Cromer Park officially launches in style

But on Sunday afternoon almost 1000 football fans crammed into Cromer Park for the official opening of the synthetic surface at Cromer Park.
Sydney FC media manager Dave Mason took centre stage as MC, with local identities such as former Socceroo Robbie Slater, newly appointed Sky Blues coach Ian Crook, Central Coast Mariners assistant coach Phil Moss and EPL veteran Spencer Prior all taking time out to celebrate the occasion.
Manly Warringah Football Association president Ray Fanning, who has worked tirelessly behind the scenes to ensure the pipedream became a reality, described the occasion as ?beyond satisfying.?
?It was great to see so many people involved in football on the northern beaches come together to celebrate such a great moment in our history,?? he said.
?Many people will remember the dark old days when Cromer Park had no grandstand either; now we have everything we desired and even better plans are on the horizon.?
Warringah mayor Michael Regan was equally chuffed to play his part.
?I know how important football is to people in this area, it is reflected by the number of registered players (almost 17,000),?? he said.
?Seeing a (new) surface like Cromer Park come to fruition is fantastic, it is overdue and reflects what we (Council) are all about.
?Our aim was to provide a pitch that will benefit soccer as well as other sports.
 ?It has been a long road and after seeing the success of this pitch we will now push forward to install similar pitches across the northern beaches over the next few years.?
Manly United FC then capped off the perfect day after defeating Sutherland 3-1 in the NSW Premier League round 14 clash.
Local junior Justin Hayward was the star, grabbing a brace.
-By Andrew Prentice