Gold Coast United FC launch a 2020 Women’s Pre-season Cup
The inaugural Faye Rodd Invitational Cup on the Gold Coast over the Australia Day long weekend in January 2020
Gold Coast United is pleased to announce the launch of the inaugural Faye Rodd Cup, a Women’s pre-season tournament to be held on the Australia Day Long Weekend on the beautiful Gold Coast at our home of football, Coplick Family Sports Park.
The tournament will bring together the cream of the Football Queensland, Football Brisbane, Football Gold Coast and the Football Far North Coast’s premier Women’s clubs to compete across two days for the coveted cup.
Faye Rodd is a long serving ambassador for women’s football on the Gold Coast. A life member of Football Gold Coast, Faye has also served in various other capacities including as a one-time Vice-Chair of Football Queensland’s Women’s standing committee and as President of Palm Beach Soccer Club, the holder of the first Women’s National Premier Leagues Queensland licence on the Gold Coast.
Faye Rodd (centre) flanked by Allie Rennie (Mudgeeraba Soccer Club) and Neesa Doyle (Gold Coast United) with John White and Paul Rushton (Football Gold Coast) & Danny Maher (Chairman, GCU)
With the recent boon in female football across the country, which included the successful involvement of four Gold Coast Women’s clubs make a real impact in their first season in the 2019 Football Brisbane competition, Gold Coast United’s Technical Director, Craig Midgley, is excited to promote the Gold Coast and the glitter strip’s sole National Premier Leagues club, Gold Coast United, as a leader in Women’s football in Queensland.
According to Midgley, “with female football booming across the country, it’s a long overdue initiative to offer a high quality pre-season tournament here in South-East Queensland to provide the top female players across the region the chance to test themselves against the best players and prepare for the rigors of a long season.”
“Our Gold Coast United Women have had a very solid season in 2019 and have matched it and bettered the top sides in the National Premier Leagues competition.”
“We’ve been very fortunate to draw on the depths of talent in the Northern Rivers in all of our female squads, with some outstanding players travelling to the Coast to participate and have an impact at the elite level.”
“And the local Gold Coast Women’s clubs – Coomera, Robina, Broadbeach and Southport – have all shown that they are more than competitive at the higher level, so we’re taking the lead to add a quality pre-season tournament to the annual calendar and provide more opportunities for players to develop and shine.”
The tournament will run across the Australia Day long weekend with the location and dates offering the ideal time for club’s to participate, to bond and socialize in a friendly, but competitive environment, in preparation for the season proper.
Starting on Saturday the 25th of January each club will be guaranteed three group games with the results from those games seeing sides graded into either a Plate or Cup final to be played on Sunday the 26th. Clubs will be able to trial new players, to work on team shape and combinations, allowing for some much needed match fitness and fine tuning ahead of the 2020 season.
Clubs that compete in the Queensland National Premier Leagues, Brisbane Premier League and Football Far North Coast Women’s competitions are all eligible to submit an Expression of Interest to participate in the tournament by the 30th of September, with the first 16 teams to enter invited to take part.
If your club is interested in participating please submit your EOI via email to our General Manager, Rob Morris robm@goldcoastunitedfc.com.au so you don’t miss out.