SOCCER FOOTBALL Victoria aims to restart the 2021 league season this weekend. The state body emailed clubs on Friday with a return to competition update, a link to its updated return to training and playing conditions, information on the competitions calendar, postponed fixtures and a link to its COVID-19 Football Portal providing information on the biosecurity requirements clubs must enforce. FV also urged clubs to register their matches with the state government’s public event framework to ensure COVID-19 safety for attendees, staff and organisers. FV’s email acknowledged the current circumstances faced by clubs coming out of lockdown as well as…
Author: Craig MacKenzie
SOCCER LOCAL soccer is blessed with some excellent sports photographers covering the exploits of clubs throughout the broad peninsula area. They include Darryl Kennedy, Gemma Sliz, Paul Seeley and John Punshon and their photographs have appeared in these pages supporting our coverage of the local game. Kennedy is a former player, coach, team manager and administrator who turns 60 this year and has been involved in the sport since he was 12 years old. Most of his playing career was with Seaford United (including stints with Seaford North and Belvedere, the forerunners of the current club at North Seaford Reserve)…
SOCCER FOOTBALL Victoria CEO Kimon Taliadoros remains hopeful that the state’s seven-day lockdown has no lasting effect on local clubs but acknowledges that 2020 has taken its toll. Last Thursday’s seven-day lockdown announcement forced FV to suspend all football activity during that period. “The unknown for all of us is obviously the extent of the lockdown,” Taliadoros said. “While that impacts on our fixtures if it only lasts for seven days then we face a less complicated scenario than if it is extended for another week or longer. “If the number of games required to be played becomes an issue…
SOCCER BAXTER triumphed in a nine-goal thriller against local rival Somerville Eagles at Tyabb Central Reserve on Saturday. One of the games of the season had spectators spellbound as the visitors recovered from a two-goal deficit to win 5-4 and clinch the inaugural Eagles Cup, which will be contested each time these sides clash in the league. Football Victoria CEO Kimon Taliadoros witnessed the gripping contest and presented the Cup to Baxter captain James Foster along with a trophy struck by FV especially for the occasion. Taliadoros had just watched a battle with wild momentum shifts and stunning goals. Here’s…
SOCCER FRANKSTON Pines staged a stunning comeback on Saturday at Fawkner Park to maintain its push towards the State 3 South-East championship. When South Yarra striker Leo Holmes scored his second goal in the 27th minute the home side was cruising with a 3-0 lead and Pines looked dead and buried. Earlier in the season Pines had been tipped to emulate newly crowned Scottish champions Rangers and go through the season undefeated but now they were staring at successive losses and the chasing pack was closing in. “To be honest we were totally outplayed in the first 30 minutes,” Pines…