Past proves region will take hit and get back up
Cairns FC’s loss of licence must not stifle important goal of nurturing young talent
IN THE aftermath of one of their greatest moments, Cairns FC coach Danny Graystone’s post-match words hinted at dark times.
Having just gone down 2-1 to A-League powerhouse Sydney FC in the FFA Cup in an admirable accomplishment that belied their semi-professional status, Graystone was asked what the performance meant to the region and club.
Instead of suggesting it was a boon for the region, he hinted at darker times ahead.
“I do not think this is any secret that this could be our last game at Barlow Park, the way things are heading behind the scenes with Football Queensland,” Graystone said.
Yesterday morning, we broke the story that Cairns FC will hand back their NPL licence following the 2018 season. The decision spells a dark day for the region’s footballing community.
It severs opportunities for hundreds of youngsters in the region, taking us back two decades or more, when talented youngsters were forced to move to Brisbane, or further south, to enhance their footballing prospects.
Not many juniors from this area will ever make it to the professional ranks, but that does not mean kids should not have the opportunity to play football at the highest levels they are capable.
For some that will mean NPL level. Now they will have to head south to do that.
Fielding a Far North team in a statewide competition has been hard, with the FNQ Heat and Cairns FC unable to garner strong support from local clubs and the community. It wasn’t always that way. A precursor to the establishment of a season-long state competition was the State Cup, played over a two-month period at the end of the regular season. Over the four seasons it was played, FNQ lost two finals and once in the semis, all against Brisbane opposition.
There was general support for the concept.
In 2009, the Queensland State League was formed with Mareeba-based FNQ Bulls taking part. In 2012, the Bulls came second, the following year they did the same, this time as the Cairns-based FNQ Heat.
Leaner times followed and at the end of last year, the Heat were no more, replaced in the Queensland NPL as Cairns FC.
Unfortunately, what goodwill and support was garnered in the early days did not follow into the NPL era.
Support from local clubs was difficult, much of the problem based around rules that suited a large centre like Brisbane, but in regions like Cairns it undermined club football, fractured the community and created friction.
It was something that the Cairns representative team never overcame.
Now there are suggestions money will be poured by Football Queensland into development officers.
On the surface it sounds promising, but we already have private enterprises, such as Zenon Caravella and Jamie Gosling, developing youngsters.
It is not just a question of development, but of getting kids the chance to play at a high level and have local heroes to look up to.
It is all well and good trying to be the next Ronaldo or Messi, but kids crave heroes who are closer to home.
Ask successful footballers in this region, and they will talk about local players they used to watch and want to emulate.
The loss of the NPL is a blow, but call me an optimist, we are a region that has constantly been pushed down and yet we find a way to rise back up. We will again.