Just watched it, very good. Hopefully we see this each week.

Pride and optimism as green and white rises


PRIDE is one of those words often overused in sport.

However, it is the best way to describe the feeling surrounding Western Pride's successful National Premier League football debut last weekend.

Holding the skilful QAS side to a 2-2 draw showed the Ipswich region's most promising football side can challenge confidently at a higher level.

Seeing the number of green and white jerseys around the North Ipswich Reserve reinforced the sense of optimism about where the new franchise was heading.

It's apt that the Pride's jerseys are modelled on famous Scottish football club Celtic.

As captain Niall McCarthy led his team onto the turf, it was fitting that Aussie-Scot piper Joe McGhee announced Pride's arrival.

Green and white typifies Ipswich like no other colours can.

And McGhee's moving Aussie anthem played on bagpipes set the tone for the club's future success.

Watching football at the North Ipswich Reserve was strange for me until I witnessed crowds of more than 3000 attend games between Brisbane Roar and Ipswich Invitational sides in recent years.

Now I can't wait for more round-ball football at the Reserve.

While last Sunday's crowd was nowhere near what the Roar games attract, the support for the Pride was widespread.

Seeing dedicated officials from the region's major grassroots clubs working together was satisfying.

The purpose of the Western Pride franchise - created from those local feeder clubs - is to take football forward.

It's about giving young players a pathway to the top in a well-structured way.

Having a regional team called Western Pride is also ideal because it fits the regional push to expand in our "western corridor".

The National Rugby League missed its chance by ignoring the Western Corridor consortium.

Western Pride is showing what can be achieved in another footballing code.

How the Pride senior and junior football teams develop and progress in coming weeks will be the ultimate measure of success.

But on Sunday's first-up effort, the signs are encouraging.

The team had the skill and speed. They just need more experience and composure.

That will come in the NPL.

The longer-term winners will be Ipswich-bred players who will be in a national spotlight.

Observing how efficiently Ipswich City Council crews can convert the ground from league to football and back to league will also be fascinating.

But as long as regional sport is advancing in the western corridor, that is all that really matters.

We need as much Pride as we can muster.

http://www.qt.com.au/news/pride-and-optimism-as-green-and-white-rises/1791062/

why must we continue with crappy general names in aus like "western" or "Northern", what was wrong with Ipswich Pride? That said that kit looks awesome and wouldn't be out of place in the A-League.

Western corridor includes places like the Lockyer Valley which is not Ipswich. Just broadening their appeal. If they were Ipswich I would not have the same interest or drove from Brissie to be at the first ever game. I attended school in the Lockyer Valley so it has already got my families support just from where they 'say' they are representing, even if it is basically Ipswich only.
Kit is mint, I want one.

It's be better to be more specific. It's state league ffs.

with the carrot of promotion/relegation for the future. Best put your line in the sand and plan ahead just in case...:-"

There really is no proof that giving yourself the tag "western" and "northern" etc actually improves the supporter base. I think it just makes you seem unspecific and delusional. NQF is an exception because of the Cowboys. I really believe it works the other way round.

You must be really new to Queensland (from Victoria I'm guessing from your Sig). Given the spread out nature of the Queensland population and the simlpe fact that thier is unlikely to ever be a team based out of the Lockyer valley, I think it's a smart move. Particularly given that whole are is usually refered to as the Western corridor.

This.

From those highlights Brisbane City's keeper seemed not up to scratch.

But it rejects people in the most populous communities. The regional community is VERY UNLIKELY to come to a football match.

Northern Fury Facebook:

The squad playing against CQFC at 7pm Saturday
2 HOBSON Caleb
3 TINKER Daniel
4 KING David
5 ISMAN Ari
6 STANLEY Jared
7 KELLY Reyze
8 EDDS Gareth
9 NAVARRO Jake
12 RICHARDS Matthew
13 TRIGGER Michael
16 WAPLES Corey
17 READ Alex
18 CROWLEY Jacob
19 FIGG Nicholas
20 BURROWS Bradley

Pains me writing this in the state section. :(

please explain? (see what I did there :d )
The people of Ipswich in this instance is the populous as you put it. The team is based in Ipswich. The people of Ipswich will know it is their team. The Lockyer Valley for all intents and purposes is 'next door', not more than a 10 to 40 minute drive depending on where you start from (I am calling anything west of Ipswich the Lockyer Valley even if not technically true for the purpose of this argument). Why would you exclude potentially thousands of fans (many juniors in the area) just to keep the people of Ipswich happy that Ipswich is in the name. People will come to see games as it represents top line sport in the whole area. The only people who will be alienated by this all is Toowoomba who had their own bid for inclusion I think.

I see ;)

Let's be realistic. The only way you'd get those people to come is if the team made it to the top tier.

Edited by TheSelectFew: 15/3/2013 11:32:52 AM

-PB

True, but I see that as the reason why they have gone with the inclusive name, just in case

=d>

Didn't like the pic I saw of them the other day but these look great.

Must say; I hated their kit in the AL.

any games tonight?

those are some fantastic looking kits=d>

Pretty much eveyone did. Can see this one making them some money if they pull their finger out and actually start selling them to the public.

None on the Friday night. http://www.sportingpulse.com/assoc_page.cgi?client=1-9385-0-0-0&sID=269940&&news_task=DETAIL&articleID=22716431

Full time score in NPL Under 20s match at Spencer Park: Brisbane City 3 Brisbane Strikers 2.

FULLTIME: redlands df. FNQ 2-0

16min: northern fury leading CQFC 2-0.

Western Pride 1 Palm Beach 0

6-1 to fury vs CQFC atm.

FULLTIME: northern fury df. CQFC 6-1.

Full time Fury 6 CQ 1. Fury down to 10 men after being 2 nil up. CQ are pure shite. 13 goals leaked in two games (at home) is embarrassing.