View from the Chair
Our mid-season report card
As we approach the halfway mark of our season we are reviewing our FFV club compliance requirements so that we meet our NPL licence criteria come the end of the season.
It's the final season of our current NPL license and ensuring we meet the requirements puts us in the best possible position for renewing our licence.
The FFV criteria includes a lot more than teams on the pitch each weekend.
The following report card gives an idea of how we are travelling, and its thanks to the hard work of many at the club that we have so many positive results. But there's another reason for including the table - it highlights the skills the Club needs (that have nothing to do with your knowledge of the game) to succeed. If you have skills that can help in any way please talk with us - a lot or a little, it all helps!
Indicator |
Measure |
Our performance |
Media |
Film all home senior matches Up to date website. |
Improved but can still do better |
Social Media |
Ensuring social media is kept up to date. |
Continuing to improve. |
Discipline |
Total number of red and yellow cards across all age groups |
Our seniors need to lead the way in improving our performance against this measure |
FFV rules and laws |
Compliance
|
So far so good - thanks everyone! |
FFV fees |
Paying licence fees on time |
Again so far so good. |
Youth Development |
Plan submitted within timeframes |
Yes, but more to do. |
Club coaches |
Required coaching qualifications |
Yes and no, we need to show that we have enrolled new coaches in FFA licensed courses. |
Senior Roster |
Roster submitted on time |
Yes - ongoing |
National Registration |
Compliance with registration rules |
Yes |
Community club engagement |
Engaged with local community soccer clubs |
Yes SJSA engagement is strong, need more with GNEFA clubs |
Technical Directors |
TDs working with FFV TD to ensure proper processes are followed |
Yes, ongoing |
Club Officials |
All club officials registered on MyFootballClub |
Most but not all |
Sports Trainer First Aid |
Accredited first aid and sports trainers |
Yes |
Delegate Meetings |
Attendance at NPL delegate meetings |
Yes |
Junior Fee allocation |
report detailing how junior registration income is invested in junior setup |
Yes |
Local Media |
Local media exposure |
Yes |
Training Courses |
Training courses for club members on running the line and respect and responsibility |
Yes – linesman training |
Food handling and liquor license |
Accredited food handlers and a liquor license |
Yes much improved in this area |
Mandatory age groups |
Teams in all age groups |
Yes but needs managing and to boost numbers in U/16 and U/18 |
Beyond the FFV criteria we also need to do more in areas that can set us apart from other regional clubs. The following are just some of the areas we will focus on and hope to improve by end of year. Again they provide opportunities for new ideas and new people to get involved so please don't wait to be asked!
- Social Functions held by the club
- Sponsorship revenue - junior and senior
- Club merchandise
- Club membership
- Local community engagement
- Senior and junior interaction
- Internal club policies and codes of behaviour.
- Facility upgrades
- Club investment in youth.
- Local business interaction.
- Senior home game attendances and revenue.
- Registration fees.
Everyone has a part to play in ensuring we succeed across all the measures. Thank you to everyone who has and continues to pitch in and we look forward to finding an opportunity for any volunteers who may want to join us in building a strong and exciting NPL club in the Goulburn Valley.
Regards
Mick Crisera

Reno's wrap
My wrap for this week invites everyone to go back and view the wraps from past weeks. These really begin with the three Rs of football. I encourage parents and coaches to have the players refer to the wraps and put recommendations into practice.
As you can see our overall performances are inconsistent, which is to be expected at this level, without constant practice of effective habits and skills.
Growing up as a young player with South Melbourne Hellas it was common for us to train three to four times per week. It was very common and a requirement for us to train daily in school holidays.
Please refer to the wraps!
THANK YOU
This is not said enough.... THANK YOU!!!
Thank you to all the volunteers at the club. Without you we would not be able to operate on game day.
Thank you to all team managers and marshals for doing a fantastic job.
Thank you to the families that help setup the grounds on game day.
Thank you to the fantastic canteen team that have a great spread and produce some of the best chicken burgers in the southern hemisphere(that relish is something).
Thank you to our volunteers we wouldn't be a club without you.
Regards,
Shaban Mehmet / Reno Lia
Technical Directors
GV Suns
One on One
Nick Elder meets Cody Sellwood
This week GV Suns under 15 player Nick Elder sized up GV Suns Senior Captain Cody Sellwood. If you would like to have a go (seniors or juniors) in our one on one's please contact Paul Uniacke.

