Super Youth League Round 3 Review

My visit to Cook Park at Mt Pritchard for the SYL clash between Mounties Wanderers and Sydney University proved to be very interesting in many ways as I discovered that the marriage of the old Sydney Wanderers FC with the giant Mounties club was made in heaven for both parties.
Manager of Sport at the Mounties is Glen Ingle who said, ?We were very keen to return to Youth League football and we were in need of experienced administrators who could not only cope with the demands of Youth League but who could also make a huge contribution to the overall football picture at the Mounties. From the beginning it was clear that a merge with Sydney Wanderers would be ideal.?
Charles Abdilla chimed in with, ?As president of Sydney Wanderers I realised that we desperately needed to grow as a club but we were struggling to achieve that on our own. The concept of merging with Mounties seemed to make sense and that has certainly been the case. In a practical sense we have been the perfect fit for each other and that meant that there were few, if any, teething problems.?
Ingle said, ?We have a very healthy respect for the past achievements of Sydney Wanderers and for that reason we have permanently adopted the name ?Mounties Wanderers?.  In addition, while we will play our home games in the traditional Mounties colours of black and gold, our away strip recognises the traditional Sydney Wanderers? colours of red and white.?
Mounties have an enormous grass roots structure which involves seventy teams playing in the Southern Districts local competition and they have a reasonably successful senior team playing in the NSW State League in Division One but they lost a vital link between those levels when Football NSW limited the number of Youth League outfits within a district to four clubs a few seasons ago.
Sydney Wanderers were fielding only seven teams as a club, five of which were playing in the Youth League and their two senior teams were competing in the NSW State League Division One but they lacked a junior base which could ensure their long term future.
The merged club has satisfied the needs of both parties and they have been able to formulate huge plans for the short and long term future.
They have established junior academies for nine to twelve year-olds including a specialist academy for goalkeepers to create a production line of good quality local players for their Youth League squads for the coming years. The development these youngsters is provided by qualified and experienced coaches who are dedicated to meeting the aims set by the club. In addition, several players from the first grade squad provide some assistance with the coaching programme.
Youth League convenor Greg Shipley said, ?Already, more than eighty percent of our YL players come from within the Southern Districts boundaries and a fair percentage of those are from within the Mounties junior ranks. Our aim is to build on those figures and to further develop our club pride.?
?Our immediate aim is to consolidate a place in the Super Youth League this season and then try to win things as we grow as a club. The junior academies should provide us with an on-going source of players who are ready to take the step upward?, Shipley said.
?An important part of our ?big picture? view is to see more of our Youth League players take the step up to our senior squads and our coaching staff are working hard to ensure that it can be a seamless transition for the players?, he added.
When asked about their longer term aims Ingle, Abdilla and Shipley almost answered as one, ?NSW Premier League within five years.?
Ingle said, ?We can do wonders with the development of Cook Park to ensure that we more can than meet the criteria set by Football NSW and it is important to realise we do have the financial resources to back up our plans and ambitions. We are more than confident that we will have the players at Senior and Youth League levels as well as the top quality coaching staff and administration to ensure that we will be more than competitive when we step up. We have backed that up with the work we are doing now at all levels of our club.?
While they may have a fair way to go, if Mounties Wanderers can turn their current work and future dreams into a viable reality, there is little doubt that they can become a future football force in Sydney?s west.
Super Youth League                Round 3
While it may appear that the competition tables are beginning to take shape, it will be another two weeks before they begin to offer an accurate picture of what is really happening in each of the competitions. Sure, the points gained at this stage are important but with so few games played, it is difficult to pick the trends which will emerge as the season progresses.
Club Championship
Spirit FC began the day as the leaders on this table and they were up against third placed Central Coast Lightning.
Newly promoted Sydney University had surprised many observers by earning second spot on this table coming into this round while Mounties Wanderers were placed fifth and still feeling their way as a newly merged club.
Western Panthers arrived at this round in fourth place and they faced eighth placed Blacktown Spartans.
After an unusually sluggish start to the season PCYC Parramatta came into this round in sixth spot before their trip to tenth placed Macarthur Rams.
Before a ball was kicked on the day Dulwich Hill were in seventh position and they were hosting twelfth placed Granville Rage.
Schofields Scorpions were in ninth place before their home games against eleventh placed Northern Tigers.
