FootballSSG

02/08/2025

Warriewood Valley ... looking just about as good as it did 11 months ago ...

Explore a place in a more immersive way in Google Maps.

29/07/2025

Even with three days a week, the field at Rat Park was ALWAYS perfectly good for the start of the next rugby season ... click to see time lapse imagery of Rat Park over the years

29/07/2025

What about two days per week? Click to see time lapse imagery of Brookvale Oval (before Council kicked us off that field)

29/07/2025

How much does one day per week of FootballSSG affect a natural grass field? It doesn't ... click to see time lapse imagery of Curl Curl over the years

29/07/2025

I imagine Sport Integrity Australia would be shocked to know what Northern Beaches Council have done to SSG this year ... seems entirely contrary to what the Australian Government is wanting ?

Have your say on the future of sport in Australia!

The Australian Sports Commission is calling on athletes, clubs, coaches, volunteers and fans to share what facilities and infrastructure are needed to support sport at all levels.

Whether it’s your local oval or a high-performance centre, your voice matters.

Complete the survey here: https://zurl.co/fVr2D

Open until 18 August 2025

Let’s help shape safe, inclusive, and integrity-driven spaces for sport.

15/07/2025

Council's decision to limit the community's right to play SSG directly opposes the first and most important Key Action as stated in their Sportsgrounds Strategy 2017 - to "allocate sportsfields based on a needs and participation growth basis".

Not only have Council refused SSG's requests for increased field allocations over the past ten years, they have actually been reducing our access. In 2017 their allocations allowed for 256 mini fields to be used weekly, that was reduced to 198 mini fields in 2020 and goes down again this year.

While our player numbers obviously reduced in 2020/21 (Covid times), we have otherwise been at capacity every year since 2013 and having to tell hundreds of people that there's no room for their team.

Can anyone help me to understand how Council are delivering their most important Key Action in respect of sportsfields with their decision?

In April 2025, Council advised FootballSSG of their decision that all high impact sports - those with lots of players in a concentrated area - will only be permitted to play on artificial turf fields in future. Council advised that their decision will take effect immediately for FootballSSG's Warrie...

09/07/2025

Council continue to deny an estimated 1,000 people from playing sport. And they've gone all quiet when called out on their misleading narrative.

One moment they say they care ("The needs of small sided soccer players are Council’s focus here and I understand staff are working on some other options, to provide sufficient capacity for the current demand.", Clr Ruth Robins, 11th June 2025) ... but in the next communication they reiterate that they do not ("At this stage Council will not be offering an additional location for FoootballSSG in the Warriewood / Narrabeen area.", Vicki Blaskett - Manager Open Space Bookings, 2nd July 2025).

This decision goes directly against the actions that their Sportsgrounds Strategy documents and that they are required to deliver - the first and most important of which is to "Allocate sportsfields based on a needs and participation growth basis" (Northern Beaches Sportsgrounds Strategy July 2017).

If you care that Council don't seem to care ... please complete the survey (AGREE to all statements to support SSG's fight - on behalf of ourselves and all sports - for sensible, equitable and proven-to-be sustainable sportsfield access for everyone).

Together we can protect local playing opportunities for everyone ... and ensure that our youth don't have taken from them the social, physical and mental health benefits that playing sports provide.

In April 2025, Council advised FootballSSG of their decision that all high impact sports - those with lots of players in a concentrated area - will only be permitted to play on artificial turf fields in future. Council advised that their decision will take effect immediately for FootballSSG's Warrie...

30/06/2025

Council claims that FootballSSG's impact to a field is 4 times more than regular soccer, but their math simply doesn't add up. In fact, FootballSSG's impact over a season is almost 75% LESS than regular soccer. Please complete the survey (AGREE to all questions) https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfocHiEaKvp-I09K2ayVtI9OlITBiiXWcDxnGIFzMLCi7V8sQ/viewform to show your support for FootballSSG and to help ensure 1,000 kids don't miss out on playing the sport they love.

Council's statement:
"Small-sided soccer is a high intensity sport which is proven to cause significant damage to turf sportsfields. SSG Football can have 8 simultaneous games, 6 per side, a total of 96 players at one time on a standard full sized soccer pitch. Its impact is 4 times that of an average senior soccer match on the same sized pitch."

