Karan Dhar, organiser/ player of the summer 7-a-side tournament
Below is an interview with experienced referee, former AUSC Blacks player and organizer of the summer 7 a side tournament for the past two years, Karan Dhar. Karan has been playing in the summer 7 a side tournament for the last two years so he is in a great position to talk about every aspect of the experience. Karan talks about the ins and outs of playing in the summer 7 a side tournament, what it takes to organize such an event and why you should consider playing. Alongside the interview are some photos taken in the first match of the summer 7 a side tournament. Yes, the season has started, but it’s not too late to show up on the day and fill in! Teams are always in need of players due to injuries or other commitments. And if you’re not lucky enough to find a team this year there’s always next year! But for now, you can come along and what the exciting tournament unfold. You are invited to watch my team, Gus’ Left Foot, play every Thursday at park 10 in North Adelaide!
Here’s a link to the YouTube video: https://youtu.be/bzPLoA5zlec
Remember when it was announced that amateur clubs could play in the FFA Cup? Here is an article from the Advertiser about the proposal. AUSC will be striving to enter these competitions in the future and hopefully cause some big upsets!
Here’s the article: https://www.adelaidenow.com.au/sport/sa-amateur-soccer-league-votes-to-affiliate-with-football-federation-sa/news-story/19322301ec346fc79a92c7a9348d3ccc
If you’re from across the border or have friends/family in Melbourne, here’s the perfect amateur soccer destination! Compare and contrast Adelaide’s amateur competitions with Melbourne!
Preseason for an Adelaide amateur soccer team is a time of sunburn, sweat and tired legs. Starting in late January/early February, preseason is the time when amateur soccer teams aim to prepare for the season ahead.
Preseason is mostly about fitness. This is important as most players’ fitness levels diminish significantly in the three months between the end of the season and the start of preseason. To counteract diminishing fitness, preseason trainings consist mainly of running and body conditioning. The start of the 2019 preseason trainings will involve running at what is known as ‘The Snake Pit’, which is a particularly sandy area at Grange. The sand makes it difficult to run and therefore increases fitness more with the increased challenge. Body conditioning consists of several exercises during training such as plank holds, push-ups, sit-ups and squats. These exercises target the main areas of the body needed to be competitive at soccer: the core muscles and legs.
The sun is a force to be contended with during preseason games and trainings. Due to the harsh South Australian summer, it is always hot during preseason, meaning more sunburn, sweat and water needed. Preseason is hard enough as fitness levels are lower but running in the heat makes it even harder. In preseason games it is common to play games in thirds or quarters so to have more drinks breaks due to the heat. Preseason games are unofficial matches that do not count towards any competition. Matches are usually played against teams that would not normally play each other in the regular season. It is not uncommon for men’s teams to play women’s teams in preseason.
The teams that train the hardest in preseason tend to be the teams that end up doing well during the season. Preseason is where everyone starts from the beginning on a clean slate. It is about how you use those months before the start of the season that determines how a team’s season will go in the future.
In the third game of the season, Gus’ Left Foot played at the earlier time of 6.15pm. This new time proved detrimental to the team as some players had forgotten about the new time. The game started, the opponent was unknown, but they looked beatable. Gus’ Left Foot started the game with only five out of seven players due to the game time mix up. Miraculously, Jacob scored early on from a tight angle to give Gus’ Left Foot the advantage. At that point it seemed as if having two less players was giving an advantage. A generous member of the AUSC Blacks Division 3 side decided to join in to bring our numbers up and the team defended hard. However, the opposition could not be staved off and before half-time they equalised.
