5-a-side Tournament Report

One of the highlights of the weekend was the aforementioned 5-a-side tournament at Harbord. The Sydney Blues were desperately unlucky not to qualify for the finals — if only there was an Intertoto Cup or Fair Play league to qualify!

Thanks to all who played, especially Steve from Perth and Josh from Melbourne.

The Tartan Army were first up, and Roberto Mattcini looked to have pulled off a managerial masterstroke when he unveiled new signing George Dindane, and subsequently played the natural left-back in the right wing position. Dindane made the most of the opportunity, firing in the first goal with his right foot from near half-way, and then later in the match having the audacity to chip the keeper (in 5-a-side, mind) for his second. It wasn’t enough for the Blues though, as they stumbled to a 3-3 draw.

The Blues fell behind almost immediately, thanks to an unfortunate own goal by Brendo, and were always struggling to get back in the contest. Easily our worst performance of the day, against a side that was more intent with fighting amongst themselves than the opposition! It was only some world-class saves from keeper RoHart that kept City in the match.

A poor performance against Australia put City in the near impossible position of requiring two wins from their last two fixtures to qualify for the next round. A tired Liverpool side, reduced to a squad of seven due to injury and playing their third match out of a possible four, were always there for the taking if City were good enough. And they were no match for an inspired City, comfortably taking the match with the goals equally shared.

New boys Steve-from-Perth and Dave destroyed the tired Liverpool team, countered with the husband and wife combination of Brendo and Age in defense, it was a comfortable three points for the Blues.

City were still on course for the finals, however they had to overcome the undefeated Everton to do so. City took the lead early courtesy of a fortunate own goal, where the keeper was more distracted with a ball from another match. Once in the lead, the Blues switched to a defensive approach, with Crouchy, Darren Bellamy and Jameo relying on their trackbackability to neutralize any Everton threat.

Supersub Josh hit the post with his first touch of the match, but it was Crouchy who gave City the lead, latching on to a through-ball from man-of-the-day Jameo. However, Everton threw everything forward and equalized in the dying seconds, RoHart unable to keep the low shot out. It must be said though that this match seemed to finish remarkably early — a case of Reverse Fergie Time, perhaps?

Whilst a win and two draws was enough to claim third spot in the group, it was not enough to qualify for a wildcard entry into the quarter finals. Just like under Mark Hughes, too many draws were costly, as City were bundled out in a very respectable ninth out of 17 teams.

The Sydney Blues 5-a-side Squad
Back Row: Brendan "Brendo The Jet", Nathan "God Squad", Dave, Josh-from-Melbourne, Steve-from-Perth, Benny "The Germ", Matt "Roberto Mattcini/Crouchy"
Front Row: Adriana, George "Dindane", Rohan "Ro-Hart"
Insets: Andrew "Jameo", Darren "Bellers"

"What we're trying to achieve here..."

Sorry for the Mark Hughes quote to kick things off, but obviously (shit, there's another one) the start of the Australian Blues weekend is nearly upon us.

Although there is no doubt it will be a fantastic few days of football, drinking, and drinking, there is another reason we are running the weekend — to work out how both Sydney and Perth can get bigger and better.

I've listed a few items on the agenda that we would like to discuss. And hopefully, we can use the vast experience of the Perth lads to increase our presence in Sydney. We'll come back in a week or so and post the findings from the talks!

• Make the weekend a regular occurance. Alternating yearly between the eastern and the western seaboard.
• Improving dialogue between our supporter clubs, and exchanging contact details. And making these available for everyone.
  
• Using our collective experience to help grow Melbourne, Brisbane, and Adelaide. There are plenty of Blues there, we know there are — but the hardest part is getting them all in the one place at the one time!
  
• Official Supporters' Club status for Sydney — is it feasible? is it worth it? We will have to have an executive and a monthly meeting if this is the case. A proper meeting, with minutes and everything, not just beers at trivia!
• A one-stop website that the first-time fan can stumble upon and find all the information they need for the area they live — who to contact, where to watch games, how to get involved.
• Should we consider one identity and badge for all Australian branches?
• Lesson in Pride is currently the only Australian-based City blog. Do we allow contributions and post information from other states and other branches?
  
