SA’s soccer’s lost wartime tribute found; Youth exodus continues; Italian ref plans KI match; Matilda backs Hindmarsh for World Cup
A seemingly lost tribute to SA soccer’s wartime sacrifices found in Adelaide’s suburbs; plans for a KI soccer match ramp up; and a Matildas great backs Hindmarsh for World Cup action, all in 90 Minutes.
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A PIECE of state soccer history, honouring the nation’s wartime sacrifices, has been located in suburban Adelaide and there are growing calls to preserve it for future generations.
On August 3, 1941, the SA Soccer Football Association planted 125 white cedar trees at Rowley Park as a tribue to local players who had enlisted to serve in World War II.
But within eight years the Brompton venue, which had initially been intended to become the home of SA soccer, had been leased off and converted into a speedway track.
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While the association moved 3km to the now Hindmarsh Stadium, the trees were thought to have been swallowed up by the housing development that took over the site in the 1990s.
That was until a discovery by Melbourne-based soccer historian Ian Syson last week, who spotted a number of them still standing in and around dwellings on the former ground.
“We thought probably the trees had been chopped down to make way for the new housing estate,” said Dr Syson, a retired academic from Victoria University.
“But there are still scores of those trees left and they’ve built the new housing estate around the trees.
“Each of them was planted to represent a South Australian soccer enlistment in the second World War.
“If each tree is for a soldier, some of those trees would represent a dead soldier and someone killed at war.
“They have a sacred significance.”
Dr Syson’s images show the trees dotted around John Hindmarsh Frontage, Francis Ridley Circuit and Rowley Lane in the development, which borders Torrens Rd.
The FFA history subcommittee member, who is compiling a book titled Newcastle Soccer Anzacs, said the find had encouraged him to expand his project to cover other states.
He hoped acknowledgment on the site’s soccer history, similar to the plaque recognising its past speedway activity, would commemorate the memorial and protect the trees.
“It was actually a soccer ground before it was used for speedway,” said Dr Syson, who believed about 80 per cent of soccer players across Australia enlisted for military service.
“It’s important, but sometimes soccer doesn’t understand it’s own connection with this history.
“The AFL and the rugby league have built a connection with Anzac over the last 20 years or so, but soccer has stood by and watched.
“Soccer has as much right to claim an Anzac connection, because soccer basically halted itself during the first World War and the other codes not so much as they kept playing.”
KANGAROO Island could host its first international soccer match with an Australia versus Italy clash in the embryonic stages of being developed as a fixture next year. The idea is the brainchild of Italian Serie B referee Dario Melidoni.
Melidoni immediately contacted the FIGC (Italian football federation) who will donate official Azzurri kits for the clash.
Melidoni is based on the island working for Amadio Wines Kangaroo Island Cellar Door.
He is working towards becoming a permanent Australian resident after two years on the island.
Although the prospect of hosting Napoli striker Lorenzo Insigne or Socceroos Aaron Mooy are zero Melidoni wants to the Italo/Australian community to participate in a clash for the goodwill of the game on the island.
He had recently approached Kangaroo Island’s Council and Football Federation SA to see if 4000 plus residents would endorse a soccer team.
Frank Pangallo, SA Best’s member of the South Australian Legislative Council also met Melidoni in a bid to explore the options before the Italy v Australia concept was raised.
“The Italian federation are sending the official kits and we’re looking to play this match at Kingscote or Penneshaw Oval,’’ Melidoni said.
“I still have plans to form the first soccer club on Kangaroo Island and there has been contact from the (SA) federation.
“I would really love for the new club to have the colours of Napoli, it’s where I was born too.”
Melidoni had first been in contact with Greg Griffin, general counsel for the Australian Professional Football Clubs' Association and a member of the 2023 FIFA women’s World Cup bid steering committee, about why Kangaroo Island doesn’t have a soccer team.
There are also plans to have an Italian style festa after the historic match.
