Pittwater Life Febraury 2024 Issue

esult in the junior club, finishing
3rd. They also had five
players move up to represent
the WAL1s, as we continue to
develop pathways between
junior and senior football.”
It wasn’t just on the fields
of the Northern Beaches that
players made an impact; W16s
player Annmarie de Uriarte
made her national team debut
for the Paramatildas and was
part of the Australian team
that won the 2023 Asian Cup
in Melbourne in October.
“As a club we are so proud
of Annmarie and her achievements.
To see an Avalon
junior who has been playing
at Careel Bay since she was
eight, pull on the green and
gold and score goals and lift
trophies, is incredibly satisfying,”
said JK.
While it feels that the dust
has barely settled on season
2023, the club is already well
into the planning for 2024 and
beyond. The off-season has
given the club the opportunity
to think about the future and
put the building blocks in
place for the club to thrive.
“We met with officials from
FUN: Avalon boasts more than 1000 juniors, with good numbers in their U6s.
Northern Beaches Council
about maintenance and a variety
of improvements for Careel
Bay, as we look to deliver
facilities that our members
can be proud of. We have big
plans for the infrastructure
of the club, as we have grown
so quickly, and we really need
facilities that reflect that
growth,” JK commented.
“We are really looking to
drive our PROJECT 2030 plan
forward in the coming year,
and form sub-committees
dedicated to looking at our
four key pillars – Football
Development; Club infrastructure;
Sponsorship and Marketing;
and Member Services. But
to do this, we need new blood,
and fresh volunteers.
“We have a wonderful,
dedicated committee, but
they are small in number and
as a result we are stretched
very thin. We know there are
some amazingly talented and
smart members of our Avalon
community out there that can
help us achieve our goals, and
we encourage anyone to reach
out as we look to develop the
Avalon Soccer Club of the
future.”
While the future is a focus,
the present season will see
another bumper year of
football, with registrations
on track for a record number,
and all 90+ teams raring to
start training on 4 March.
JK is bullish about the sport
and its trajectory.
“With the Socceroos’ recent
successes and then the Matildas
capturing the country’s
imagination, there’s no better
time to be involved in grassroots
football. There’s no better
place to play football than
Careel Bay.”
– NW
*More info avalonsoccerclub.
com.au
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