Football Gold Coast: Legends FC proving age is just a number in Coast League shake-up
Their inclusion raised eyebrows, with some labelling them 'cannon fodder', but through two rounds Legends FC has proved age is just a number.
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THEIR inclusion in the highly-competitive Coast League 1 was initially met with scepticism, however the experienced heads at Legends Football Club have quickly proved age is just a number.
After 30 years as an entity dedicated to keeping footballers on the pitch past their prime, Legends FC decided to break the mould in 2021.
Under the leadership of captain-coach Haroldo Negrao, the club, which has an age cap of 30 or over, entered teams in the Coast League 1 and Coast League 1 Reserves competitions this season.
The decision immediately raised eyebrows among rivals, who wondered whether teams with an average age of 41 could mix it with players many years their junior.
Those questions have seemingly been answered, with Legends FC so far four wins from four outings across the two teams.
“We joke that other clubs take them from the cradle to the football pitch; we take them from the football pitch to the grave,” club president Anthony Farr said.
“There were a few sceptics at first, saying we would be cannon fodder, and while we aren’t necessarily in perfect physical condition, these boys have been playing football their whole lives.
“Football Gold Coast has been great about it. They saw the value in putting us in and so far it’s been great.”
Farr said the club, which he termed “the world’s best men’s shed” started as a way for players pushed out of regular competitive football to get their kicks elsewhere.
Boasting 50 teams and more than 500 players, Legends FC hosts matches four nights a week at its Musgrave Ave home ground.
“We’ve got a guy who is 72, and plenty in their 60s, who come each week to play football,” Farr said.
“What’s really great about it is it’s bringing people together, keeping them active and it has great physical and mental health benefits.”
Club captain Negrao, 45, said even he had been surprised at the winning start the Coast League 1 and Reserves teams had made to the year.
“We thought it would be a very hard competition, and it is,” the Brazilian said.
“When you’re playing against young boys … you expect to play well in the first half but in the second half they’ll smash us. But I think we’ve done well and finished very strong (in both games) so far.”
Negrao said the goal now was to finish top four and play finals.
Legends FC host Tamborine Mountain Eagles on Sunday. Reserves kick-off at 1.55pm and Seniors at 4pm.
Nerang Eagles forward Shaun Robinson breaks competition record with 11.2-second opening goal
NERANG Eagles Soccer Club’s Shaun Robinson has written himself into the national record books after setting a new benchmark for the fastest-ever goal in an FFA Cup fixture.
Robinson’s opener, just 11.2 seconds from kick-off, eclipsed the previous mark of 26 seconds set by Heidelberg United’s Dan Heffernan in the 2015 national knockout competition.
It was an ominous warning of what was to come for visitors Bribie Island FC, who were thoroughly outclassed by their Gold Coast Premier League hosts 11-nil on Saturday.
But it was the opening goal which captured all the attention – Robinson turning in a simple strike from the middle of the 18-yard box after a ruthless Nerang press from the opening kick-off dispossessed the Bribie defence.
“They went backwards, we pinched the ball and broke through,” Robinson said.
“It (the 11-second goal) will definitely be hard to beat, but at the end of the day I just tapped it in – it was the pressing from all the other lads that got us in that position to be able to do that.
“I just got on the end of it. That’s my job, so I just did my job and we got lucky.”
Nerang coach Lee Vernon said he asked his side to show “a little bit of a ruthless streak” in their first competitive hitout of the year and the Eagles came through in spades.
“With FFA Cup games there’s not a lot of information on the opposition at times; we didn’t have a lot on Bribie Island and didn’t know what to expect. But for us it was all about attitude and discipline – I was after a little bit of a ruthless streak and (while) we missed that last season, that was the focus (on Saturday),” Vernon said.
The win and record-setting goal from Robinson left Vernon feeling confident of another quality performance ahead of the Eagles’ next FFA Cup clash this Sunday, against newly-minted FQPL2 outfit Taringa Rovers.
“I’m optimistic about some of the new players we’ve brought in and some of the players who are back from injury from last season,” Vernon said.
“They’re like new signings now so there’s a lot of positives to look at for Nerang.”
Nerang’s 11-goal outing made them the best-performed Gold Coast club in action during the slate of FFA Cup Round 2 fixtures at the weekend.
Southport, Surfers Paradise and Palm Beach also banked convincing wins to advance to the next stage of the national knockout competition.
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