Tuggeranong United FC and Monaro Panthers FC Tell Their Stories and Pinoy Football Aid

This program is broadcast on 20 April 2010 at 7:00PM on 2xxfm, Australian Community Radio Network.

Pinoy Football Aid
This is a fair dinkum local story that gives life to the notion of the "world game"! One Australian in Football, Sorin Clenci, decided he would make a difference for others less fortunate than ourselves. He collects football boots and any other used football gear, packs it up and sends it to the Phillipines to young players. He makes sure it gets to the players in impoverished locations. Recycled football gear. Terrific idea and a good bloke. Get involved or drop your used gear off at Sportman's Warehouse stores, who collect items for Pinoy Football Aid. For all the details go to:
http://pinoyfootball.blogspot.com/

Tuggeranong United FC
The 2009 season was one that gave the club a lot to be pleased about across the PL grades. The 2010 season sees them starting all over again. Players lured away with a fistfull of dollars and others deciding either to take a rest fromt hegame or play on a more social basis. The Club has a good coach, a thinking player's coach, willing workers, lots of young players and not much money. This is a Club that produces players from Rooball to Premier League and they are so often the sort of Club that get's a bad deal at the hands of other PL Clubs who rely on others to produce the talent - then raid it! In today's fast food world, where everything is seemingly negotiable. where instant gratification is too often at teh top of the list of plaer and parent requirements, genuine Community Based Football Clubs are under threat. Let's hope that at the end of this season, after doing all the hard work, the players stay with the club and other clubs keep thier sticky fingers off the Tuggeranong roster. The Head Coach of Tuggeranong has a few things to say that should be noticed by other clubs with little cash to waste on player payments, and Capital Football, when it comes to reviewing the playing rules around the PL Pathways comnpetition. If Clubs like Tuggernanong cannot prosper, the Capital Football Premier League structure will collapse. Simple as that!

Monaro Panthers FC
This is one club that started with the gun at its head! It has been awarded a one year licence to participate in the Capital Football Premier League. Options to follow. So for Monaro Panthers there is no time to waste and they had to get competitive as soon as praciticable and by any reasonable means available to them. That usually means spending money on players. Monaro Panthers are a smart bunch, they have a plan. The most obvious reason for placing them under this pressure is that Monaro Panthers have not fielded senior teams (eg SL1 etc) for a long time and needed to recruit, train and sustain two new senior teams - Pathway and Premier League. Its the obvious safe bet for the Captial Football Board but its not necessarily the best way forward for Monaro Panthers, unless you spend money and make sure every aspect of the "plan" hits the mark. That's a lot of pressure with a lot less than a year to find the players. Their start to the season through the Fed Cup was awful, but they kept their nerve, got the players necessary to do the job on the paddock and now sit top of the table after two rounds. I know, two games do not make make a season, but you have to admit, this is a pretty impressive start and tells you a lot about how this Club will see the season going forward. They are their to win, the luxury (or refuge) of "develop" is not in the "one year" plan. Good luck to them! They deserve it.

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