The 2026 Newcastle Permanent Community State Youth Championships wrapped up on Friday afternoon following five thrilling days of competition.
The tournament saw the best community footballers from across northern NSW represent their respective member zones as they went head-to-head for the chance to be crowned champions.
Six of Northern NSW Football’s member zones took part in the competition including Newcastle Football, Macquarie Football, Hunter Valley Football, NNSWF – Northern Inland, Football Mid North Coast and North Coast Football.
The competition was split into boys and girls age groups from under-12s to under-16s and was open to all community footballers.
The girls kicked off the week on Monday, with finals taking place on Wednesday.
In the girls’ under-13s and under-14s tournaments, Newcastle Football retained their titles as champions.
The Newcastle Football under-13s defeated North Coast Football 1(3)-1(2) in a thrilling penalty shootout, while the under-14s secured a 1-0 victory over Football Mid North Coast thanks to a Macenzy Chapman goal.
It was an all-Football Mid North Coast affair in the under-12s final, with the North and South teams going head-to-head. It was the North side who prevailed, with Poppy Dawkins converting from the penalty spot to secure a 1-0 win.
North Coast Football went back-to-back in the under-16s final, defeating Football Mid North Coast 0(6)-0(5) after a highly competitive contest.
Newcastle Football Development Coordinator Nicholas Fakes said the revamped tournament format provided greater opportunities for boys and girls while creating an environment where female players could thrive alongside one another.
“One of the best parts of the revamped tournament is having the girls and boys days split. It's important that both sets of players are highlighted in a different way,” Fakes said.
“The girls get a big kick out of being able to spend a few days with each other and to see how all the other girls teams have been progressing alongside them.
“I wanted to make sure that the girls were in a position where they were able to get everything that they needed from this tournament and to be able to put their best foot forward to have a bit of success.”
While Newcastle Football finished the tournament on top in the under-13s and under-14s, Fakes said the program’s success had always been measured by player development, with the titles simply rewarding the progress made throughout the year.
“For our program, winning was not central at all. We had different measures of success and one of those measures of success was essentially just being able to see that we’d learnt something over the last 10 months that we’ve been training,” Fakes said.
“But it's always nice to see them win something and to be able to take home a medal and a trophy.
“It also gives them a bit of motivation coming into next year to try and retain that title.”
Attention then turned to the boys competition which started on Wednesday afternoon and concluded on Friday.
NNSWF Indigenous secured the under-16 boys championship in a hard-fought 0(6)-0(5) penalty shootout against Football Mid North Coast, with captain and goalkeeper Samual Jacka saving the final attempt.
Newcastle Football were victorious in the under-14 boys for the second consecutive year after defeating Macquarie Football 5-2 in a thrilling contest.
Football Mid North Coast secured the under-13 boys title with a 1-0 victory over Newcastle Football, with a goal from Madden Butcher proving the difference.
In the final game of the week, it was another all-Football Mid North Coast decider in the under-12 boys, with South claiming the title after a strong 3-0 victory over North.
Football Mid North Coast General Manager Phillip Andrews said the tournament was a brilliant showcase of the region’s talent and the opportunities available for community footballers.
“We brought down eight teams and for all of them to make the grand finals is spectacular for our region,” Andrews said.
“It's just a really fantastic opportunity for so many kids from community football to come down here and challenge themselves in a really healthy football environment.”
NNSWF General Manager Football Operations Liam Bentley said the fifth annual competition once again showcased the talent, passion and opportunities that exist within community football.
“The tournament provided a fantastic opportunity for our community footballers to showcase their talents,” Bentley said.
“It was great to see players take the field at the Lake Macquarie Regional Football Facility and proudly represent their member zone throughout the week.
“A big thank you goes to the players and team officials for embracing the tournament spirit and congratulations to all our winners. We also extend our appreciation to the match officials for their outstanding efforts, as well as to our member zones for their continued support.”