Match of the Round
Byron Bay FC v Lake Cathie FC
Coffs Coast Synthetics, Saturday 28 February, 6pm
Byron Bay FC coach James Gill is eager to face a harder challenge than his side is accustomed to when they take on Lake Cathie FC at Coffs Coast Synthetics on Saturday in their UNE NNSW Regional Super League debut.
Byron Bay are a well-established club within the Far North Coast football community and competes in the Football Far North Coast Women’s Premier League.
The side had an outstanding 2025 season as their undefeated run in the regular season saw them secure the premiership 10 points ahead of Alstonville FC.
Although they fell just short of the grand final and missed out on the championship, the side celebrated several individual honours, with five players named in the FFNC Women’s Premier League Team of the Year and Gill earning the Coach of the Year award.
“We're excited. The competition in our league last year was a bit of a walk over for the girls. So it's going to be quite exciting to play some better opposition within the league and be tested a bit more,” Gill said.
“We had a few friendlies last year against some of the Gold Coast teams in the Northern Rivers Academy and when we played those games, it's a lot more open and back and forth. Whereas in our league there was a tendency to play a lot of teams that would just sit back and defend.
“So I'm hoping to see a bit more of an open game and a bit of free-flowing sort of football.
“A good win this weekend will probably set the tone for the season. I know there’s only two games now for the RSL. I think a win here is almost essential really if you want to make the finals so it's important to get off to a good start.”
Gill was wary about going up against the reigning champions but was eager to see how his side could rise to the challenge in their debut.
“I’m a little bit nervous about [facing Lake Cathie] because I've watched one of the games from last year and they look like a good side but it's also exciting to play against them,” Gill said.
“We have to prove ourselves a little bit, more so for our own sake because it's going to be a bit of a harder competition and we don't want to go into it comfortable.
“It's good to go into it like we've got to prove ourselves. It adds a little bit more fire to the belly in that regard.”
Lake Cathie FC will begin their title defence with the pressure firmly on, after edging out Macleay Valley Rangers 1-0 in the 2025 UNE NNSW Regional Super League grand final to be crowned the competition’s inaugural champions.
The Raiders finished the group stage in 2025 at the top of their table and recorded only one goal against them across the five matches played.
They had similar success in the Football Mid North Coast Women’s competition, where they finished the season second on the table with just one loss.
Lake Cathie fell short 1-0 to Macleay Valley Rangers in the FMNC Women’s grand final and used that as motivation for their UNE NNSW RSL championship.
Coach Craig Bulmer will be eager to go back-to-back and will need to secure all three points this weekend to keep that dream alive.
Coffs City United v Tamworth FC
Coffs Coast Synthetics, Saturday 28 February, 12pm
Coffs City United coach Nathan Silvy is optimistic his side can push for a place in the finals this season but he acknowledges the challenge ahead as a youthful squad prepares to face Tamworth FC in round one of the UNE NNSW Regional Super League at Coffs Coast Synthetics on Saturday.
Coffs City United are well acquainted with the UNE NNSW RSL, having built a strong record in the competition in the inaugural season.
The Lions claimed two wins and one loss during the 2025 group stage, including a convincing 2-0 victory over this weekend’s opponents.
Coffs City United’s success also carried over into the North Coast Football Women’s HIT105.5FM Premier League, where they narrowly missed out on the premiership by six points. The side compiled an impressive record of 10 wins, two draws and just three losses across the season.
“We're excited. We're just trying to get our player numbers up at the moment. That's a big thing as we haven't got a lot of registered players, so it’s looking like we'll probably be going into the game with a lot of young players,” Silvy said.
“With it being earlier, I think we’re nowhere near as prepared as we could be. I think at the moment, I just don’t really know what to expect from the team.
“We've only been back in training for a couple of weeks, so it could be anything on the weekend, so we'll see how we go.”
Despite having a younger squad than expected on the weekend, Silvy was excited to see how his side would compete against Tamworth.
“We're hoping to get a good result out of it. Making the playoff stages will be a good goal of ours. That's what we're looking for,” Silvy said.
“[Winning this weekend is] going to be key to getting to the next stage. But I think it being so early in the season the main thing is just getting a hit out.
“We can't really expect too much. We're just going to go out there and see what comes our way. I'm imagining Tamworth might be in a similar boat.
“So it could be probably a slower game than I would imagine and being the first game of the year, the touches might be a bit off but it will be a good hit out.”
Tamworth FC will be eager to open their second UNE NNSW Regional Super League campaign with a win as they aim to return to finals.
The Rangers recorded a mixed group stage last year but still booked a place in the semi-final, where they suffered a tough 6-0 defeat to Macleay Valley Rangers.
But Tamworth enjoyed a strong season in the Northern Inland Tamworth Women’s Premier League, finishing second on the table, just two points behind Oxley Vale Attunga.
Tamworth went on to secure a spot in the grand final, where they again met OVA and claimed the championship with a 2-1 victory.
Coach Robert Jeffery will be optimistic about his side replicating their Tamworth Women’s Premier League performances on Saturday.
Don't miss any of the action from the UNE NNSW RSL Women's round one. All matches will be streamed live and free on NNSWF's YouTube channel HERE.