Stars align at Football NSW Gala Awards
Players, coaches, officials as well as high profile guests attended what was a fantastic evening acknowledging the achievements from the top tier National Premier Leagues NSW Men’s and Women’s as well as the Football NSW Leagues held at The Star Event Centre on Thursday.
In a first for Football NSW’s competitions, every senior league award was celebrated in an unforgettable night as over 900 guests enjoyed what was a massive year for the sport in 2023.
There were a number of special guests that attended the Football NSW Gala Awards which included The Hon. Stephen Kamper MP, Eleni Petinos MP (Member for Miranda), David Harris MP (Member for Wyong), Stuart Hodge (CEO of Sport NSW), Adam Santo (Sydney FC CEO), Mark Jensen (GM Operations Western Sydney Wanderers), former Socceroo Les Schienflug, former Charles Valentine Medallists, various Football Australia staff and Football NSW Life Members, along with the Football NSW Board.
With 47 awards presented to clubs and individuals, there were many highlights that took place on a magical evening for the sport.
A new category acknowledging the Assistant Referees was introduced this year as Alexis Johnson and Cameron Wright took the honours for the inaugural award while Mikayla Ryan and Sam Kelly were awarded Referees of the Year in their respective leagues.
The NPL NSW Goal of the Year award was met with some stunning goals, but it was NWS Spirit FC’s Richie Darko who stole the headlines with his 94th minute winner in what was the game of the season as his troops finished 5-4 winners over the Wollongong Wolves in Round 9 of the Men’s competition. There were quality finishes witnessed from both the NPL NSW Men’s and Women’s leagues but as voted by the Football NSW Media department consisting of reporters and commentators, it was Darko’s last gasp strike that sealed the accolade.
The Golden Boot award saw several key attackers honoured with UNSW FC’s Kevin Lopes (23 goals), South Coast Flame’s Bronte Trew (29 goals), Northern Tigers’ Kai Denton (26 goals), APIA Leichhardt’s Ashlie Crofts (24 goals) and Rockdale Ilinden’s Alec Urosevski (27 goals) receiving the plaudits as each individual hit their targets for 2023.
The goalkeepers were next on the list and once again, there were a number of standout keepers that held their own across all competitions. Nepean FC’s Justin Biega, Blacktown City’s Kiara Rochaix, Hills United’s Ryan Wood, Gladesville Ravens’ Romina Parraguirre and APIA Leichhardt’s Ivan Necevski all took out the honours.
Coach of the Year recipients were next in line and as always, it was yet another big year for what is one of the toughest jobs in football. UNSW FC’s Gabriel Knowles, Central Coast Mariners’ Dan Barrett, Hills United’s Luke Casserly, Macarthur Rams’ Stephen Peters, and APIA Leichhardt’s Franco Parisi all took out the top gong for their great seasons.
Hakoah Sydney City East’s loyal serving and influential administrator Jon Pillemer was awarded one of the biggest honours at this year’s Gala Awards with the coveted Charles Valentine Award.
Pillemer epitomises everything that the Charles Valentine Medal stands for.
He was a professional footballer and served on the Hakoah board for 20 plus years but overall has been involved as both a player and administrator in NSW for the last 37 years. It was fitting that he was given a standing ovation by the entire room on the night.
The time had come for the Player of the Year awards in what was the crucial part of the evening as the suspense was at boiling point for all players involved.
Once again, the clubs voted in a 3-2-1 system after each team put forward their best two players for the 2023 season.
Bankstown United’s Mitchell Cross, Central Coast Mariners’ Kaitlin Murphy and St George FC’s Conor Quilligan were all rewarded for stellar seasons while the evening got better for APIA’s Crofts and Ilinden’s Urosevski who both clinched their second awards of the evening and most notably their most important taking out the top honours.
Football NSW would like to congratulate each award recipient as the sport enters the off-season with players and clubs alike ready for an even bigger 2024 year.
2023 Football NSW Gala Awards Winners
Fair Play Award
FNSW League 2 Men – Gladesville Ryde Magic FC
FNSW League 1 Women – Sutherland Shire FA
FNSW League 1 Men – Hills United FC
NPL NSW Women – Illawarra Stingrays FC
NPL NSW Men – Sydney FC
Club Championship
FNSW League 2 Men – UNSW FC
FNSW League 1 Women – UNSW FC
FNSW League 1 Men – Hills United FC
NPL NSW Women – APIA Leichhardt FC
NPL NSW Men – Rockdale Ilinden FC
U20/Reserve Grade Golden Boot
FNSW League 2 Men U20 – Joel Corcoran – Hawkesbury City FC
FNSW League 2 Men U20 – Seisa Melbourne – Fraser Park FC
FNSW League 1 Women U20 – Isabella Stinziani – UNSW FC
FNSW League 1 Men U20 – Samuel Tzanakes – Dunbar Rovers FC
NPL NSW Women Reserve Grade – Clare Holder – NWS Spirit FC
NPL NSW Men U20 – Thomas Lopez – Western Sydney Wanderers FC
U20/Reserve Grade Player of the Year
FNSW League 2 Men U20 – Jayden Ashbourne – Newcastle Jets FC
FNSW League 1 Women U20 – Isabella Stinziani – UNSW FC
FNSW League 1 Men U20 – Sebastian Cerecedo – St George FC
NPL NSW Women Reserve Grade – Clare Holder – NWS Spirit FC
NPL NSW Men U20 – Max Middleby – Central Coast Mariners FC
Assistant Referee of the Year
NPL NSW Women’s – Alexis Johnson
NPL NSW Men’s – Cameron Wright
Referee of the Year
NPL NSW Women’s – Mikayla Ryan
NPL NSW Men’s – Sam Kelly
NPL NSW 2023 Goal of the Year
Richard Darko – NWS Spirit FC
Golden Boot
FNSW League 2 Men – Kevin Lopes – UNSW FC
FNSW League 1 Women – Bronte Trew – South Coast Flame FC
FNSW League 1 Men – Kai Denton – Northern Tigers FC
NPL NSW Women – Ashlie Crofts – APIA Leichhardt FC
NPL NSW Men – Alec Urosevski – Rockdale Ilinden FC
Goalkeeper of the Year
FNSW League 2 Men – Justin Biega – Nepean FC
FNSW League 1 Women – Kiara Rochaix – Blacktown City FC
FNSW League 1 Men – Ryan Woods – Hills United FC
NPL NSW Women – Romina Parraguirre – Gladesville Ravens FC
NPL NSW Men – Ivan Necevski – APIA Leichhardt FC
Coach of the Year
FNSW League 2 Men – Gabriel Knowles – UNSW FC
FNSW League 1 Women – Dan Barrett – Central Coast Mariners FC
FNSW League 1 Men – Luke Casserly – Hills United FC
NPL NSW Women – Stephen Peters – Macarthur Rams Womens FC
NPL NSW Men – Franco Parisi – APIA Leichhardt FC
Charles Valentine Medal
FNSW League 1 Men – Jon Pillemer – Hakoah Sydney City East FC
Player of the Year
FNSW League 2 Men – Mitchell Cross – Bankstown United FC
FNSW League 1 Women – Kaitlin Murphy – Central Coast Mariners FC
FNSW League 1 Men – Conor Quilligan – St George FC
NPL NSW Women – Ashlie Crofts – APIA Leichhardt FC
NPL NSW Men – Alec Urosevski – Rockdale Ilinden FC
