we currently find ourselves down near the bottom of the table. There is no need for panic stations but we must take our goal scoring opportunities in games and get the maximum points from games where we dominate the opposition, especially those lower than us on the table.”
The Reserves did well to come back from a 2-0 deficit at half time to equalise at 2-2 with Ivan Rojas scoring two classically finished goals but they eventually went down 3-2 to Beenleigh in an entertaining fixture. Special mention in the performance goes to Charles (Chucky) Yuill who provided the last pass for both of Ivan’s goals.
The Gap moves on to its next fixture against Rocklea at home on Saturday 9 May at 6.00 pm. All supporters are welcome and encouraged to come along and cheer on both sides.

Revival against Rocklea

Tony Skinner — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 22:09:32 +0000

The Gap Premier Division One side had a revival of form on Saturday night when it hammered Rocklea 4-1 at Walton Bridge Reserve. In what was a must win game for the club after not getting results in the season so far despite playing good football, The Gap scored two goals in each half and never looked like being beaten by an opposing side that mixed aggression and long balls into the box as a means of trying to exploit the Gators.
The depth of this year’s Gap side was in clear evidence on Saturday with Mark Biddle out with injury, fitness concerns for Ian Stephens and Levi Beel, Chris Mead suspended, Richard Holliday absent due to work commitments and Michael Cardillo returning from injury in the Reserves. This allowed Paul Clifton to retain his spot in the backline, Ivan Rojas and Chris Wood to step up again, and for 8 year old Chris Harris to make his first team debut. Ivan Rojas disappointed by recent stints on the bench played a highly motivated and non-stop game and was rewarded with the first goal showing all the skill and persistence he is renowned for. A long range Chris Wood thunderbolt just minutes from half time saw The Gap go in at half time deserved two goals ahead. More chances were created in the second half and if not for a spate of offsides and a number of over-hit through balls The gap could have added more than the goals scored by Chris Wood again and Dom Kibbey.
There were good performances all around the park with Paul Clifton and Steve Comino leading by experience at the back, Josh Jones continuing to impress, Chris Harris having a solid debut, Ivan Rojas proving he is first class and Chris Wood being rewarded with two goals for his ongoing endeavour throughout the match.
Although coach Gerry McAvoy was very happy with the result he was quick to point out that the winning results need to continue “We need to pick up another six points from the last two games of the round. Our good football to date has unfortunately not translated into points and the three draws have put pressure on us near the bottom of the table. Heading into the second round I want to us to be in a healthy middle of the table position, and we deserve that!”
In the Reserves coach Tony Harris finally saw his charges convert their good football into a convincing win. Two goals from the always impressive James McDonald and a clinical finish from Michael Cardillo were enough for the side to collect three points but the game also saw good performances from all members of the team which continues to put pressure on the top side players.
Next week is a tough away trip to play Ipswich Knights.

Referees (and the lack thereof)

David Downing — Sat, 30 May 2009 04:59:09 +0000

The general shortage of qualified match officials has hit every club in the zone at one time or another over the course of this season. Believe me, we at The Gap are not the only ones to have no appointments on a regular basis. It is not unusual for an average of only 25-30% of match appointments to be filled over the course of a weekend, and as those players and parents involved on Sundays know, there are often no officials at all.

It would be easy for our club and others to point the finger at Football Brisbane and say, “It’s their responsibility, what are they doing about it?” Well in truth, FBI is doing what it can to improve the situation, but there’s no getting away from the fact that the requirement for match officials is not keeping pace with the rapid increases in player numbers - particularly in junior competitions - on two fronts. Firstly, there are not enough referees coming into the game, and secondly, there are too many referees leaving the game. Therefore the time has come for a concerted effort to recruit and retain more referees.