• And any other idea to find more Blues, and what more can we do to continue to grow.

We'll probably just get pissed and all of this will be forgotten, but we hope to have some answers to our questions by the weekend's conclusion.

We hope to see you there.

So four people get into a lift...

In a Sydney harbourside hotel four people from Perth, originally from England, board a lift to head out and explore the harbourside. Not long after another couple enter the lift and by talking to each other give away their accent.

Manchester.

After a quick exchange between all parties its discovered they are all Mancunians, Manchester City fans, currently living in Perth, and holidaying in Sydney.

Why? The Australian M.C.F.C Supporters Weekend.

I met with a few of these intrepid lions-come-sandgroppers last night for a quiet ale and I can say with no uncertainty that this weekend is going to be magic.

Whilst people may not fully understand the concept of flying across Australia to watch a game of football on TV, its nights like last night that make you realise you are part of something special. Put together a couple of beers, a few stories, laughs, tips on the best cafes and shops, a bit of Sydney v Perth banter and a generally great evening was had by all.

Of course we discussed all things football and talked about results, players, history and the future, and I believe by the end of the weekend we will have covered every person to ever pull on the sky blue!

Dave, one of the Perth MCFC fans said it best: "if it wasn't for Man City, we wouldn't all be sitting here." He's right. One of the things I've always loved about City is the way it brings you together with people you may have never met before. People from all walks of life, from all corners of the country and beyond.

So as the weekend approaches, if you were umming and ahhing about coming along I can say this.

Don't miss out.

At the end of the day if City lose, then City lose. The best part will surely be the friends you make and the adventures we share. For many people this is a holiday to see Sydney, and for Sydneysiders its a great chance to see your city from a different angle and perhaps do some things you wouldn't normaly do in your own backyard!

See you all in Darling Harbour tomorrow night with your fashionable bowling shoes ready! If you're in earlier or want to meet up get in touch with Matt or Brendan and they'll point you in the right direction!

See you tomorrow night!

Supporters' Club 5-a-side fixtures released

Dear City Fans,

To all of those who are participating in the upcoming 5-a-side tournament as part of the Australian Supporters Weekend in Sydney here are the pools for the competition as well as a couple of ground rules.

After a few enquiries regarding footwear, trainers and rubber studs are all good but NO Blades, shin pads are compulsory, should you have a specific enquiry then please do not hesitate to get in touch.

The pitches are 3rd generation artificial surfaces which means that should the weather turn the competition will not be affected.

The first games will start at 10:00am prompt, each group will have its own pitch and pitch number 4 will be available for teams to practice.

The top two from each group will progress along with the two best placed 3rd teams, should it be a tie then it will be decided on goals scored not goal difference.

The venue is the Kikoff centre which is at Harbord Bowling Club with the address being Cnr Bennett Street & Stirgess Ave, NSW 2096, probably an idea to google map it and send out – very easy to find. http://www.harbordbowlingclub.com.au/contact

At the site there are changing facilities and there is ample parking space alongside the Club.

Group 1
Aston Villa
Australia
Northern Ireland
Portsmouth
Lokomotive Cove
Cardiff City

Group 2
Everton
Tartan Army
Manchester City
Liverpool
Australia 2 (not the yacht)
Spurs

Group 3
Sydney Benfica
Rangers
Sydney Brazil
Celtic
Ireland
Awaiting confirmation on final spot.

For Man City the group is an interesting one. We face defending Champions Everton, who have a striker who is simply unbelievable. Also in the group are our bunnies, Liverpool who we defeated 3-1 after trailing 1-0, with only 6 players to their 12! The Tartan Army seemed only interested in the drinking last time, and Australia 2 are an unknown quantity.

