Inner West Council, the Flying Bats FC, Sydney Rangers FC and Pride Football Australia are uniting to host an LGBTIQA+ 11-a-side soccer tournament coinciding with Sydney World Pride.
The tournament is endorsed by Sydney World Pride as one of their official sporting events and will be delivered in partnership with the International Gay and Lesbian Football Association (IGLFA). Sydney World Pride provides exciting opportunities for the LGBTQ and broader community to celebrate, support and acknowledge the diversity and enrichment of LGBTQ communities.
The tournament will also be incorporated into the Pride Inner West Program that will promote and celebrate the various LGBTQ initiatives being supported across the Inner West during Sydney World Pride in 2023.
Inner West Mayor, Darcy Byrne said, “The Inner West council is delighted for this event to be held in the Inner West and is happy to provide access to Tempe Reserve from 20 – 23 February 2023 for the tournament.”
Chair of the Inner West Council’s World Pride Committee, Jessica D’Arienzo said, “We are proud to support and celebrate our diverse and vibrant community and LGBTQ football stars. This inclusive tournament will be a highlight in our Pride Inner West Program, the festival will be a chance for family and friends to come together and enjoy a few days of fantastic football.”
IGLFA World Championships at Sydney World Pride 20 – 23 February 2023
We hear from superstar Rangers C winger Jeffy Bravo (pictured back row & centre) about his trip to Washington D.C. to represent Sydney Rangers at the IGLFA 7-a-side World Championships.
Jeffy – give us a bit of an introduction to you:
Hi my name is Jeffy Bravo, I am 27 years old and I joined the Sydney Rangers in 2021. I mostly play left or right midfield, well.. when I’m not on the bench that is due to my asthma and lack of fitness 😅
How did the team get on in Washington?
We started the IGLfA tournament strong winning both of our games on the first day and made it to the semi finals. We lost narrowly in a 4-3 thriller, although it was a pretty even game.
What was your experience of the tournament overall?
Participating in this tournament was a lot of fun, we met loads of people and added some on socials to keep in touch for the upcoming Sydney World Pride x IGLFA tournament next year.
What would be your advice to anyone thinking of going to an overseas tournament with the Rangers?
My advice for anyone thinking about participating in an international IGLFA tournament would be to definitely give it a go! Especially if you do not have much or any overseas travel experience. It was my first time travelling overseas since being an adult and travelling with the other Rangers boys was very memorable and fun. I’m really looking forwards to next year’s tournament here at Sydney World Pride and hopefully the next overseas one that follows!! 😁
We play competitively in the CDSFA Winter Competition and as such, we grade new and returning players into squads based on their ability and the gaps available in existing squads. The grading process can be confusing for new players, so we’ve put together this page to help you make sense of it. If you have any questions after reading this post, please email committee@sydneyrangersfc.com.au.
How are players graded?
At our grading sessions, following a warm-up we jump straight into an 11-a-side game. If it’s your first time playing for a long time, we suggest coming along to summer social throughout November and December to get your touch back.
After the grading sessions, the grading committee meet and place players based on their ability and gaps in existing squads. Please familiarise yourself with our Grading Policy which informs the Grading Committee’s decisions.
How many sessions do I need to attend?
All players, new and returning, must attend at least one grading session. New players are encouraged to send as many as possible over the four weeks. Please do not register for more than one session on the same day as we are limited in terms of numbers.
What do I need to bring?
Shinpads, boots, water and sunscreen – we’ll provide the rest!
When does the season take place?
April – August, with pre-season matches taking place in March 2022. We train once per week at Blick Oval in Canterbury, and depending on the squad you are picked for you are expected to attend every week.
Being a player, committee member, and captain in the mere 3 years I’ve been a part of the club, it was only a matter of time before I dabbled into the management of the team, and despite the season abruptly ending, it was an absolute delight. It was the second successive season where Covid has been our enemy and rival to having a successful season. As well as Covid being a second year in a row, this was only the second year the current “B” team existed after being formed in 2020. The team and club had welcomed new additions to make up this year’s team, and I felt it was definitely the strongest B team I had seen in my 3 years within the club, and the results proved exactly that.
Pre-Season
With only 1 Pre-Season Friendly being able to be played due to wet weather, a strong showing in the early training sessions gave me the confidence that we would have a great year.
