Petrovski to cheer Shellharbour JFC to glory
Sasho Petrovski might have hung up his boots, but the anticipation before a big final in his voice is as clear as ever.
The former Sydney FC, Central Coast Mariners and Newcastle Jets striker – who also dominated the now defunct National Soccer League with clubs like Parramatta Eagles and the Wollongong Wolves – is perhaps more used to preparing for A-League and NSL finals, but that does not seem to have tempered his excitement for the weekend’s PUMA Champions of Champions finals.
For the first time in his storied career, Petrovski will be involved in the historic Football New South Wales competition, but not as a player or even a head coach.
First and foremost, Petrovski is a parent.
The 41-year-old former pro as spend this season as Shellharbour JFC under-12 girls’ assistant coach, working hard with head coach Mark Dos Santos to help their team of incredibly talented girls to league glory and now, potentially, Champions of Champions success.
“I’m not coaching anywhere full-time so I’m just here to help out,” Petrovski said.
“My daughter, Aleksia, plays in the side. I just like helping out the local clubs.”
A chance meeting with Dos Santos at a mutual friends’ 40th birthday party alerted Petrovski to Shellharbour and the work they are doing with their junior girls.
“I was just at this 40th birthday with Mark and we got talking football. He mentioned he had a good team and that if Aleksia wanted to move, they had room in the team.
“Aleksia was at a different club but she had a really good season the year before so I was looking to take her to a strong team and Mark really impressed me and that’s how it all started.”
True to Dos Santos’ word, Petrovski was delighted with what he saw.
The football was good, but the community and the enjoyment the girls derived out of playing together and winning together made it even better.
“Being parents, my wife and I just wanted to help out, and that’s the same with all the parents,” Petrovski said.
“Mark’s wife Melissa is team manager, they have four girls themselves and two of them (Imogen Dos Santos and Jynaya Dos Santos) both play in the team as well.
“The whole team is a big family affair. There are other parents who chip in as well, like one of the dads has a rugby league background so he takes some fitness sessions with the girls and that’s sort of how the whole season has worked.”
The results on the pitch have been a credit to the work done behind the scenes at the club.
“The good thing is these girls have the best team spirit and the best bond,” Petrovski said.
“We took the girls to the Kanga Cup and most of them stepped up to play in the higher age group. They were playing clubs with women’s Premier League teams and we only lost one game, which was the final.
“That hurt them, but they’re strong girls. They went undefeated in the league and only conceded one goal despite it being quite a strong competition.
“I just love seeing the girls play and all the options that they have for training.
“When I was growing up, we didn’t have all these academies and all these different competitions. We just played in our backyards.
“These days, the kids don’t have those massive backyards to play in, so it’s important that they have places to play and to train and I love seeing it all come together.”
Now, Petrovski wants to see the Shellharbour girls reward themselves with a win in the Champions of Champions final, even though he knows that Cooks River Titans FC will prove tough opponents.
“I don’t think the girls realise what they are achieving and what they have achieved already,” Petrovski said.
“If we won, it would be the first time in the club’s history that a women’s team has won the Champions of Champions. And this is a prestigious cup. It’s been around since 1968, so it’s older than me!
“But these girls just take it game by game and I’ve loved being a part of it with them.”
-By Matt Galea