The half-time whistle blew, and the teams went into the break at 1-1, Gus’ Left Foot still with only 6 players. Positive talk came from the sidelines as the team was defending well and hitting the other team on the counter-attack. During the break, more players arrived and after a scolding for being late, joined in with the second half. Gus’ Left Foot now had the full seven players on the pitch and one substitute, so they should have been playing even better. However, this was not the case and the team played as if they still had five on the pitch, conceding another goal. Gus’ Left Foot fired many shots at the opposition keeper who looked shaky at best, but he was in the right place to stop them every time. Gus’ Left Foot became frustrated because they had squandered an early lead and felt as if they should have been winning. The frustration led to more holes at the back however and the opposition scored again to make the score 3-1. The rest of the game was quite dull as each side was defending well. It ended with the opposition winning 3-1. The team were quite dejected and felt that if they had the numbers early in the game, they could have scored more, and it may have been enough to have their first win.
As it stands, Gus’ Left Foot are without a win after 3 games. But the old cliche rings true with the 7-a-side competition, as it really is not about winning, it’s about having fun. Every game is a high-octane thriller with this format. Come and watch the team every Thursday. Game times range from 6-8pm kickoffs so if you don’t have anything else to do on a Thursday evening, come down and support the team!
The season has ended for the Adelaide Uni Blacks Division 3 team but the AUSC 7-a-side season is just beginning. Yes, I am aware that this means the amateur soccer is technically no longer being played on a Saturday (making the name of this blog temporarily misleading) but this is only for the months during the off-season. Amateur Soccer on a Saturday will resume in March with preseason games and then the start of the SAASL season! So, for the meantime, the 7-a-side team (called Gus’ Left Foot) is returning to take on the Thursday 7-a-side competition but this time with a new look squad. Another 7-a-side team from last season consisting of AUSC Blacks players, has merged with the side in the hope of creating a formidable team with more depth in rotation players. This year’s team consists of myself, Will, Josh, Ned, Andre, KK, Lachy, Raj and the player/manager Jacob. This season (as with last season) there is no dedicated goalkeeper, so each player will have their turn at playing half a match in goals. This tactic may prove a detriment to the team as some players are undoubtedly better than others between the goalposts. Additionally, substitutions will be conducted in a casual manner where the first player to come off goes back on approximately two minutes later. This ensures that players will get an adequate amount of time on the pitch.
The team will face opposition of varying talent across the competition and they are not the only Blacks division 3 side in the competition. Chairman of the division 3 side, Bing, has entered a team consisting of several mainstay first team players, including the Danish imports whose skills lit up the pitch in the latter stages of the regular season. Bing’s team may prove to be our biggest rival on the pitch in what promises to be an exciting derby match in the future! The team will look to improve upon its third-place finish from last year and take home some silverware. Come out to park 10 to watch the team every Thursday at 7pm!
The season has ended for the Adelaide Uni Blacks reserves side. The reserves side ended up finishing the season in mid table after having a mixed season. The reserves began the season with seven straight wins and climbing the table fast. The streak ended with a 5-3 away loss to Hahndorf in a game where the team showed determination in stealing some goals back after being 4-0 down at the half time break. This loss signalled the beginning of a decline for the reserves. Following the Hahndorf game, the team played top of the table Prince Alfred College (PAC), who had not conceded and averaged an impressive goal tally. This game was crucial to the success of the Blacks reserves’ title defence. Sadly, the PAC game ended 3-0 and the reserves lost their determination which had seen them win the title last year. It was at this point in the season where the reserves could have turned it around, that several players had to temporarily leave the team for various reasons. Both strikers went on holiday and it was exam time for university students. This left gaping holes in an otherwise solid team. The reserves went on to lose just as many games in a row as they had been victorious in the winning start to the season. Players eventually returned and in came the arrival of exchange students from Denmark. Luckily, these Danish imports were good enough to slot straight into the first team, which meant that some first team players were dropped to the reserves for a period. The team improved and ended up winning a few of their last games.
The season gone by represents a time of change for the AUSC Blacks with new coaches for the first and reserves teams. Every change requires a break in period and this season seems to have been that. The reserves team fought through struggles and in the end they could have done worse. I think new coach Lucas Barsby cannot be too displeased with the overall performance of his team in the past season. Next season it can be assured that Barsby will be looking to ascend right back to the heights of their recent championship winning campaign. Come out in 2019 and support AUSC Blacks!
Amateur Soccer Saturdays 