For City to qualify wins over Liverpool, the Tartans, and Spurs should be what we are looking for. Any sort of points against Everton will be a bonus.

Regardless of our result the day should be good fun (especially if you like Ukulele music) and City will be there to represent in the good spirit and good humour we are known for.

Looking forward to seeing you soon!

Final Itinerary: 1st MASSIVE Australian Blues Weekend

For those finalising their plans, this is the schedule for the weekend.

Dear City Fans,

Fresh off the back of a 2-0 win over Bolton here is the final itinerary for the upcoming weekend in Sydney. We’ve had a great response so far with people really warming to the idea which will hold us in good stead for the future of the concept.

There has been a slight change to the arrangements due to another event clashing with ours. Fortunately the change is for the better! The Sunday was scheduled to be a day off to see Sydney but has now been changed due to the Supporters Club 5-a-side tournament. The Sydney supporters had entered a team in this earlier but when given the dates recently discovered that it coincided with our weekend festivities. The good news is that instead of having 6 people (like last time) we will be able to bring our entire supporters club along and everyone should get the chance to play in the Sky Blue should they desire!

The plan is now as follows:

Friday 19 February 8pm: Bowling
Kingpin Bowling Bar http://www.kingpinbowling.com.au/

This is the start of the party with a game of ten pin and a few beers(soft drinks for the kids and designated drivers!) to introduce ourselves, have a laugh and enjoy a game of Ten Pin Bowling. The cost for bowling is $16 per person for the game, payable on the night, plus whatever you eat or drink. We will be running some games on the night as well such as pool comps and the like and you’re free to do as little or as much as you like.

10pm: Darling Harbour

On a fine summers night there really aren’t many places better than Darling Harbour. Its filled with restaurants, night clubs, bars, street performers, incredibly expensive yachts and people from all over the world. Those with families may wish to stroll around and wonder through the parks, or ride the Ferris wheel overlooking the Harbour. Those who are grown up can head into any number of bars, or trek further into town. Chinatown and George St are close by, the Rocks area isn’t far and is filled with Sydney’s convict history (and pubs) and you will have a blast no matter the direction you head. We will leave this open and decide on the night. Some people may wish to go off on their own or the group may indeed take to a bar together!

Saturday 20 February 10am: Sydney Bus Tour

Unfortunately our Blue Bus that we had is still undergoing repairs, and indeed the Museum that operates it is in some trouble itself. There is an alternative, and you’re not going to like part of it, the Sydney Explorer. This is a fantastic ride that lets you hop-on/hop-off as you like along the tour and simply get back on when the next bus comes. It covers the entire city and you get to see everything you’ve seen on a postcard in real life! The cost is $40 for adults and $20 for children ($97 for family ticket of 2 adults and any number of children from the same family.) The part you won’t like? The bus is red. So that means Blue shirts are mandatory that day!

We will take time to stop midway through for a picnic lunch in the Botanic gardens, a lovely spot overlooking the Harbour, the Opera House and of course, lots of flowers!

The bus also includes lots of vouchers to other attractions in Sydney should the tourist bug bite really hard! To board the bus we will meet at Town Hall at 10am, but will wait for the half past bus for any late-comers.

Saturday 8pm: Dinner
Bowlers Club of NSW http://www.bowlersclub.com.au/

Located in the middle of the City the Bowlers Club is a great venue and has some lovely function rooms, one of which is hours for the evening! Here we will be served a Chinese buffet and drinks, whilst we watch some highlights and lowlights of City throughout the year and enjoy some live music from a couple of our very own Blues!

At this stage it is uncertain as to whether the FOX Sports team will be able to join us due to their work commitments but hopefully they will be there to talk all things football and sign some autographs for the truly keen.

The cost is $40 per person and includes Entrée, Mains, Tea & Coffee. We are trying to organise a deal with the bar for reduced drinks.

This would have been the night that City was due to play Liverpool but due to the demands of TV contracts the game has been shifted to Sunday night. We can amuse ourselves by going to Cheers, Sydney’s home of Sport, or any number of other venues. We will leave this to be decided on the night.

