Mid Coast Under 17 girls triumph in Premier Youth League Camden Haven Sport Property/Sports/Opinion - popup ad Sport by News Of The Area - Modern Media - September 26, 2024 The Mid Coast Under 17 girls team. (Back row L-R) Goalkeeping coach Micheal Mikolajczky, Indie Lucas, Sophie Gallagher, Renae Croft, Bridie Steber, Akir Baird, head coach Jane Lynch, Valentine Tate-Fisher, Mikaeli Morgan, Abby Buttsworth and Zarah Hillenberg. (Front row) Mascot Mitch, manager Marianne Croft, Ziva Balkin, Liliana Pinner, Emmeline Howard, Tahlia Nicholson, Zali Elford, Charlie Garemyn and Madison Monk. FOUR budding footballers from the Camden Haven have won big at the elite junior level. Plying their trade for Mid Coast Football Club (FC), Akir Baird, Abby Buttsworth, Emmeline Howard and Valentine Tate-Fisher have taken out the under 17 Northern NSW Youth Premier League Girls (YPLG) competition. The YPLG features the top teams from Newcastle, Lake Macquarie and the Hunter Valley, as well as Mid Coast FC. The league is seen as a key development stage to the top leagues in Northern NSW and eventually the A-League. On Sunday, 15 September, the MidCoast Under 17 girls etched their names in the history books by emerging victorious 3-2 over Maitland in a thrilling grand final at Newcastle’s Darling Street Oval. An early goal from Mikaeli Morgan gave Mid Coast the lead in the final, before Maitland evened the scores soon after. Maitland then squandered an opportunity to take the lead with a missed penalty, before a key finish from Tahlia Nicholson and a remarkable header by Abby Buttsworth gave Mid Coast a two goal advantage at half time. A Maitland goal from a corner kick reduced the deficit in the second half, before a red card for the Hunter side put them at a numerical disadvantage. Mid Coast hung on to claim the victory, and the PYLG title. It was a particularly strong season for Camden Haven-based goalkeeper Akir Baird, who recorded eleven clean sheets. Grand final goalscorer Abby Buttsworth was also a standout, netting an incredible 27 goals throughout the season, the highest total across all PYLG grades. The title win was a meteoric improvement from last year’s result, where Mid Coast won just one game from 21 fixtures. “These girls have attended over 70 training sessions and played a total of 26 games,” said head coach Jane Lynch. “In the last few months we have been training three times a week, with some of these girls coming from South West Rocks in the north to Bulahdelah in the south. “This is a massive commitment from both the players and their families. “What these girls have achieved in no small feat.” By Kim AMBROSE
