Manly United and Wollongong FC in tribute to Johnny Warren
The Northern Beaches outfit will play against Wollongong FC at the Kiama Leisure Centre on Sunday afternoon as part of a four-day pre-season camp at Wollongong University before heading to the famous Jamberoo Pub for a post-match function and BBQ.
The event, the brainchild of Jamberoo Pub licensees Jamie and Ross Warren, local property developer Ray Redgrave and Manly United coach Phil Moss, was originally set down for Jamberoo Oval but a desire to include the Kiama community aswell as the Jamberoo Valley saw the game switched to the beachside town.
Young players from the Johnny Warren Foundation?s Riverina-based program will also be involved on the day under the watchful eye of youth development coaches Tim Wilson and Glen Fontana and Football NSW technical director Norm Boardman.
Moss said his players have been made aware of the significance of the match.
?My father-in-law (Ray Redgrave) lives in Jamberoo and I visit the area frequently so we have been talking about taking a game there for years,? he said.
?I shared a good few chats over a beer or two with Johnny at the pub over the years and Ray and I have got to know Ross and Jamie well.
?With the pre-season Johnny Warren Cup scrapped this year I wanted Manly United to play its part in keeping the NSWPL synonymous with the Johnny Warren name.
?We all know Johnny was ahead of his time with regards his vision for the game and he played a massive role in helping the game get to where it is today. We as coaches and players should never take that for granted.
Johnny?s brother Ross and his son Jamie have been fantastic and have agreed to put on a post-match function and BBQ at the pub so players from both clubs can mingle and look through what is a brilliant museum of Johnny Warren memorabilia.
?Wollongong have been very accommodating and are right behind the event so it should be a fantastic day all round,? Moss said.
Promotional activities aside it will be a crucial hit out for both clubs as the countdown to the 2009 NSW Premier League starts to gather momentum.
Manly United will take plenty of confidence into the match following last weekend?s 3-2 victory over Blacktown City at Fairfax Community Stadium.
New signing Josh Sama announced his arrival at Manly United with a well-taken goal on debut while veteran marksman Craig Midgley and new Brazilian midfielder Fabio Alves Pena also scored.
But Moss said he would be looking for a much-improved performance this weekend.
?It was your typical first pre-season performance by us and Blacktown asked plenty of questions early on,? he said.
?But I was happy with the resolve shown by my players to get the result given they were playing under a bit of fatigue.
?We?ll be looking to improve in a few areas and hopefully have a number of regular first graders back for the Wollongong game.
?It should be a great weekend away for us ? we have all the facilities we need at Wollongong Uni and the players get to experience life as professional footballers for four days. We have a number of new players in the squad so it will also provide a priceless opportunity for them to integrate into the Manly United way of life.?
Sunday?s games will kick-off at 11am (Grade 20s) and 1pm (1st grade) at the Kiama Leisure Centre (The Quarry), off Teralong St, Kiama.
All players, families, supporters and officials are invited back to the Jamberoo Pub for the post-match function from 3.15pm.?