Sunday 21 February: 10am Supporters Club 5-a-side Tournament

Taking place on Sydney’s northern beaches at Harbord Bowling Club is the summer edition of the Supporters Club Football Tournament. Man City featured last year and won a memorable match against Liverpool, despite their squad being twice the size of ours, and wearing matching shirts! This year we hope our added numbers will help push us towards the semi finals, or perhaps a piece of silverware!

We really want everyone to be at this so we can show the other clubs (Everton, Liverpool, Celtic. Rangers, NI, T Army, Inter, Benfica, Brazil, Portsmouth, Sydney FC, Cardiff, Spurs, Oz x2, Aston Villa, Rep of Ireland) that MCFC is a force to be reckoned with!

The day is a great laugh and City’s wandering minstrels will be there to make a fun day for everyone. Cost is $180 per squad ($20 per player) and free to spectators. Anyone is welcome to play, regardless of skill level.

To get to and from the event we will be riding the fabulous Sydney ferry to Manly, and then taking a bus. Everyone will need to be at Circular Quay at 9am to meet for the trip across the harbour.

The tournament will conclude around 4pm but you are free to leave early if there is anything you want to do in Sydney for the afternoon or you have a flight to catch! The buses and trains are all close by and transport always brings you back to the CBD.

9pm to 4am: The Match

Unfortunately some of you won’t be able to stay on for the game, but for those of you who do the night in Cheers will be filled with songs, colour, atmosphere and hopefully a Manchester victory! We will assemble in the Cheers Bar around 9:30pm to commence preparations for one of the biggest games of the year.

I hope you are all as excited as I am about the weekend and are ready to have some fun. Please pass this letter on through the supporters club and Facebook, or simply email to any other City fans you know who are coming or thinking of coming.

Looking forward to seeing you all in Sydney very soon,

Brendo the Jet

Supporters' Club 5-a-side... confirm your interest!

Just a follow up from the last post about the 5-a-side tournament, we're trying to get definite, confirmed numbers as soon as possible... we're need to see if there is demand for a second side, and we're looking into the possibility of maybe getting shirts or something made.

Football ability is not an essential requirement. We're not it in to be massively competitive... we will be there to meet fellow Blues, get on the beers, and sing. So if you have the tactical awareness of Benjani or the tackling ability of Martin Petrov, it's ok.

We're not after payment or anything, that will be on the day.

Supporter's Club 5-a-side Tournament Details
Date: Sunday 21 February
Time: 10:00am
Location: Harbord Bowling Club, near Manly
Cost: $180 per squad, so no more than $20 each

If you can confirm you are good to play, please send an email to lessoninpride@gmail.com saying you are in, and you'll be added to list in this post.

This will be the only way I will accept nominations... telling me in person at Cheers will not suffice, as I am most likely drunk and WILL forget. At a stretch, writing on my Facebook wall will suffice.

Confirmed players:
Crouchy
Brendo the Jet
Underage Georgie D
Joshua L from Melbourne
Andeh J the Manc (party of five)
Nathan C
Rohan
Benny G

Reminder: 1st Annual MASSIVE Australian Blues weekend!

Just a reminder about the upcoming Sydney Blues weekend, which will take in the Liverpool game on Sunday 21 February, as well as the 5-a-side tournament. Originally posted on 7 November.

We have already had interest from as far and wide as Perth and Melbourne, so to confirm your interest in either of the events, please contact us via one of the many ways at the top of the site.

Our interstate friends are more than welcome to join the squad too.

Supporter's Club 5-a-side Tournament Details
Date: Sunday 21 February
Time: 10:00am
Location: Harbord Bowling Club, near Manly
Cost: $180 per squad, so around $20 each

Hope you’ve been practising your darts for the Pub Comp and don’t forget the banjo!

Please find attached information with regards to the Supporters Club Australia 5-A-Side competition organised by TNT Magazine and LoveFootball.

