Located on the Central New South Wales Coast, Terrigal FC are starting to make a habit of making the annual trip to the nation’s capital to compete in the Kanga Cup.
Established in 1966, Terrigal FC has become a thriving hub of community football on the central coast, with over 1,600 registered players and 157 teams, starting at U5s and going all the way up seniors. The club have recently partnered with Central Coast United to strengthen the Central Coast Football community and provide local players with a pathway to professional football opportunities without having to travel to Sydney or Newcastle.
One of these opportunities is the chance to progress to the Central Coast Mariners Academy, which U15s Girls’ Manager James Whitswith knows is a big advertisement for the club.
“It’s a steppingstone” Whitswash said. “We’re probably one of the most successful in our age group for the mariners – it’s definitely a steppingstone for the girls and a great advertisement for the club to attract players.”
While one of Terrigal FCs greatest strengths is its professional pathway opportunities, it can also be a weakness for the squads the top players depart from.
“We lost a few of the girls to the Mariners, I think we’ve lost seven or eight players in the past couple of years. We’ve got the very limited (players) on the coast, obviously with girls who want to start enjoying soccer when they’re 16, 17 years old.”
Despite the team’s transition, a core of the team has been playing together for over 10 years, which gives Whitswith optimism that his side can improve on their results from last year’s Kanga Cup performance.
“This team’s been together since 2012” Whitswith said. “They’re coming second in the league this year, so we’re very proud of them.”
“We came down last year and we played in the Cup. Unfortunately, we didn’t make out of the group, but we thought let’s come have another go.”
Terrigal’s 2025 Kanga Cup journey got off to a whirlwind start after an early season washout was rescheduled to the Sunday before the Kanga Cup kicked off. Despite the setback, Whitswash and his team are still playing with a smile on their face.
“The girls played Sunday, then straight down drive down to Canberra for a 9:55 game on Monday morning” Whitswith said. “It’s very tense, I think a lot of exhausted girls, but the organisation’s fantastic and all the girls had a brilliant time.”
For a club like Terrigal, the connection to community is integral to the club’s performance and their continued success on and off the pitch.
“Without the support of the community, that parent support, we wouldn’t be here” Whitswith admitted. “We’ve got that support and the backing from the club and the community, we’re going to try and to do our best to make them proud.”
Whitswith admits as far as goals go for the clubs second Kanga cup adventure, they’d love to win it all but knows that the week-long competition is about much more than results.
“The goal is for the girls to grow as a team, to enjoy the experience – not be afraid of a new challenge.”
Words: James Whybrow