Grade 13
Spirit FC kicked off this match at the top of the table on goal difference and they were up against second placed Central Coast Lightning. Both teams had won their opening two games.
Sydney University came into this game in third place after registering victories in their opening two matches while Mounties Wanderers were fifth with a win and a draw to their credit.
After posting a draw and a win from their first two games Schofields Scorpions were in fourth position before they faced seventh placed Northern Tigers who had opened the season with two draws.
At kick-off time Macarthur Rams were placed sixth after a loss and a win while PCYC Parramatta had lost both matches and they were in twelfth place.
Western Panthers had recorded a draw and a loss from their opening games and that placed them at ninth while Blacktown Spartans were eleventh after suffering two losses.
Dulwich Hill arrived at this game in eighth possession after a draw and a loss and Granville Rage were tenth following two losses.
Grade 14
A perfect record of two win from as many games had left Spirit FC at the top of the table on goal difference while Central Coast Lightning were third after they had registered a win and a draw.
Western Panthers had also won their first two matches and they were second on goal difference while ninth placed Blacktown Spartans had a draw and a loss to show for their opening games.
Northern Tigers had posted a draw and a win and so they were in fourth place at kick-off time while Schofields Scorpions were eighth after a loss and a win.
When this game began Dulwich Hill were in fifth position thanks to a draw and a win and Granville Rage were tenth following losses in both their first two matches.
Mounties Wanderers arrived at this game in sixth spot following a win and a loss and Sydney University were seventh and they had also registered a win and a loss.
Both Macarthur Rams and PCYC Parramatta had suffered losses in their opening games to be placed twelfth and eleventh respectively.
Grade 15
As the only team in this age group with the ideal start of two wins from as many matches, Spirit FC kicked off this game at the top of the table while Central Coast Lightning were in eleventh position after losses in both their opening games.
Sydney University were sitting in second spot at kick-off time thanks to a win and a draw so far while Mounties Wanderers were ninth after they had posted a win and a loss.
Dulwich Hill began the day at third place following a win and a draw and Granville Rage were tenth after an opening day loss was followed by a win.
After losing their first game Northern Tigers bounced back last week with a win and that put them into fourth place when this game commenced while Schofields Scorpions had lost both their games and they were twelfth.
Western Panthers and Blacktown Spartans had both recorded a win and a loss in the first two rounds so they started this match in sixth and seventh places respectively.
Coming into this game both teams had a win and a loss to show for their efforts and they were separated by goal difference with PCYC Parramatta at fifth and Macarthur Rams at eighth.
Grade 16
At kick-off time PCYC Parramatta led the way on the table with two wins to show for their opening matches and Macarthur Rams were fifth following a loss and a win.
Blacktown Spartans began the day in second place thanks to wins in both the games they had played so far while Western Panthers were eleventh following two losses.
A loss and a win meant that Central Coast Lightning arrived at this game in third place while Spirit FC had posted similar results but they were back at seventh on goal difference.
Sydney University and Mounties Wanderers had both recorded a win and a loss from their opening games but they arrived at this match separated by goal difference at fourth and sixth respectively.
Dulwich Hill and Granville Rage were another pair to have each registered a win and a loss in their opening games and they started this match in eighth and ninth places respectively.
Before a ball was kicked this week Schofields Scorpions were in tenth place after a win and a loss while Northern Tigers were twelfth following two losses.
Grade 18
PCYC Parramatta grabbed the early lead on the table as they arrived at this game at the top following wins in their first two games while Macarthur Rams had lost both their matches.
Spirit FC had also won the two matches they had played and they came into this game at second while Central Coast Lightning were fifth with a win and a draw from their contests to date.
Two wins from as many games had put Western Panthers into third place at kick-off time while Blacktown Spartans were eighth after they had posted a draw and a loss in the opening rounds.
Sydney University were placed fourth at the beginning of this game after they had taken maximum points from their first two games and Mounties Wanderers were sixth following a loss and a win.
A win and a loss had meant that Dulwich Hill kicked off this game in seventh position while two losses had placed Granville Rage at tenth.
Schofields Scorpions and Northern Tigers had experienced the worst possible start to the season with both suffering losses in the games played so far, leaving them both at the foot of the table.
-By Barry Davis