Coastal Premier League looks to expand as Bellingen eyes inclusion
After just one and-a-half seasons, clubs have been “knocking on the door” looking to get in on the action.
Coffs Harbour
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The region’s newest sporting competition is already planning to expand before the end of their second season.
Off the back of a successful first season the Coastal Premier League is looking to add two new teams to their 2022 competition, with applications open for North Coast and Mid North Coast football clubs to join.
The inaugural CPL season began with ten clubs and North Coast Football general manager Andrew Woodward said there had been a few clubs “knocking on the door” and raising the prospect of joining the action.
“CPL has been overwhelmingly received positively by players, spectators and media since its arrival last year,” he said.
“The standard of the inter-zone competition is driving the interest from the new clubs.”
When asked if the expansion plans vindicated their decision to revamp the region’s football competitions at the end of the 2019 season, Mr Woodward said it “reaffirmed” there was a desire for a higher level of football on the north coast.
“We have a growing population and good stock of football players already here,” Mr Woodward said.
“In the years ahead we are going to have more people moving to the area as they flee Sydney and Melbourne and with that there will be people that want to go to a higher level and we now have the opportunity to offer that higher level week in week out.”
Mr Woodward said Bellingen FC and Southern United were two clubs with aspirations to join the competition but it was by no means a done deal, with clubs from around the North and Mid North Coast competitions invited to apply.
Should the committees approve additional teams from those applications, it is anticipated there would be one team from the mid-north coast and one from the north coast, which takes in the Coffs and Clarence areas.
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