Pittwater Life Febraury 2024 Issue

Avalon Soccer eyeing
more growth in 2024
News
After a few tough
seasons impacted by
COVID and Sydney’s La
Nina rain, Avalon Soccer Club
reports it was great to have
a virtually uninterrupted
2023 – with Careel Bay once
again packed with players
young and old throughout the
winter months, as an incredible
93 teams took to the field
in the famous red shirt.
“Last season we ended up
with 1,252 players, and of that
playing group 1,001 of those
were juniors, as we continue
to grow in our youngest ages,
especially the U6 group,” said
club President John Kowtan
(JK).
“We also had 384 registered
female players, meaning
nearly a third of the club was
girls and women, a number
that we have proudly seen
grow every single year. This
season we have a new competition
for U7 girls on a Sunday
and with that coming in, and
the halo effect of the Matildas
and the World Cup, I think
the numbers will continue to
flourish.”
On the field Avalon saw
mixed results as several successful
2022 teams moved
PREMIERS: The League and Grand Final-winning U13/3 boys.
into higher divisions. Yet
despite the challenges, the
club still produced six Semi
Finalists, a Grand Finalist and
a Grand Final champion.
“A huge congratulations to
our League and Grand Final
winning U13/3 team, coached
by Roger Barber, who won the
double and ended up with a
positive goal difference of
95, taking the competition by
storm,” JK said.
“We also saw positive
results and growth in our U14
– U18 boys teams, with strong
performances in division 2,
and a number of players stepping
into older age groups to
continue their development.
“On the women’s side, we
proudly fielded division 1
teams in W12-W16s, with our
W16/1s achieving the best
24 FEBRUARY 2024
The Local Voice Since 1991