AN SA Matildas great has thrown her weight behind Hindmarsh Stadium hosting matches should Australia succeed with its 2023 Women’s World Cup bid.
Di Alagich watched on proudly as the national team beat Chile 1-0 in front of 10,340 fans at the venue on Tuesday night – its first match in Adelaide in 13 years.
The 86-cap defender, who helped Australia reach the 2006 Asian Cup final at Hindmarsh, said the ground was ideally suited to staging matches should the showpiece event come to SA.
“It’s such a great venue to have the World Cup being played there,” said Alagich, who appeared in three World Cups and two Olympics for the Matildas.
“It just makes sense that it’s a venue that’s chosen.
“Hopefully everyone gets on board with the bid and hopefully South Australia supports that bid, which I know they will.
“It would be absolutely brilliant to see a few of the World Cup games played in Adelaide.”
The state government was initially reluctant to back Football Federation Australia’s bid to host the World Cup, amid concerns over venue demands and a lack of assurances over fixtures.
But Premier Steven Marshall on Tuesday said the state would assist the push to bring the tournament to Australia, meaning matches would be held in Adelaide should it succeed.
It remained to be seen whether the 16,500-capacity Hindmarsh or the 53,500 Adelaide Oval would be selected to stage games.
🇦🇺 Dit shirt van DUNO, dat hem trouwens helemaal niet misstaat, ruilt Cali Daniel binnenkort in voor het truitje van Para Hills Knights. Met andere woorden: de jeugdinternational van weleer wordt Avonturier. Crikey, wat mooi Cali! 👌 pic.twitter.com/V96MgeXXEv
— FC De Avonturiers (@FCDeAvonturiers) November 6, 2019
PARA Hills appears close to landing a former Dutch youth international as its first recruit for the coming National Premier Leagues SA season.
The Knights last week shared a Twitter post by a Netherlands-based football account claiming 21-year-old striker Cali Daniel was on his way to the northern suburbs club in January.
While Para Hills officials were yet to officially confirm the signing, it looks a done deal and a welcome boost to new coach Theo Tsiounis’ plans for the campaign ahead.
Deventer-born Cali progressed through the youth ranks of Vitesse Arnhem and appeared for the top flight outfit’s under-21 side, before moving to second-tier NEC.
The 187cm hitman played in the Netherlands under-17 side alongside the likes of Manchester United defender Timothy Fosu-Mensah in 2014.
Daniel has most recently been playing in the Dutch fifth-tier for VV Duno Doorwerth.
SOUTH Australia’s Leeds United legend Tony Dorigo snuck into Australia just for the second time in two years.
He told 90 MINUTES he would visit Adelaide briefly during his break after spending time in Cairns, Noosa, Gold Coast and Sydney.
According to those in the know Dorigo has also booked a wine tour of the Barossa Valley.
Dorigo is a busy man working in media for BT Sport, IMG, Input Media, LUTV, beIN SPORTS as well as Leeds United and various corporate speaking events.
THE SA youth player exodus continued last week when Adelaide United and Flamengo legend Cassio’s son Bernardo Oliveira became the sixth player to head to Melbourne in the space of 12 months.
Bernardo, 15, has joined Melbourne City and he won’t be short on South Australian friends given Joe Gauci, Kerrin Stokes, Yaya Dukuly and Rapha (Borges Rodrigues) have already joined the club.
Australian under 17 international Luis Lawrie-Lattanzio has joined Melbourne Victory.
Bernardo, 15, was last year named player of the tournament when he represented SA at the Australian national championships.
He has signed a scholarship contract and will train with City’s first team.
“Bernardo is an exciting young prospect for us and we are really excited he has chosen Melbourne City,’’ said City’s football director Michael Petrillo.
“We believe he is one of the best players in the 2004 crop of Australian players we have been scouting and we’re looking forward to see how he develops in a professional environment over the next few years at City.
“It is a testament to the work we are doing here for Bernardo to decide to make City his club of choice.”
