On the grass 3 July

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It’s been a very wet week but let’s hope we can get some football played this weekend. Getting around the grounds last week was a cold and wet experience but it was great to see football being played and players enjoying themselves. It was really good to see our CWCL team pick up their first point of the season v Hornby. The Girls were back to near full strength after 2 games where they struggled with injuries and illness.

In the afternoon I moved on to watch the WPL team play Uni and witnessed something unusual, Coastal have 2 players sent off at the same time, leaving the team down to 9 players. With the score at 1-1, Mel Cameron received a red card for trying to be too honest. Having rolled the defender in the box, the Uni player grabbed a handful of shirt which some players would have seen as an opportunity to go down but Mel stayed on her feet and tried to shrug off the defender but unfortunately caught her marker in the face with her hand and receiving a straight red. Arna Robert was less than impressed with the decision and went over the top in telling the Referee her thoughts, another red! The team worked unbelievably hard for the next 55 minutes and not just hanging on to the 1-1 score line but looking the favorites to take all 3 points. It remained 1-1 but it was an impressive performance full of resilience and class.

The girls move on to a top of the table clash v Cash Tech at Garrick Park on Saturday, 12.30 KO. It’s sure to be a cracker!

After catching my breath I made my way to Tulett Park and saw a first half dominated by our MPL team. The Guys should have been up by a few goals in an impressive half but went in 1-1 at the break. Still the better side at times in the second half but unable to finish the lads paid the ultimate price and conceded a second, going down 2-1. The 2 games v Nomads this season just goes to show how small margins can be in football with the boys only picking up 1 point when it could have easily been 4 and even 6. Ekow takes the team to Christchurch United on Saturday, another hard game in what is turning out to be a really tough league this season. They KO at 2.45pm at CFC.

#strongertogether

Gary Bennett
Football Development Manager

Best of luck to everyone representing Coastal Spirit on the weekend!

This week in our ‘Get to Know’ section we talk to MPL Centre Back Andrew Storer. Andrew is in his second spell with the club having spent 3 years at Coastal from the age of 17. After spending 4 years at Western the big defender rejoined Coastal at the start of this season.

Name: Andrew Storer

Born: Christchurch

Age: 24

Occupation: Plasterer and jib fixer

Favorite place: Perth

Favorite food: Indian

Favorite group/singer: I like 70’s and 80’s music but I also like rap and R & B so a real mix.

Favorite football team: Chelsea

What age did you start playing football: I started First Kicks at 5 years old

What do you like most about playing football: Winning and the team camaraderie

Biggest football Influence: My Dad. He had me playing in the back garden almost before I could walk. He and my family are very supportive.

Most memorable game you have played in: Canterbury United Youth game v Waitakere in 2012. Waitakere had 5 or 6 NZ U20 Internationals in their team, we won 1-0.

Most memorable personal moment in football: Making the CU Youth team. Gaining promotion to the MPL whist playing for Western

What do you like most about Coastal Spirit: The opportunity and pathway for players to progress from junior right through the ranks. It’s a family orientated club, with a real togetherness. Its great to see everyone back at the clubrooms after games.

Personal ambition: To play for the PNG National side.

Team Focus

Here we feature one of our three 9^th grade teams. The Boys and Girls of the 9^th grade Pegasus team who are in their first season together. Most of the players came through the club’s First Kicks Fun Football programme and some have joined the club for their first season of Coastal football. The Pegasus team are coached by Steve Ager and managed by daughter Vicky. They have been really pleased with the players so far with a philosophy based on ‘fun for all’ while learning new individual and team skills. Keep up the good work team!

Junior/Youth Prize Giving - 9th October more details soon
Senior Prize Giving Dates -17th October more details soon

Team photos
Team photos for this season will be taking place shortly. Mini First Kicks/First Kicks/Fun Football team photos will take place on Saturday 25th July, outside at Linfield Park.
The rest of the team photos will take pace on Tuesday 4th August, Linfield function rooms. All photos will cost $20, payable on the day.

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