This document has been prepared for new players to Avoca FC and their families but the information contained within is relevant to all players.


What is my registration age?


Please note that your registration age can be different from the team age of your nominated team. You should register in the correct age group as determined by your Date of Birth. The correct group is based on the age you will be turning this calendar year (or have already turned if you have a January birthday). For example, if you turn 8 any time between 1 January and 31 December 2018 then you should register as “under 8”.


Your registration age does not restrict you to the same age group for your team nomination.


No player may nominate in, nor play for a team, of a lower age than their registered age.


Players may nominate in their registered age group, or a team up to 3 years above their registered age group, excluding Overage competitions (M35, M45) providing the player has sufficient physical, mental and playing ability. We often find in the teenage teams particularly that we have fewer players than required to fill a team and so ask some players to play in a team above their registered age. The decision to play above your age will always be made at the clubs discretion depending on numbers.
If you have in previous years registered above your registration age, we encourage you to now correct that registration. As mentioned above, this will not restrict your ability to play in a team age above your registration age.


Registration fees and Process

Age & Amount (early bird)
5 – 9 years $ 205
10 – 12 years $ 215
13 – 18 years $ 249
Senior
(MAA/WAA/035/045) $365
BPL $ 365
*includes Ref Fees and socks

· Registration is through www.playfootball.com.au

An account can be created by using google or a Facebook account, then you can link all your family though the one account.
You must register yourself online. We can assist you with information but as photos must be added at time of registration for anyone U8 and over its difficult for committee members to do. Its not a difficult process, and we have found that using a PC rather than a phone is better. Also the email you will receive can go to your spam folder so please check there if it doesn’t come through.

· Family discount – To all eligible families with multiple players.
o 1-player - no discount
o 2 players - $10 discount (1 player at full cost, 1 player at discount)
o 3 players - $20 discount (1 player at full cost, 2 players at discount)
o 4 players - $30 discount (1 player at full cost, 3 players at discount) etc
o
· Referee fees – Your 2020 registration includes all referee fees for the 2020 season. If your team is not getting a referee consistently (usually affects All Age and teams that play Sundays) then prorata refunds will be offered when refund exceeds $50 for the team.


Active Kids Rebate

For those wishing to use your Active Kids Voucher ($100), you will need to use the code/ voucher during the registration process. You enter the code in the "Voucher" field just before entering payment details (credit card payments only this year.) We can no longer manually claim the voucher and refund, once a player is registered.
If you have forgotten to use the voucher then you will have to use it for another sport, we cannot “retrofit” the voucher and give a refund.


TEAM ORGANISATION
U5-U7- In these age groups we are happy for friends to play together if requested and most teams will be organised quickly once registration is closed in late-February.

U8-U10. These age groups will have an informal “grading” day (usually just 1) to be held on a date to be announced. This age is still “non Competition” so we will are still happy for teams to remain together however if there are kids that are super competitive or “stand out” as at a higher skill level then we may group these kids together to make the teams fairer.

U11- U11 are still non competitive however do participate in a competitive finals tournament to “ready” them for Comp the next year. They will participate in a Grading process with the U12s.

U12-U18. These teams are now in a “Competitive” competition and as such will undergo a grading process. As teams come into the U12 years it can be a hard transition for some as we no longer will automatically allow friends to stay together. Teams will be formed depending on skill level and also on numbers that work for the club.
Each year we have many requests from parents, especially in the U12 and U13 age groups for friends to stay together however this cannot always be accommodated. We must grade teams on skill level in these ages and this will be done by an independent “grading” team. If you believe your child should be given consideration to be in a certain team based on their skill level please contact the club PRIOR to the grading days.


Please remember that committee members are volunteers and do their very best to make kids and parents happy but this is not always possible. Children can and do make new friends, even if placed in a team where they don’t know anyone. This can sometimes be a hard thing, but a great life lesson in dealing with disappointment and learning to adapt. Please support the club and your child if this does happen by encouraging them to be in the team they are placed in.


Dates for grading will be notified as soon as they are known however this can be last minute due to the lack of ground availability during this preseason time. Please follow us on Facebook as this is the quickest way we have to communicate with you. Emails can be sent but these are not always seen in time, especially if wet weather causes a last minute cancellation.

