We have a NPL thread in the AF category, but nothing for the specifics of our club in the NPL1, which I feel is just as important as the mens and womens respective A-League teams.
For those who don’t keep up with it, The 2023 season kicks off this weekend, and the competition has been expanded from 12 to 16 teams. It’s a longer season, a full 30 rounds (which is perfect, A-Leagues take note). All of the NSW based A-League clubs are now in the first division (excluding Newcastle, who I think have joined the Northern NSW NPL).
All our home games this season are being played at the home of Football NSW - Valantine Sports Ground. Free Entry & Parking (I believe, it’s been ages since I’ve been out that way). There’s a couple of decent pubs and a Frango’s near the ground too. So, hit up your winter football fix. Furthest away game remains Wollongong and nowadays Gosford (Pluim Park - CCMA).
Parking at Valentines in woefully inadequate anytime I have been there for State cup finals or Champion of Champions… maybe it’ll be ok if there is only one fixture on at one time
Yeah the parking can fill up depending what else is on, but if so there’s street parking galore within comfortable walking distance just outside the main gates. Last season the Hills Football Association played “games of the week” from both mens and women’s park premier league comps there on Saturdays and Sundays, so if that arrangement holds there will be loads more people attending once the park comps commence. Hoping it’s a breeze until then.
In that pic you’ve got the accommodation / hotel down the bottom with the “courtyard” inside it, the indoor sport / futsal centre on the right (marked # 257) and the pool just above it. So there are numerous things going on at any one time in the complex meaning there is no method by which they can control vehicle entry or charge. There’s also no gate for ticketing purposes in between the two fields you can see there, you’re free to just wander on in. We will be playing on Field 2 which is the synthetic one on the left, the one to the right (closest to Old Windsor Rd) is natural grass, the FNSW HQ building is perched above the stands in between those two. There’s a third field running left to right above those two, and also another two fields behind it (would be beyond the top left of this pic). So yeah, potential for busy days, but the trade-off is no potential for ticketing. It will be free and I’ll call it now that there will be some form of trouble from the usual suspects at the first derby.
Yeah, the craziest thing is under the grand stand there are 12 good sized changing rooms… yet when you play there they put the two opposing teams in changing next to one another - which means you have to share toilest and showers. very awkward for the losing team.
I prefer VSP to going to Rockdale every time, especially from my parents’ up north. Wish we were still at Lambert though. Christie Park would probably make the most sense but I don’t think even Spirit play their NPL1 games there.
Yeah I miss it, I didn’t get to one of our games last season and honestly I can’t see myself getting to many this season either given Valentine is a long way to go for me. Ah well more Dulwich Hill and APIA games this year I guess.
Strangely, VSP is probably easier for me to get to from Glebe than the north despite it being closer to the latter. The express M2 buses really help.
I miss the chippies at Lambert. I hope to go to APIA away at least. Home or away in NPL doesn’t make any difference money-wise since they canned Sydney NPL membership.
I thought there was talk a few years ago of football NSW selling up at valentine and building a new premise at riverstone or somewhere around there. Am I imagining that or are there still plans in the works?