Player stats
Height 5'11''
Weight 80kg's
Age 23
How did you get started in soccer?
Principal at Primary school played at lunchtimes and got me interested. Tatura SC was my first club
Did playing other types of sport help improve your skills as a soccer player?
Played a bit of Tennis otherwise only ever played soccer
Who is your favourite soccer player?
Samir Nasri Manchester City Superstar
What advice would you give to young players who want to play for the GV Suns seniors?
Aim high, set your goals high and go for it,
What is your favorite pre-game meal?
Spaghetti
Do you have any pre-game rituals to prep for a game? I always put my left sock and my left boot before starting on my right sock then right boot
Favourite movie?
Alpha Dog because it’s got Justin Timberlake in it
What are some of the lessons you’ve learned on your Soccer journey?
Train hard, work hard at it, you will not get anywhere in Soccer in life if you don’t, put the effort in
What type of music do you listen too?
Hip Hop & Rhythm and Blues
What is your preferred social media?
Facebook or Twitter my handle is Cody Sellwood
Thanks Nick and Cody
Reminder - Mid-season break
Four rounds and counting - a mid-season break that coincides with school holidays. Nice!
2 - 3 July general bye for all NPL teams
9 - 10 July GV Suns bye
Weekend game wraps

Under 12s
Tommy Giuliani
It was a game of two halves this weekend.
The focus this week at training and the pre game was really quick ball movement into our attacking third. Our midfielders were encouraged to play the diagonal "killer pass" to play in behind their opponents and it was wonderful to see the boys create so many scoring opportunities. We strive to produce this high quality football and on another day we may well have been 4-0 up at the half time break.
From a performance standpoint I was so pleased for the boys,in particular Edward Uniacke playing for the first time as a CDM/6. His positioning was superb and his decision making and ball use was also outstanding. Team wise our ball retention was also very good, we controlled the game and we didn't look to be threatened.
Unfortunately, early in the second half we went a man down to an unfortunate red card for young Nicky Pena in goals. Young Nick did everything he could to clean up a mix up in our back four and was just unlucky to be just outside his 18yard box. The Sharks scored from the resulting free kick to equalise and from there on with a man down and some key players not on the pitch we lost our "shape" and our football suffered. We were brave but we ended up conceding twice more to go down 4-2.
Basically, the first was very,very good and provided us with some breathtaking attacking football.The second half, I must admit I didn't see coming. The game threw a curveball - a learning situation for the kids. This week we'll train the house down and take on our biggest challenge for the year next week head on.
Can't wait!Well done Suns, great effort and it was great to watch-Top show!!?⚽️

Under 13s
Matthew Lelliot
A dominant first half from the boys surprisingly had us at 2-0 down at half time due to two silly mistakes at the back. We regrouped at half time and agreed we had to keep on doing the same things and the goals will come.
In the first 20 mins of the second half we were 5-0 down and we were completely outplayed.
During the week we worked on beating defenders and using the space in behind, but in the second half we forgot that at times we have to do pass the ball rather than dribble.
Overall a very disappointing result after the great performances in recent weeks. Possession will be the main focus at training this week

Under 14s
Nathan Saron & James Lelliot
Training this week involved, BP>BPO Transition and Attacking in Central Areas. The boys performed well this week, everyone trained at a higher intensity and displayed a great attitude.
The first half of our game against the Sharks saw the boys use the ball better than past games, combined with some good runs we created a couple of chances that should have gone closer. The opposition were taking shots and scored one but with our pressure the rest were sprayed or we saved them.
We started the second half the same way, unfortunately the Sharks had tuned up their missed shots from earlier in the game. We conceded a goal from a corner, one from a good shot and a couple from through balls.
Although it wasn't going our way the boys kept on with the tasks asked of them. Some tough games to come before the bye so we need to tighten up the goals against us and see if we become a consistent scoring team.