Whilst it’s 5-A-Side squad numbers can be up to 12, plenty of games will be played so a good idea to get a good squad number, a rolling sub system will operate.

The Event will be held on Sunday 21st Venue and we'd love to see Man City there, Clubs are already signing up and it's sure to be a great day.

The competition venue will be the Harbord Bowling Club on the Northern Beaches, it has bar facilities aswell as food available etc so ideal for teams bringing supporters along, venue for after competition presentation to be confirmed – we have moved from our previous venue due to the demand and this will enable us to use more pitches.

Again we will be using synthetic surfaces so all good from a weather perspective.

The cost will remain the same at just $180 per squad, this includes venue hire, officials, insurance etc so great value for money, anyone requiring an invoice on the day please advise and I’ll bring it along.

Also on the day we have allocated a pitch for a junior coaching event, Love Football’s qualified coaches will be on hand to ensure any children taking part have a great time, cost will kept to a minimum for this and will advise asap what this will be.

Look forward to hearing from you soon and of course to registering your team, information will also be available via www.footyfansdownunder.com

Any questions or queries please do not hesitate to get in touch.

Regards,
Lee.

Sydney Blues v Liverpool Live Screening Details
Date: Sunday 21 February
Time: Midnight, for a 2am kick-off.
Location: Cheers Sports Bar, George Street.
Cost: Nil

Dear City Fans,

Whilst I realise I’m writing to you at a time when our hearts are heavy with the Carling Cup defeat I hope what you read cheers you somewhat.

I’ve had great response to the original letter sent out regarding the 1st Annual MCFC Australian Supporter’s meeting. We have a large contingent of Perth based fans flying in for the match and people coming from Victoria and across NSW.

Hopefully everyone has found accommodation, but if you are stuck please let me know and we will assist at our end as much as possible.

Please continue to spread the word and take note that the game has been moved to Sunday night (our time) in order to give Liverpool a chance to appear on TV against one of the big four. This may mean altering some of your travel arrangements or changing your plans for the Sunday night.

We will be watching the match in Cheers Bar on George St, so this restricts the event to over 18s.

Please bring any flags, banners and of course, your city shirts as we hope to turn the place Blue! Cheers is a Liverpool supporters pub and whilst we have an uneasy alliance with them most days, match days mean all bets are off. It would be great for them to turn up and see City have overrun the place!

For the other events such as the bowling and sightseeing, no money is required currently as we will all be able to pay on the day. I am currently looking into having some shirts printed up to celebrate the weekend and am just gauging interest from people at the moment. As we all know it takes numbers to make things like this happen so let me know if you would be interested.

Sorry to anyone if I’ve missed your calls or emails recently as I’ve not long got back from the States (where I met some awesome Blues) but am now fully focused on making this weekend the best it can be!

Your browser may not support display of this image. Please pass this letter on to anyone who may have missed the original, and let them know the weekend of the 19th of February, Sydney is the place to be if you’re a Blue!

Looking forward to seeing you all,
Brendan Smith.

After speaking to Gerard from Cheers, we may be able to attract sponsorship for this day, whether it be subsidies or beer. We'll let you know.

Hope to see as many Blues from acrross the country as we can!

1st Annual MASSIVE Australian Blues weekend!

This is an idea that came out of drunken ramblings one night at Cheers, but the more we think about it and have talked about it, the more we like it. We kept schtum for a little while, but now we can announce the details of the first of many Australia-wide gatherings of Blues.

We're encouraging as many of our friends from interstate to get involved. If you're interested, please contact either myself or Brendo.

Here is Brendo's letter to you all.

Dear Blues,

Greetings to everyone from Perth, Melbourne, Brisbane, to our friends ‘Across the Ditch’ and everyone in between. Hopefully you are all enjoying the fine start to the season that the lads are putting on and have all got your heartbeat back on track after the match against the clock. It’s been a great year so far and the early signs are that silverware is not too far off.