The whole truth, however, is different:
At Warriewood Valley, on the area equivalent to 1 standard full size soccer pitch, FootballSSG played on 6 of our mini fields. Correcting and continuing Council’s math, this would be the equivalent of 72 players and therefore suggests 3.3 times more impact that an average senior soccer match on the same sized pitch. HOWEVER, on that pitch, FootballSSG played just 3.8 hours per day for 3 days, therefore, a total of 11.4 hours per week. FootballSSG’s season runs for 11 weeks of play, so the total impact-making utilisation for the year was 125.4 hours.

Comparatively, regular soccer plays games all day Saturday (6.8 hours of play) and Sunday (6.8 hours of play) plus trains on the field Monday through Friday. Even assuming that regular soccer training only takes place for 75% of the time between 5pm and 9pm, Monday to Friday … regular soccer therefore would be impacting the field for 28.7 hours per week. The regular soccer season runs 18 weeks (more if you add pre-season training, pre-season games and finals), so the total impact-making utilisation for the year is 516.6 hours.

The difference is then very, very different … instead of it appearing that FootballSSG impacts the field 4 times more than an average senior soccer match and even allowing for 3.3 times as many players on the field, the math shows that that FootballSSG playing on only one field impacts that field 20% LESS than regular soccer.

AND IMPORTANTLY … if Council would allocate the three separate fields that have been repeatedly requested, FootballSSG’s impact on each of those fields would be almost 75% LESS than regular soccer.

Math doesn't lie!
The following questions need to be answered:
1. Who has made the decision to refuse FootballSSG’s Warriewood-based competitions access to play on grass fields?
2. Why has the decision been made – what is the REAL problem that is being “solved” by this decision?
3. Why are Councillors not representing their constituents by seeking from Council the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth?

In April 2025, Council advised FootballSSG of their decision that all high impact sports - those with lots of players in a concentrated area - will only be permitted to play on artificial turf fields in future. Council advised that their decision will take effect immediately for FootballSSG's Warrie...

12/06/2025

My wife asked me "How can Northern Beaches Council be so prepared to take from children something that is well documented as being positive for them in so many ways?" (or words to that effect). She's university qualified and has worked in Early Childhood Education for over 20 years. She's clever (and really nice).

Perhaps this article on the ABC might help guide their decision making ???

Please complete the survey ( https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfocHiEaKvp-I09K2ayVtI9OlITBiiXWcDxnGIFzMLCi7V8sQ/viewform?usp=header ) , share it and write to your local Councillors ... we need to get this terrible decision reversed.

Why is sport invaluable in early childhood education? Find out in our latest article: https://ab.co/4dTXQg0

ABC Kids Community

11/06/2025

Manly Observer journalist, Avi Vince, has just published this article on our plight ... read it, share it and let's hopefully get Council to make a much more sensible decision for our children!

Startling claims that all high-intensity sports will soon only be allowed to play on synthetic turf fields in the future have been denied by Northern Beaches Council. Council has, however, […]

10/06/2025

Over 850 respondents so far ... please, please, PLEASE ... add your name to the list!

Several hundred letters also mailed today to residents in the streets surrounding Narrabeen Sports HS who will be severely impacted by the traffic chaos caused by so many people converging on a venue that has no car parking facilities.

Council are the cause of this problem, we need to ALL WORK TOGETHER to get them to fix it.

In April 2025, Council advised FootballSSG of their decision that all high impact sports - those with lots of players in a concentrated area - will only be permitted to play on artificial turf fields in future. Council advised that their decision will take effect immediately for FootballSSG's Warrie...

06/06/2025

A (partial) win … but more needs to be done and we need YOUR help to do it.

It seems that the “noise” we’ve all created has caused Council to re-think their decision, at least in relation to all other high impact sports. Earlier this week, a local journalist has been told by Council that their decision is only going to impact FootballSSG’s Warriewood competitions and will not be extended to other sports (which is the exact opposite of what Council told us in consecutive meetings).

So well done and thank you to everyone that’s involved themselves, through the survey and/or through correspondence with Council and Councillors. We’re getting somewhere but we need to keep pushing because, as of now and if we cannot get Council’s decision changed, we’re still in a situation that will result in approximately 1,000 FootballSSGers missing out on playing, now and forever.

We need you to complete the survey and urgently share this with everyone you know and with every Northern Beaches Facebook Group that you’re a member of.

In April 2025, Council advised FootballSSG of their decision that all high impact sports - those with lots of players in a concentrated area - will only be permitted to play on artificial turf fields in future. Council advised that their decision will take effect immediately for FootballSSG's Warrie...