The Season
Our first game saw us match up against a familiar team in Concord which despite lack of game time, allowed us to prepare accordingly. That first game saw me having to step in and referee the match, and a contentious Roy Keane-esque tackle from our rock at the back, Mr Esposito, forced me to award a penalty to the opposition late on. The term squeaky bum time came to my mind for the last 15 or so minutes but we saw it out. The regular trainers were both improving on an individual basis, and substantially as a team which was evident in the following two matches on a double-header weekend as the points started rolling in.. We started that following weekend with an incredible match that made my referee performance seem like I should be officiating the Socceroos. Despite the endless contentious decisions in that match, they didn’t put us down. If anything they ignited the fire in the lads to push on and get what we fully deserved, and we did exactly that with 2 goals in the final 10 minutes to come away with a 3-2 victory – a match I was most proud of this year. After picking up another 3 points, we went on to play our familiar opponents of Balmain and another incredible performance saw us hold on to secure another 3-2 victory thanks to a couple of stunning goals from Nico and Ahmed. Our success continued, scoring another 18 and conceding only 3 in those following 4 matches before we hit a few hurdles. In a performance that I would only deem as crazy, a quick reverse fixture vs Balmain then saw us fall to a 4-1 defeat, and that unfortunately wasn’t the end of our bad luck. The following two matches saw us play brilliantly, but take no points losing in both by just one goal. With injuries happening left, right and centre we faced a Concord side out for revenge. Having not long gotten back from injury himself, our other defensive rock Lloydy leapt up in the centre circle, landing awkwardly resulting in an ambulance being called and the abonment of the game. Much to our amusement at the time to try and lighten the mood, in the days after we found out that the rules in place meant the continuation of that fixture soon after, would result in us having to continue on with only 9 men. This meant our next match against then top of the league Strathfield A, was vital in our bid to claim the title. Yet again we were short on players. Despite Mr Quarisa standing in as CB for the first half (a massive thank you once again), injuries and a last minute withdrawal left us with 11 in the first half and only 10 in the second half. We pressed on in playing conditions as what I would only describe as playing on a cold Tuesday night in Stoke, and overcame the odds to comfortably beat them 2-0. That was what I hoped to be the turning point of the season, back on track to winning ways but little did we know, that would be our final game of the season.
Covid Times
Covid started ramping up in Mid-June in Sydney, and we were preparing to face Concord with only 7 players as we weren’t able to use any of the other 5 players who weren’t present in the abandoned game. Fortunately at the time for us, the game was postponed due to the covid outbreak and the season never continued. Despite the season coming to an end so soon, I absolutely loved coaching the boys this year. With a whole heap of new additions to the team, luck going against us with injuries, debt collector Ellis keeping us all in check week in week out, and some Covid driven virtual hangs – it’s been a class year.
Looking Forward
Although not everyone will be joining next season (take care in Spain Ilias), the current B team are excited to get back to the pub shortly after the restrictions ease on Oct 11, and shortly after get back on the pitch and show our unbelievable tekkers at Waverley Oval.
A big thank you also goes out to my partner in crime and B Team Manager Mr Hunt for stepping up to expertly help steer the ship.
Finishing runners up in our first season in Div1 in 2020, the whole team was raring to go for our second attempt to snatch the crown – and boy did we deliver! Going into the season with a new found confidence (After the nerves of the unknown Div1 had gone, and knowing that Balmain 1st team had moved up into the BBC…), we were the team everyone knew they needed to beat, and we weren’t going to let that happen!
After a very strong grading, we started off the season with 7 new names on the Div1 squad list. As well as welcoming Rangers Legends Anais and Igor back to the team after their season long sabbatical in 2020, we also drafted up Gus from the B’s and Lewis from the D’s after their incredible stand out performances caught our attention. It is rare for players to make it straight into the Rangers first team – however, Bas, Jordan and Dia all made themselves very hard to ignore, were amazing additions to the team and each had a brilliant debut season to remember!
As we roll into the first game of the season, I think Jordan’s debut was easiest to remember of the lot.. 1-1 in the 2nd half against newly promoted Lakemba A, he picks up the ball at the edge of the box and thunders the ball into the top corner to take us into the lead. Not to make things too easy for the team, he then gets a 2nd yellow and sent off for his potty mouth which had us down to 10 men with minutes to spare. Though we were the much stronger team, alongside a superstar player of the match performance from debutant Bas, Lakemba kept the pressure on in the final moments and were able to grind out a 2-2 draw.