On the recruitment side, a quick bit of maths from The Gap’s perspective:

No of Gap teams in junior competitions ………………… 14

Approx Gap player numbers per team ……………………15

Approx Gap playing numbers each w/e ……………… 210

———— ditto ———— incl. opposition ………………… 420

No of official appointments req’d each w/e …………….. 42

No of games per official each w/e …………………………….. 3

No of officials req’d for Gap matches each w/e ……….. 14

Ratio of match officials to players (14:420) …………. 1:30

So you can see from this that for every 30 junior players that we have registered, FBI would need to have one match official on their books and available every weekend JUST TO BREAK EVEN. Some might say that as a club therefore we bear a responsibility to encourage at least seven of our players and supporters (and preferably more) to become qualified junior match officials, and being objective about it, I would find it hard to counter this point of view. To the best of my knowledge, The Gap currently has only one or two qualified match officials registered.

The Football Brisbane Referees’ website has information on how to become a referee. It goes into some some detail as to the process, but essentially, anybody aged 12 or over can commence the basic training (Level 5) on the Laws of the Game, but must have turned 13 before they can complete Level 5 and proceed to Level 4. Once at Level 4, you should start to get some appointments as a match official. The overall structure of the career pathway for referees is given in the Australian Officiating Development Schedules which can be found here.

There are some up-front and ongoing costs associated with becoming a referee, but it should be possible to recover those costs within a reasonable time, once you become active. Remember, even in junior football in Brisbane, payments range from $30/$15 per game at U11 (ref./ass’t ref. respectively) to $60/$30 per game for U16 BJL.

If you want to sign up for the next referees’ course, follow this link. At the time of writing this post, the next available course is in October/November this year, which seems like a long way off, but we’d recommend that if you are thinking about it, you sign up for it sooner rather than later. If you do sign up for a course, please let me know at Gap_Soccer_Registrar@yahoo.com.au. If we get enough interest from our club, and given the current shortage, we may be able to exert some influence with the powers that be to accelerate the process. And remember, you do not have to be a player registered with The Gap or even a junior to sign up as an official. We have seen an increasing number of match officials who have only recently taken up refereeing in their 30’s, 40’s and 50’s, giving back to the game that they played or watched in their younger days. We’d encourage all our players and supporters of whatever age to seriously consider refereeing as a very worthwhile and healthwise hobby.

The subject of retaining referees in all sports, whether it be football, either code of rugby, Aussie rules, or even netball has been gaining in profile in recent years. By far, the main factor in influencing highly trained and competent referees to quit their sport is the degree of verbal abuse and physical intimidation and even abuse to which they can be subjected by players, team and club officials, and spectators at all levels. In professional sport, the officials expect to get some measure of abuse following every decision; unfortunately, it goes with the territory. It doesn’t make it right, but they’ve gone through their careers getting increasingly immune to the slings and arrows thrown their way.

But we have to remember that these are the elite referees, the cream of the crop; just like the players they referee at A-grade are at the top of their game, so are they. And just like the players, they started their careers on bumpy paddocks on Saturday mornings refereeing junior players for little or no reward other than the love of the game.

Sunday afternoon delight

David Newbery — Sat, 30 May 2009 04:41:07 +0000

On Sunday (April 13) football fans should take the opportunity to watch The Gap’s three senior women’s games “live” on the billiard table-like surface at The Gap.

The first match between The Gap and Toowong (Division 7) kicks off at 1pm and is followed by the Premier Reserves match against Souths.

The Gap will be fired up and looking to make amends for their narrow loss to Lions a week earlier.

At 5pm the “big guns” are on show. The Premiers, who play Souths, will be keen to make it two wins from two matches.

FOOD AND DRINK: Michael will prepare meals in the clubhouse and the bar will be open. So, please spend your Sunday afternoon with us.

Celtic to use The Gap as Australian training base

Stuart Watt — Thu, 28 May 2009 03:35:26 +0000

Scott McDonald and Celtic are coming to The Gap. Picture courtesy celticfc.net

After negotiations between representatives of Celtic, Suncorp Stadium and the State Government, agreement has been reached for Celtic to use the club’s grounds for training ahead of their Roar Against Racism match against the Brisbane Roar.

It’s anticipated that the Scottish giants will train at The Gap in the lead up to the match, scheduled for July 12.

More details will be released soon, but the club looks forward to offering every opportunity for the wider football community in Brisbane to share this experience.