TOP flight SA club MetroStars have revealed a commemorative logo to celebrate its impending 25-year anniversary.
The Klemzig-based outfit began life in the SA Amateur Soccer League as Metro Knights in 1995, before joining the federation ranks in 1999.
It had since gone on to claim three state championships and five Federation Cups, as reflected in the small stars at the top and the bottom of the new badge.
MetroStars crowning achievement came in 2014 when it claimed the national NPL title, represented by a large star on the emblem.
The club will use the anniversary logo throughout the 2020 NPL SA season.
LONG-serving SA state junior coach Elvis Markov is set to be announced as the new boss of Adelaide United’s reserves team.
Markov was also a first division striker for Polonia (Croydon Kings) and USC Lion in the 1980s.
LOOK how the State League 2 pitches measure up now after the NPL and State league 1 showed up a number of disparities which is detrimental to the game’s development in keeping pitches uniform.
Let’s see how they measure up after we exposed that NPL cub pitches were not uniform and perhaps detrimental to development.
Hindmarsh Stadium’s 105m x 68m is FIFA perfect standard pitch.
Here are the pitch regulations in Australia:
A-League: 105m x 68m wide, unless otherwise approved by FFA in writing.
FFA Cup final round matches (from round of 32): (a) Preferred: 105m x 68m: (B) Minimum: 100m x 64m wide; (C) Maximum: 110m x 75m.
W-League: 105m x 68m. Variations to these dimensions may be permitted with the prior written approval of FFA, however they must remain within a scope of 100-110 metres in length and 64-75 metres in width.
NPL: Up to each state member federation (FFSA approves minimum length 90m and a maximum length of 120m. A minimum width of 45m and maximum width of 90m.
National Premier League Finals Series – 100-110 metres in length, 64-75 metres wide
WNPL: up to each Member Federation
National Youth League: 105m x 68m. FFA may grant permission for clubs to use a field of play within the scope of 100-110 metres in length and 64-75 metres in width.
These are the sizes of the State League 1 pitches in SA this season.
And it’s obvious some State League 1 home clubs had very distinct advantages judging by the size of these pitches according to Google Maps.
Warning, however, Google Maps isn’t entirely up to date.
Adelaide Hills – Hawks Nest – 104m x 69m – Grass
Gawler Eagles – Karbeethan Reserve – 96m x 68m – Grass
Pirates – Taperoo Reserve – N/A – Grass (not available on Google Maps yet)
Vipers – St Clair Oval – N/A – Grass (no fences and not available on Google Maps yet)
Northern Demons Port Pirie – Byrne Park – 100m x 63m – Synthetic
Adelaide Cobras – Weigall Oval – N/A – Grass (under construction this year, Cobras played at a number of venues)
Eastern United – Athelstone Reserve – 108m x 70m – Grass
The Cove – The Cove – N/A– Grass (not available on Google Maps)
Adelaide University – Graduates Oval – 100m x 59m – Grass (no fences)
UniSA – UniSA Magill – 90m x 50m – Grass (no fences)
Modbury Vista – Richardson Reserve – N/A – Synthetic (pitch under construction in 2019)
Mount Barker – Cornerstone College – N/A – Grass (no fences) Not available on Google Maps.
SA PLAYERS ABROAD
Brandon Borrello — Freiburg (Bundesliga): Unused substitute in the 1-0 home win over Eintracht Frankfurt.
Alex Chidiac — Atletico Madrid (women’s Spanish Primera Division): Recovering from an ankle injury.
Ben Garuccio — Hearts (Scottish Premier League): Recovering from an ACL injury.
Meni Haralampopoulos — Acharnaikos (Greek Gamma Ethniki): Did not play.
Awer Mabil — Midtylland (Danish Super League): Played 88 minutes in the 4-1 victory against Copenhagen.
Andrew Marveggio – Macva Sabac (Serbian Super League): Unused substitute in the 1-0 home defeat to Vojvodina.