Parent / Guardian participation
Each team requires a coach and a manager in order to participate. In the ages U10 and over teams cannot be nominated in the competitions without both Coach and Manager being registered in Play Football.
We need your support and ask you to consider assisting as either your child’s coach or team manager. If you have never coached / managed before don’t worry, almost none of our existing coaches had until they too were asked to step up and assist their child’s team – most come back again J . You will require a volunteer Working With Children Check (WWCC). This is free for volunteers and is applied for online through Service NSW (see more details about this below).
Please do not expect the club to provide a coach for your team. We are a very large club with over 70 teams. We rely solely on parents to coach the teams, we do not have professional coaches as the cost would be prohibitive.
We have a Coaching Coordinator that will offer training and resources for any new coaches, and also up skilling for existing coaches. The club is also happy to support anyone wanting to do one of the courses run through Central Coast Football. These are highly beneficial and recommended.


Training days

Training days are usually Wednesday or Thursday at Patrick Croke Oval, 39 Melville Street, Kincumber for most Non Comp teams… ie U5-U11. Timing is dependent upon what council allows us but in past years has been between 4:00 pm and 8:00pm each night. We aim to schedule the younger children first.

Time and day will also depend on what your coach can do. They are the ones giving up their time to coach so we try to accommodate what time suits them best.

The higher graded teams (ie A grade) who wish to train twice a week may end up training at Fagans Park Point Claire on a Tues night.

Some older Womens and Mens teams train at Erina High school Wed and Thurs nights but these spots are usually reserved for our Mens premier League and Higher level Womens teams as usage at Erina is highly limited.

Working With Children Check (WWCC)

Football NSW requires all committee members, coaches, managers, canteen staff and grounds persons over the age of 18 to complete a Working With Children Check.
The first step is to submit your Working with Children Check application online by going to www.kidsguardian.nsw.gov.au/check.
Once your application form has been completed online, you will be given an application (APP) number. Then, to complete the application, you must take your application number along with proof of identity to a NSW Motor Registry, RMS Agency, or Service NSW office. Working with Children Checks are free for volunteers

FOOTBALL STRUCTURE ON THE CENTRAL COAST
















Important dates season 2020
   
Draws released
7th Feb - Men’s Battlewin Sports Premier League (BPL)
25th March - Non-comp U5s – U11s
26th March - Comp U12s – U18s
27th March - Seniors and Veterans

Season begins Weekend of 4/5th April.
There are no games Easter weekend (apart from BPL on the Monday) or Anzac dat Say 25th. This will however mean that games will be played through the July School Holidays.

Game days
We encourage you to arrive at the field on game day at least 30 minutes prior to the scheduled start of your match.
There will be times if you are the first team to play on a field that you will be required to get there earlier to help set up the field, and alternatively if you are last on a field, to pack it up.

Saturday Games
All non comp (U5-U11) , M12-M16, O35, O45 all play on Saturdays.

Sunday Games
All Women’s competitions U12 and up.
MAA, WAA.
Mens and Womens Premier League and all play on Sundays.


Fields
Our home ground is ERINA HIGH SCHOOL. This is where you should play the majority of your home games, if you are in the Junior age groups. We do have an overflow ground at Point Claire FAGANS PARK. This is where most of our All Age teams play but younger teams may have to play there on occasion as we are a large club and have too many teams for our home ground. This decision is made by Central Coast Football. Fagans park is a good facility and although a further drive than Erina, we are lucky to have this ground.


We are continuing to work with Central Coast Council and our local community to try to endeavor to obtain a home ground closer to Avoca. This is a long term prospect but regardless the club is working hard to try to secure something closer for our large club.
Heazlett oval is not an option as this is used by the Rugby club.


Where and when you play is determined by Central Coast Football… not by Avoca FC, they decide on the draw and clubs have very limited say in changing the draw once it is published. You will usually have one home game followed by an away game but again, this is decided by CCF, not Avoca FC and can be varied at their discretion.


Once the draw is published (see dates above) we will let you know via Facebook and the website. You must then go to The CCF website www.ccfootball.com.au to view your own team’s individual draw.
Game Guru is an app that is available to purchase that is extremely beneficial as you will be notified of changes to your teams draw. This is a minimal cost (approx. $2) and promoted through CCF.

The club does not publish individual draws as we have over 70 teams. We strongly encourage you NOT to print off the draw as they can change week to week, especially if wet weather interferes, so get in the habit of checking it each week.

Wet weather
In the event of wet weather, we will publish the closure of OUR GROUNDS ONLY. It is up to the team manager or individuals to check the CCF website or Game GURU to check on other grounds that you may be playing at.
The CCF website must become your “go to” site for draw and ground closures. We cannot check every team and every ground for you.
When it comes to our training grounds of Patrick Croke oval, Erina and Fagans, the council decides if the ground is to open during wet weather, not the club, and they usually do not inspect the ground and notify us until after 2pm so please don’t contact us asking if the ground is closed before then. We will post as soon as we know on Facebook and the website.