Our second game against Leichhardt Saints went in similar fashion, with an unfortunate 3-3 draw against a team that only had 2 shots on target! After his outstanding death drop save at the end of last season, The Beresford Bachelor and Team Captain/Manager, Paul Flynn, donned the gloves this season. Like Jordan, he also didn’t want to make things too easy for us.. A ball that was going safely wide got the best of Paul’s nerves, and instead of using his hands he decided to shin the ball into his own net instead. Highlights of this match go to a brace from Lil Dan, and a battling finish from Lawrence – The Goal-Scoring Duo of the previous season were unsurprisingly back on the score sheets.
Swinging the momentum of results, we went into back to back wins against Earlwood (2-0) + Lakemba B (2-1) to put us up into 2nd place, 2 points behind Leichhardt Saints. Dan bagged himself another Brace to pull away on the top scorers list, with myself and Lawrence slowly trying to keep up (with great goals from outside of the box, leaving the goalie stunned, I must add..).
Our next 2 games were up against our rivals of the recent seasons, Balmain and Mr P – Always a tough battle, and usually always neck and neck on the table going into finals. First up, Balmain, which turned into a very nail biting end-to-end game. Balmain took the lead early on, but shortly afterwards Lawrence was brought down in the box, and I slotted in from the penalty spot to draw us even. Our big Irish threat in the midfield, John Ahern, then took us into the lead after converting it in from a corner – Not long before our recent Baby-Daddy Seb let Balmain back into the game with a spectacular own goal hitting it right into the top corner. Eager to redeem himself, Seb then throws himself at our next set piece delivery into the box and manages to knock it in with his groin to regain the lead, also earning him the new nickname ‘Golden Dick’. With minutes to spare, I look on from the sidelines to the agonising scenes of Balmain drawing level, 3-3.. However, in the final seconds of the game, we were handed a lifeline – Handball in the box, penalty given for the last kick of the game. With the team and the supporters shouting at me to sub myself back on and take the penalty, heart in my mouth I stepped up to the ball and we won the game 4-3, what a relief!
We then faced Mr. P in a midweek clash, under the lights of the fortress, Blick Oval. Another brace from Dan (following in his pattern of 2 goals every other game), and a tenacious goal from Lawrence had us dispatch of Mr. P with relative ease in a 3-1 win. This continued our undefeated season, and took us to the top of the table with 4 points to spare.
Just after we gained Jordan back from his 5 game ban, Aaron then decided it was his turn to see red and face another ban.. In a 1-1 draw against bottom of the league Punchbowl, Aaron puts us into the lead with a great strike only to then get too handsy on the floor with one of their players, with the ref taking both teams down to 10 men to see of the rest of the game. Highlight includes a snapshot save from Paul to keep us in the match – I wish I could say it was a shot from one of the Punchbowl squad, but no.. Gus was desperate to add himself to the scoresheet, and thought scoring in our own net was his best chance at that..
With the team picking up a number of injuries, as well as Aaron’s ban, we went into our 2nd fixture against Lakemba A with only 11 Div1 players – Huge shout outs to Dean + Michael from the C’s after coming straight from their match to help us out. With Paul away this weekend, Igor stepped up to don the gloves, and delivered a cat-like player of the match performance in a 2-2 draw, that certainly would have been a loss without him between the posts
Our final 2 games of the season, before we were so rudely interrupted by COVID, saw us turn around the recent draws with us going 2-0 against Leichhardt Saints, and 3-2 against Earlwood. Highlight of the Leichhardt Saints game had to be from Rob Phillips, Div9 Loanee for the game, coming on with 15 minutes to spare and firing the ball past the goalie from 30 yards out – What a way for him to stamp his mark on his first league appearance for us!
Against Earlwood, Gus finally added himself onto the goals tally list, Dan scored a quick reaction tap in, and I scored a (extremely wind assisted) free kick from inside our own half. Two great wins to wrap up an incredible undefeated season in Division 1, securing us the title 3 points ahead of Balmain.
I’m incredibly proud of everyone in the squad this season, never letting our heads go down and having the motivation to fight back as a unit when the odds seemed against us at times. I can’t wait to do it all over again with you next season, hopefully a season that takes us through to the finals and our hands on the Major Championship Trophy.
Special shout outs go to Aaron + Paul, it really is a team effort and I couldn’t have done it without either of you, all your help and support is greatly appreciated.
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