Football unites to help young football Bushfire victims
Football NSW and the Western Sydney Wanderers have thrown their support behind bringing a group of Under 13-year-old representative boys from the Far South Coast Football Association in what is tipped to be an unforgettable experience for all involved.
Nicknamed “The Coasties”, the Far South Coast Football Association representative side consists of twelve players hailing from Bega, Bemboka, Eden, Mallacoota, Merimbula, Pambula, Tathra and Wolumla, all of which cannot wait to embark on this trip kicking off on Friday 21st of February.
Coach Dean Denaro and Assistant Manager Josh Dorrough were the brains behind getting this off he ground during a tragic time that saw the Far South Coast area devastated by the tragic bushfires that ripped through the area as people lost their lives as well as their properties amongst many other valuable items.
Football was also heavily affected in the Far South Coast area due to the fires and as Dorrough explained to Football NSW, the brains trust needed to do something in getting the round ball game back to its young aspiring footballers within their region.
“Dean and I were discussing when and whether we would be able to start training this year.
“At the time, I was home keeping an eye out for spot-fires, surrounded by smoke, there was a bushfire raging to our north and my son was evacuated (for the fourth time since Christmas) with the remainder of the family, pets and horses.
“This had become “normal”, and we were one of the fortunate families whose business and home weren’t directly impacted.
“Every one of the boys families have been impacted in some way.
“Some of the boys had been developing asthma like conditions from the smoke, they were about to start back at school and none of them had been doing any physical activity for weeks.
“Many of the parents were unable to work or businesses were struggling, while the constant focus on bushfires was adding to the kids stress.
“While all the bushfire recovery work in the region has been amazing, the kids and sport were being neglected.
“We decided we needed to find something positive for the boys and so I rang the Western Sydney Wanderers.
“When I spoke to Anthony Siciliano at the Wanderers, he immediately saw that they could offer something, his enthusiasm has been amazing as was their instant positive response.”
The trip itself will see parents and coaching staff carpooling the squad to Sydney on the 21st of February where they will trek for six hours from Bega with the team bound for a brief stadium tour at Bankwest in Parramatta whilst getting match day tickets to see the Red and Black take on Adelaide United that evening.
“The entire squad cannot wait for this trip.
“We are very excited in taking in the stadium tour and then watching the first team play.
“We also have the possibility of playing a 5 v 5 game at half time of the seniors which will be an amazing experience for the boys.
“On Saturday, the Wanderers academy coach is running a training session for the boys and if all goes well, our team will be there to see the senior side running through its recovery paces post-match.
“All our accommodation is being provided free of charge by Football NSW, without this, we probably would have had to pull the pin so we are forever grateful for this.”
Football working together to assist those in need is a beautiful thing, something our game does ever so well.
We would like to wish the Far South Coast side a safe trip, we will be seeing you all soon.