Cadet Referees
We run a very successful Cadet referee program that uses our own kids to referee the Non Comp Games (U11 and below). These kids must be over 12 to participate. We are usually over subscribed with keen Sharkie kids wanting to be part of this program as they get paid, but more importantly get trained and learn some great skills. We hope that many of these kids go on the be formal senior referees. Our program is very highly regarded and our Cadets often praised for their composure and professionalism.
We value these cadet refs hugely and have a ZERO tolerance of any abuse towards them from coaches, parents, players or any spectators. We protect these kids and report any level of abuse to CCF who take these incidents very seriously. Parents and coaches can and have been suspended from supporting their team if these incidents occur.

Sponsoring our Club
We have many loyal Sponsors of our club who come back year after year to support the kids and our club. We couldn’t run the club without them. As a large club running across 3 fields we need much equipment and resources to enable us to give our members the kind of experience that they expect, and our wonderful sponsors are a very big part of that.


If you’re interested in becoming a sponsor we have several packages to suit your needs.
Please contact Phil Masterton at avocafcmarketing@hotmail.com


We’d like to thank the following loyal sponsors and encourage all our members to use their services.

+Avoca Beach Hotel
+Harcourts Avoca Beach and Copacabana
+Central Coast Floor Master Kincumber +Holbel Constructions
+Mitre 10 Kincumber +TC Excavations +Bizzar Floors +Smith and Sons
+Avoca Beach Seafoods +Deluxe Art – Printing framing and Gallery
+Waterbloc +Taylor Made Solutions +Dumpers Handybins


Uniforms

Shirts Are the property of the Club. They are handed out as an entire kit to the team manager at the muster day starting the season and must be returned as an entire kit at the end of each season. It is Club policy that players DO NOT wear their shirt home from the ground. Many shirts each season go missing as a result of this practice. There are change rooms at every ground if players are self-conscious about changing into the shirt before and after the game. It is also much easier to substitute players from other teams within the Club on occasions when your team is short players if you always have all shirts in the kit. Ideally the washing duties are rotated between reliable parents.
If, for some reason, an additional shirt is required during the season (eg, because an extra player has been added) the team manager should contact: · 11 years and under – Jane Liversley – jane.leivesley@gmail.com ·
12 years and above – Girls contact Mim Moore Mim.avoca.sharks@gmail.com
Boys contact Sean Bermingham sbermingham@y7mail.com

Socks Are provided as part of your registration fee. Socks will be distributed to your coach or manager within the team kit along with the shirts at your team’s muster day. Socks become your individual property to keep. If you need a new pair of socks during the season, these can be purchased at any time throughout the season for $10 at our home ground canteen at Erina High School.

Shorts Are NOT included in your registration fee. Can only be purchased through the Club. Once purchased they become your individual property. These can be purchased at one of the face-to-face registration days or these can be purchased at any time throughout the season for $25 at our home ground canteen at Erina High School.

Shoes – cleats / studs Are NOT included in your registration fee. Can be purchased at any time from any sporting footwear store.

Shin pads Are compulsory. Are not included in your registration fee. Can be purchased at any time from any sporting footwear store.

Contacting us
Contact specific people via the website, in our Contacts section, our Facebook page or email us at avocafcsharks@gmail.com Please be mindful that our preseason time (Feb and March) is the busiest time of the season for us as we get teams organised.
A huge amount goes on behind the scenes so it may take several days for a response.

 Non Comp Muster is as follows.

Sunday,  18 February 2018
Central Coast Grammar
​Arundel Road, Erina Heights (enter via Carlton Road)

Venue:  School Hall

• ​​U5s ...... 8:00 am
• U6s ...... 9:00 am
• U7s ...... 10:00 am
• U8s ...... 11:00 am

 Venue:  Hockey Pitch

• U9s ..... 9:00 am
• U10s .. 10:00 am
• U11s .. 11:00 am

All players MUST be registered before muster.

Avoca Fc  Women’s Div 1 is seeking players to join their young and talented teams for 2018 season and beyond.
For more information please contact:
Sam Panetta  0438824457
Gabby Bowles  0411175211 

A great article on 442's website by Adrian Deans from the Avoca 45's
​
https://www.fourfourtwo.com.au/analysis/small-clubs-big-cultures-476412

I'd like to welcome you to season 2018 and start by introducing myself. My name is Justine and this will be my first year as President of Avoca FC. I’m extremely proud to be this clubs first female president, and I’m sure not the last as we have a very dynamic and strong history of women’s football in our club.


I’ve been involved with the club now for around 12 years, 8 on the committee as Equipment Manager so I’m sure my face is familiar to most of you. It’s a daunting task following Mark Norris, our previous President, but I’m surrounded by a very passionate committee, most familiar faces, and some fantastic new ones who will help me guide the Avoca FC ship this year.