Under 15s
Shaun Kane and Glen Wilson
Last week at training we worked on attacking from wide areas. Our game on the weekend saw us do this very effectively and if we had taken at least half our chances we would've won by twice as much. The end result of a 3 nil win was very flattering to the opposition as we really controlled the game from go to whoa.
There were quite a few wonderful passages of passing that was wonderful to watch. Young Nick Rossignuolo and Moses from the 14's acquitted themselves very well and once again many thanks to Alou in goals.

Under 16s
Paul Nieuwenhuizen & Shaban Mehmet
The team has been working on attacking in wide areas and the boys were set the task of getting the ball to our number 7 and 11 so that they could get a dangerous cross into the box. The beginning of the game was of a reasonably high tempo and some loose marking allowed the opposition to score two goals in fairly quick succession.
We managed one back and went in 2-1 down at half time. In the second half we were more compact when we lost the ball and managed to create some space up front. After drawing level we were a real chance to change the state of the game. An unfortunate send off seemed to unsettle our rhythm and the opposition got the score to 4-2.
A nice through ball enabled Conor to run in and score our third which left the score-line at 4-3. Overall the team lacked the ability to play fluent football. Our skills were not crisp enough for this level which means that the players need to practice their first touch and accuracy passing when under pressure.
We were reliant on a number of U/15 players. Thanks to Conor, Jordan, Fraser, Bowdie, Callan and Nick for helping out.

Under 18s
Pat Kielty & Shaban Mehmet
We went into this game on the back of three improved performances and we honestly believed that we could win this game if we played with intensity, to the best of our ability and as a team. However we failed in all three categories and this resulted in a 4-0 loss to a team two places above us.
A couple of players put in a good performance but overall it was a poor display that came out of nowhere. We under performed in every area of the pitch and there were very few positives to take from the game.
We will be having a chat before training this week and then we will move forwards. Our next opponents are currently top of the table and then we play the team in second spot the week after. It should be couple of interesting weeks but we look forward to the challenge.
Thanks to Willie, Alou and Elia for playing a second game and thanks to Rocky and Makuach from the 20's for playing for us

Under 20s
David Davkovski & Matt Maiorano
Good game this week, probably one of our best results for the year.
We were under a lot of pressure during the first half however we maintained shape which is something we have struggled with this year. In our warm up we knew the boys were up for it today as the intensity was perfect. The hunger was evident, and no matter what, we were going to make it difficult for SWE.
Possession wise we struggled a little but our transition into BPO positions was executed perfectly. I'm not one to single our players but there are now a couple players in the team that have proved that they belong in the NPL. The game was end to end which is not good to watch as a coach but sometimes we need these games to assist with player behaviour and decision making.
Once we scored the goal the belief carried right through the team and we held them out for the remainder of the match. We have a tough away game this week but if the boys apply themselves in the same way as this game were confident of another good performance and more importantly further technical/tactical development.
Well done boys.

Seniors
Nick Kalafatis & Serkan Aktas
Finally a great start to a game! With high intensity, high press and real determination to hold onto the ball gave us the foundation for a great win on Saturday night.
We started very strong and forced our opposition into their own half. With some great passing combinations, we created some very good chances and our hard work paid off in the 10th minute when Hakeem Alaraibi was on the end of a strong build up and quality cross from Anthony Gaillard to score our first.
We kept going and missed further chances to go 2-0 up. As the half went on we started to make easy turnovers and we did not create as much in our final 3rd in the last 20 minutes of the first half. We were never really threatened as our defensive work as a team was very good.
Much the same in the second half as we started the half very well and again we missed good chances to go further up. As the game went on Springvale had their first shot on goal in the 75th minute and Kyle Kennedy made a very good save.
The boys unintentionally started dropping back to our defensive 3rd which gave them more time and space on the ball. But the boys had an answer for every attacking threat from Springvale. Springvale finished the game very well but we finished the game very strong defensively.
At times we fell into their traps and started to play a lot more direct than what we would have liked to. Overall we are very happy with the result and the intensity that we played with for the majority of the game.
A great win which hopefully gives us the strength and momentum to go to Whittlesea and return with the 3 points and another big win.