When Beachside Football Club signed up for the 2016 NSR Kanga Cup they completed a full-house for the competition. The addition of the Tasmanians means this year’s tournament can now boast entries from every state and territory. That’s right clubs from New South Wales, Victoria, South Australia, Western Australia, Queensland and the Northern Territory will join Beachside and the local ACT players in making the competition a truly Australia-wide event.
Beachside FC can be found in Sandy Bay in Hobart, located near the Wrest Point Casino, and are a prime example of a traditional community based club with the focus on its junior development. Currently the club can field three senior men’s teams, two social men’s teams, two women’s teams and nine junior teams, encompassing the U12 to U18 age range. The team that will come to Canberra will be a mixture of the club’s U15 and U16 players who play in the Tasmanian U16 Division 1.
“Tournaments such as the Kanga Cup are fantastic opportunities that allow young men to experience things on and off the park,” Beachside GC Technical Director Brett Pullen commented. “They get to travel without family and experience life in a new environment.
“In football terms it’s a wonderful opportunity to play other teams from all over Australia and compare styles and strengths and hopefully create new friendships. I came with a U10 team seven years ago, they won the Team Spirit award and made the Semi-Finals but they had the best time, that’s why I’m back.”
Having teams from all around this vast wide land descending on Canberra can give the competing teams a whole new perspective on the game as each club brings with it its own distinctive style, culture and history.
“When I came to the tournament seven years ago I had an absolute blast,” Pullen reminisced. “I am expecting the competition to be an awesome experience for the players. We have a large number of talented players in the squad and I am hopeful that they will play well and enjoy a tremendous experience.”
There’s still enough time for you to join in the fun! Registrations for the 2016 NSR Kanga Cup close in two weeks time, Friday 27th May. Make sure you get involved and become a part of the Southern Hemisphere’s largest youth football tournament.
