Club Feature: Granville Raging forward
Now flexing their muscles in the NSW State League One competition, Granville Rage is a passionate club steeped in tradition, and playing out of one of NSW’s most historical venues, Garside Park at Granville.
Leading the charge at the Rage is none other than the club’s Technical Director, Nick Porreca, a man that brings much experience and football know how to the table.
Nick’s playing career spanned across numerous State League clubs, including Melita Eagles, Hajduk Wanderers, and AC United, before he ventured on to the highly emotional coaching path in 1998.
Nick spent the next six years coaching at AC United, moving through the ranks from U/18s to First Grade, working throughout with coaches such as Tony Henderson and Paul Carter. Nick then spent three seasons at Parramatta PCYC before moving to the Rage in 2010, taking over the first grade coaching gig before moving into the TD role in 2011, where he remains until today.
Holding an FFA/AFC B Licence amongst other coaching certificates, Porreca is a determined and disciplined individual who demands the best from those around him, working hard to implement the coaching and playing structures throughout the club, from youth through to seniors.
“After being promoted to the (NPL NSW Mens 2) Super League in 2004, the club has grown from strength to strength, winning various Youth League Premierships over the years, and actually finishing 4th in the Club Championship last season”, reflected Porreca.
“Like many clubs, we have so many staff that volunteer their time and effort to keep Granville Rage up and running, and competitive, primarily our president, Bill Cashman, Tony Losapio, our vice president, and our Football Manager, Vic Zappia.”
“Our first grade coaches, Mauricio Islas, and his assistant, Cristian Bottalico, are long time players of the club, and wear their heart on their sleeve. I’m also working closely with the U/20s (Robert D’Alessandro/Shane Burge), U/18s (Emmit Kadayifci/Alex Herta) and U/16s (Frank Zappia/Mel Morizzi) as we aim to consolidate our club position in 2013 before striving for promotion next year,” predicted Porreca.
The Rage lost some players as a result of moving to the SL1 competition, but have taken the opportunity to consolidate in 2013 as they blood some youth, which includes giving the U/20s a chance to show their wares, and build towards a healthy and successful 2014 and beyond.
The Rage’s home ground venue, Garside Park in Granville, has plenty of history in Australian football, being the scene of many big games in the original NSW State Leagues, hosting of one of the oldest clubs in football.
Granville Rage are very proud of this fact, and have spent many hours and hard earned dollars developing the ground, including new change rooms, canteen, as well as improvement in the playing surface and other amenities.
With the right structure in place, an experienced and passionate group of individuals – headed by a capable Technical Director in Nick Porreca – and plenty of history to fall back on and build upon, you can rest assured that Granville Rage are ‘raging forward’ towards more greatness in the coming years.
-By Frank Speranza
