This week I had the privilege of spending a very special night at Blue Tongue Stadium with a great group of people. With the Mariners making it through to round 16 of the Asian Champions League, I invited the entire IFS staff to enjoy the game in a corporate box. Along with their immediate families, a group of 52 people came together! It is hard to believe in such a short space of time we have attracted such a large group of highly motivated people inspired to change the lives of young people.
It was particularly nice to see many of our students and families at the game. With a crowd just under 9,000 people, next seasons A-League on the Coast is looking good. Part of our college’s mission is to support professional football in Australia, helping to create a shift towards healthy engagement in the sport over time. It saddens me when I hear people talk down the A-League. It is our national professional league and I believe we need to embrace our local professionals.
Australian culture seems to have a habit of knocking success. This is so damaging to young people, leading to cynical and pessimist attitudes. Why not celebrate the success of our league and embrace what we have here on the Coast? It was pretty amazing to see a team with an annual wage bill of approx $2.5 million compete against a team with an annual wage bill of approx $40 million. The Aussie spirit was certainly on display on Wednesday night.
We are so lucky to have such a great opportunity right on our doorstep and we at IFS are proud to be part of the fabric of football on the Central Coast.
A great night out with the family and IFS family. Thanks boss, u spoilt us.
We also had a great night. Thanks for the tickets