‘Drop ten, turn and Face.’ Quilty’s Football Yarns 25 Coaching your own.

‘Drop ten, turn and Face.’ Quilty’s Football Yarns 25

Coaching your own.

What do they say about tradesmen? Their own houses are one big unfinished project! I don't think I was ever quite that bad with regard to my own kids and football but there was always a shortage of time or clashes for kick offs. In any given weekend in the season would look something this when things worked out!

Saturday

9.00 kick off SPX 1st XI at Oxford Falls.

11.30 kick off Berowra Boys U16's Foxglove Oval.

15.00 kick off Berowra Over 35's George Christie.

Sunday 

11.00 kick off Berowra Girls U14's Parklands.

Fortunately, the boys and girls competitions were generally on different days but for Danny especially I am grateful for many other coaches being there for him. Thus, from 1995 for Danny and 1996 for Cassie, they were both turning out for Berowra Soccer Club as it was called back then.

One such coach I am forever thankful for is the late Dave Steadman who was the successful coach of Dan's U15's side. Dave was a fanatical West Ham supporter who had played for Pittwater for many years. He later moved up to Berowra with his wife Sue and his two boys, one of which, Chris, played in the U15's with Dan. This particular team had played for many seasons together without being able to land a win the KDSA competition. Then in 2004 the football gods looked down upon them and deemed it to be their time in the light. The Berowra side never led the competition at any time until more or less the last day of the season. My role was largely to help Dave and take some training sessions of an evening at Berowra oval. On this particular weekend Dan's Berowra team won 7-0 and gave themselves an outside chance to win the league, if other results went their way. With this vital 3 points in the bag Dave and I set off to watch the afternoon game between Clarke Road and Lindfield over at St Ives Showground. The mathematics of the competition had us two points in front of these two but if either were to win they would jump over us to take the title by a point. Dave was unusually quiet watching this game but when the final whistle we knew that the 1-1 result left Berowra as Champions! His smile stretched from ear to ear because he had coached the side since U7's. The dedication and time given by people like Dave Steadman for grass roots level football is what gives the game its ongoing momentum. He is sadly missed.

Back in 2002 our Cassie made the switch to women's football having previously played in the mixed teams from U5's. Her first year was in the Berowra U14's, she was 12. Unfortunately, the Berowra side were pitched in the First Division with all the North Shore heavyweights like Lindfield, North Sydney and Northbridge. As a wretched season wound up, I thought she might want to stop playing football. She had had a single season of netball a few years previously and ended up totally frustrated, so I hoped she would stay with the main game.

As the new season approached in 2003, Terrie and Cassie suggested that I take a turn in coaching the team. It was Sunday morning competition all over the North Shore and we knew it would again be tough. I agreed to their suggestion, co-opted my good mate Mark Salkeld to work with me and proceeded to recruit a team that could compete. Mark's daughter Laura played as did manager Ian Brooks daughter Kathleen. In the following weeks I set out to persuade various sportswomen in Berowra to come and play football. We actually recruited several players at Berowra supermarket, they were wearing their Athletics Rep tracksuits so I knew they could run! I also persuaded the daughters of several Berowra friends to join the side and by seasons start we were ready to go. 

Having previously coached the U18 Womens side at JPII I knew we needed to get the organisation right. The girls were very coachable. However, it was quickly apparent that at training these players needed ten minutes of socialisation before they would listen to us! The solution was to give them all a ball and send them off around the oval and return ready to concentrate. Kate Van Beek, one of our new recruits tells a funny story. Her mum, Carolyn, on first hearing me at a game said something like "Kate who is that dickhead shouting and hollering on the sideline?" Kate's reply was "No mum, he's okay, he knows what we need to do"

And so it was the Berowra U14 Girls side absolutely smashed all and sundry including the big three of Lindfield, North Sydney and Northbridge. We won the A Grade competition and went off to Wollongong at seasons end to represent the KDSA in Champion of Champions going down 2-1. As I have said before, I don't see gender in Football, I see players. In the case of our squad we had a super competitive group. One thing they insisted upon was doing their own warm up's that were more dance and aerobics than anything I'd ever seen before. They went across the pitch in unison doing rhythmic exercises and clapping. They all wore the same white headbands and looked an awesome co-ordinated unit. Our opposition was usually beat before they entered the field. One funny story around this side occurred when our identical twins Bethany and Kirraly Thompson were playing for us down at Berowra Oval. One played on the left wing and the other the right. Their mum Maureen used to sit up the top doing her knitting not paying too much attention to the game. On this occasion we decided to switch the girls to opposite wings at half time. As we kicked off for the second half a panicked Maureen came running to pitch-side. The conversation went like this. 

“Hi Maureen, coming down for a closer look?”

“No Steve! What have you done? They are mirror twins and you have put them on the wrong side. They will clash, you have to switch them back again, now!” Bemused we did just that. Put them back in their usual positions. Who knew?

This side then went up to U16's a year early and finished a creditable third in 2004 before taking out the championship again in 2005. This time our Champion of Champions excursion was to Ballina going down by the odd goal in three. In 2006 we moved up to U18 and again won the title in a canter. This season we won several round games in the Champion of Champion making the semi final stage going down to Manly Vale. It had been enjoyable working with such a motivated group over the five seasons with three A Grade titles, a much deserved reward. As it turned out my plan to take the side to Berowra All Age never eventuated. By this time most of the squad were doing their HSC or University and after five seasons the side disbanded. Interestingly four of the side, Kate Van Beek, Steph Le Strange, Rosie Toner and Madeline Saunders went on to play for the Northern Tigers Rep sides. 

Around this time in 2004, I also took a coaching role with Asquith All Age Men’s Premier League. My good mate Derek had accepted the Head Coach role and needed an assistant. This Asquith side had already won the league for several season’s so it was no easy task to maintain or improve the level. Asquith were a very fit, physical side who with speed wide played an attacking 3 5 2. Their Captain was Ryan McKendrick was a brilliant box to box midfielder while Hus and Roddy up front were prolific scorers. Davo at the back being a powerful sweeper. That season Asquith won the league and went to the Semi-Final of the Champion of Champion, going out to Northern Beaches side Brookvale. This involvement in local club football between 2003-06 was a successful one for me at a time when the SPX sides were having trouble winning Grand Finals, despite winning the Minor Premiership. But that is another story.