I’d like to thank our previous President of 5 years Mark Norris, I’m very humbled to be following in his footsteps as he has left very big shoes to fill. Mark has been an outstanding leader in our club, and will continue to play a role behind the scenes.


As a club we manage to grow, season after season, and I know this is because we are well run and well organised and I’m sure this will continue, although we are always looking for more help and new faces to help us carry on this way. We are a huge club, 3rd biggest on the coast and as such need a strong group of helpers and volunteers. This doesn’t mean you have to take up a committee position, but may just mean a few hours throughout the season to help in small ways. Please contact us if you think you can contribute. We are nothing without the help of volunteers.

See below schedule for our Men’s Premier League Squad.
Players interested in joining our squad are encouraged to contact Head Coach Shane Knight on 0408 289 829; Reserve Grade Coach Chris Bellingham on 0412 161 061 or Squad Manager Ray Collins on 0488 784 404.
• Sun 14 Jan – 4pm, Shark Tower Avoca Beach
• Sun 21 Jan – 4pm, Tumbi High School, no boots
• Tues 23 Jan – 6pm, Tumbi High School, no boots
• Thurs 25 Jan – 6pm, Tumbi High School, no boots
• Sun 28 Jan – 9am, Avoca Shark Tower
• Tues 30 Jan – 6pm, Tumbi High School, no boots
• Thurs 1 Feb – 6pm, Tumbi High School, no boots
• Sun 4 Feb – 9am, Avoca Shark Tower
• Tues 6 Feb – 6pm, Tumbi High School, no boots
• Thurs 8 Feb – 6pm, Tumbi High School, no boots
• Sun 11 Feb – Trials v Ourimbah @ Pluim #3, 10am, 12pm, 2pm
• Tues 13 Feb – 7pm to 9pm, Pluim #2
• Thur 15 Feb - 6:30-8:00pm 1st grade Soccer 5’s. 2nd and 3rd grade Avoca Shark Tower (6pm).
• Sat 17 Feb – 5pm to 7pm, Pluim #1
• Tues 20 Feb – 7pm to 9pm, Pluim TF
• Thurs 22 Feb - 6:30-8:00pm 1st and 2nd grade Soccer 5’s. 3rd grade Avoca Shark Tower (6pm).
• Sun 25 Feb – Trials v East Gosford @ Blood Tree Oval Mangrove Mountain 10am, 12pm, 2pm all 3 grade teams
• Tues 27 Feb – 7pm to 9pm, Pluim #3
• Thurs 1 March - 6:30-8:00pm Soccer 5’s all grades.
• Sun 4 March – Trials v Belmont Swansea, ground and times TBC
• Tues 6 March – 7pm to 9pm, Pluim #2
• Fri 9 March – 7pm to 9pm, Pluim #2
• Tues 13 March – 7pm to 9pm, Pluim TF
• Thur TBC
• BPL Round 1 – weekend 16, 17 & 18 March; day, time and venue TBC
• Tues 20 March – 7pm to 9pm, Pluim #3
• Training venues TBC
• BPL Round 2 – weekend 24 & 25 March; day, time and venue TBC
• BPL Round 3 – Easter weekend 1 & 2 April; day, time and venue TBC
​• Training from 3 April Tuesdays & Thursdays 7pm, venues TBC

Playing soccer in 2018 ? The NSW Government $100 Active Kids Rebate will be available for eligible activities from 31 January 2018 for children aged 4.5 years – 18 years.
To use the rebate for your soccer registration you must apply for your rebate voucher and unique code at Service NSW BEFORE registering - whether online or in person.
Extract from the government guidelines
How to apply for and redeem vouchers. There are four simple steps:
1. Visit sport.nsw.gov.au/activekids. Read the Guidelines and Fact Sheets to learn about the program.
2. Visit service.nsw.gov.au and create or login to your MyServiceNSW Account.
3. Complete an Active Kids application through your MyServiceNSW Account. You will receive a voucher with a unique ID number for each child you register (available to download, print and email).
4. Redeem your voucher: log onto My Football Club to register and enter the voucher ID number.
This is the only way to claim your discount. The club WILL NOT be offering cash refunds. We have no way to facilitate this.
Avoca FC registration (for under 18s) will open online at www.myfootballclub.com.au on 31 January 2018. All those over 18, seniors and veterans can register from 1st Jan.
Face-to-face registration and information days will be held on Saturday, 3 and Saturday, 10 February 2018 at Avoca Beach Hotel and Resort (more details to follow).
Further details will be posted on the website and our Facebook page as soon as possible.