So to celebrate the great things happening on the field and the great things happening in the supporters club locally, it is with great pleasure that I extend to you an invitation to the 1st Annual Manchester City Australian Supporter’s Club weekend. Over the past few years the supporter base in Australia has exploded and we now boast quite healthy groups in many corners of the country.

The idea behind the weekend is to gather once a year in one City for a weekend of fun, sight seeing, food and of course, football – all in the company of our Blue companions. For this season the Sydney Supporters Club has taken it upon ourselves to welcome you all our fair City for what looks to be a great weekend.

The Details
The proposed weekend is the 19th,20th and 21st of February, 2010. This is the weekend of our home match against Liverpool FC and is sure to be an important match in the race to the finish. This time was chose to give fans enough time to book flights and hotels, and to organize numbers for group events we have planned

Schedule
Day Time Friday 19th: Arrive in Sydney
Sydney’s airport is located very close to the CBD with a train, taxi or shuttle bus taking 15-20 minutes depending on traffic and the location of your hotel. The CBD has plenty of hotels at reasonable rates. We are currently looking into group discounts so the more, the merrier!

Night Time Friday – Ten Pin Bowling
By the lights of Darling Harbour the Blues will converge to enjoy a drink, a game of bowling and a chance to meet with everyone. At the venue will be big screens showing live sport (presumably the cricket) and music. The venue is totally kid friendly for those with families in tow (or grown ups who like video games).

Following the Bowling you can head to one of many bars in Darling Harbour, stroll through the scenic wharfs and take in the street entertainment or head into the city for live music, cinemas and yes, more bars!

Day Time Saturday 20th – Bus Tour/Picnic
The group will be meeting around midday for a scenic bus ride aboard our very own blue vintage double-decker bus! We will take in the sites of the city and finish with a BBQ in Hyde Park and a kick of the football (whichever shape you choose!)

Evening Saturday 20th – Dinner/Match Day Event
With the game upon us and the butterflies in the stomach we will head to the Bowlers Club of Sydney where a buffet dinner, audio visual presentations and special guest Simon Hill from Fox Sports will be joining us*. Here will be a chance to gather together, have dinner, sing a few songs and get ourselves ready for the big game.

Depending on game time** the match will either be screened in the Bowlers Club, or at our sponsor Cheers Bar. If the match is shown at Cheers then unfortunately children under the age of 18 will not be permitted, however they are more than welcome in the Bowlers Club.

*Subject to work commitment **Subject to club operating hours.

Sunday 21st – Victory Day!
Hopefully we will have all celebrated long and hard into the night as the Blues triumph. Some of you may return home this day and some of you may be staying longer, but here is the end of the weekend. Hopefully you have had a fun time, made some new friends and got plenty of ideas for when your City host the Australian Blues!

I realise some people may be reading this, thinking it is a little crazy to fly somewhere to watch a match on a TV. Whilst this may be true, you can’t deny that it is a great feeling when City scores and you are surrounded by Blues. What we want to create is an annual event that gives us all a chance to see the country, meet new friends and enjoy great football, great weather (something the English fans don’t have) and the camaraderie between the City fans.

Please pass this letter on to City fans through Supporters Club, web forums, facebook and any other means by which you find City fans.

Expression of Interest
Please send an email to myself, Brendan Smith, or Matt Coleman via Facebook, marked with your name and number of people who are thinking of attending. We would like to finalise numbers within the next month, so that costs can be minimised. There is no commitment to money at this stage, just an expression of interest. Later next week another letter will be sent with an outline of the expected costs.

As stated earlier we are trying to organize group bookings for flights and hotels, but if anyone has any contacts they can suggest for these elements that would be appreciated.
Thank you all for your time in reading this and for the effort you have all put into building the respective branches of the City Supporters Club. I look forward to meeting you all in February and enjoying a great weekend.

Forever Blue,
Brendan Smith

Let us know what you think, and hopefully we see a few more faces at Cheers tonight.