Olympic FC’s NPL Senior Women will find a second home away from Goodwin Park this year, with community club Annerley FC set to host training and matches for the newly formed team.

Peter Ioannidis, President of Olympic FC, and Glen Beaver, President of Annerley FC, said it was a sign of a functioning relationship between the partnered clubs as they seek to provide the best environment for the catchment’s top female footballers.

The team will be based between Goodwin Park and Elder Oval, familiar territory for recently appointed Olympic senior womens coach Phil Canham after he guided Annerley’s women in the 2013 Diamond League campaign.

Olympic FC president Peter Ioannidis spoke of his pleasure at the goodwill.

“It is good because it actually shows the relationship between us is working,” Ioannidis said.

“We are doing everything we can as the NPL club to open partnerships with the clubs in our catchment area and Annerley has really come on board and embraced the concept of the NPL.”

Annerley’s strong history in women’s football means Ioannidis is confident in the quality of support that will be offered to the side as they embark on the inaugural NPL Queensland senior women’s season.

“We are happy with the facilities and Annerley are going to take care of the girls to make sure they have everything they need to be successful,” he said.

“We are hoping to have matches at Olympic and Annerley. We have had a meeting about it, we just have to wait on the draw as it depends on the availability of Goodwin Park.”

Annerley FC president Glen Beaver expressed similar satisfaction with the arrangement.

“This is just a further negotiation of being one of Olympic FC’s feeder clubs,” Beaver said.

“It is the extension of our relationship, because in the past we have provided training fields to some of Olympic’s teams and last season we lent a couple of players to their youth NPL teams.”

In addition to three of his club’s players being selected for Olympic’s NPL juniors teams, Beaver cited the appointment of Canham to the Senior Women’s post as a source of pride and recognition of the clubs’ pre-existing women’s football relationship.

“He has proven himself both at Annerley and with his coaching interests elsewhere,” he said.

“Our women’s program has been and is quite strong. We were operating the Central Brisbane NPL girls teams [under the Olympic banner] in a joint venture between us, Eastern Suburbs FC and Cavendish Road State High School.

“It works both ways,” Beaver concluded.

 

Words: Matt Dorman (Olympic FC)
Image: Annerley FC