A Saturday at the Summit is finally upon us, as the new home of football in the Adelaide Hills plays host to the state’s best.
Event preview, by Fin Dunford
In recent memory, the Hills has produced many exceptional young footballers – all of which have had to travel down the hill to play at such a facility - well, no more. The two state of the art synthetic pitches are juxtaposed against the quintessential rolling hills of the area, creating a unique footballing spectacle that cannot be found anywhere else in the state. The elevation prompts a thick fog to descend upon the valley when the conditions are right, and if you misplace a pass – one of the dozens of cattle watching on will inevitably tell you what they think.
The day though is finally here, A Saturday at the Summit - A Mount Barker Showcase event, held by Football SA, RAA and Mount Barker United SC.
The all-day event will consist of Adelaide United player appearances, merchandise stands, Adelaide Hills produce stands and multiple games of football to be played throughout the day.
RAA National Premier Leagues, Round Eleven
Adelaide United v Cumberland United
Pitch One | 3 pm
U18 10.00 am
Reserves 12.30 pm
Adelaide United’s best and brightest are headlining this showcase, with the help of Cumberland United in a mid-table RAA NPLSA showdown. United sit in 7th and Cumberland in 6th, just one point separating the sides. Cumby had an incredibly bright start to the year but have been brought back down to earth with recent results. A 5-0 loss to City and a 3-0 loss to Sturt must have coach Neil Young concerned, but the Foxes have the quality within their side to turn the ship around and get an epic result at this epic event.
United have also had an inconsistent run of form, a common theme among young sides of course. They gave Comets a red-hot crack in last week’s 3-2 loss and were downed 2-0 by Metrostars the week before that. At the season’s halfway mark, it is still incredibly tight within the top six spots - a big United win could see them climb as high as 3rd.
There'll be plenty of A-League credentials in this tie, past, and present. Keep a look out for the promising young talent that have graced the national stage, like Yaya Dukuly and of course the Toure brothers, while Rocco Visconte flies the former pro flag for The Foxes.
Adelaide United FC line-up: Fergus Lynch, Musa Toure, 14. Binyam Kebede, 17. Mohamed Toure, 19. Yaya Dukuly, 37. Jonny Yull, 40. Ethan Cox (GK), 44. Arbi Mollas, 49. Keshav Shrestha, 53. Noah Mcnamara, 55. Ethan Alagich, 57. Adam Leombruno
Coaches: Airton Andrioli, Elvis Markov, Vlado Blazeka, Joe Verringer
Team Staff: Will Mockridge, Justin Graetz, Katrina Smith
Cumberland United line-up: Jed Anderson, 1. Luke Schoen (GK), 2. Jack Schoen (C), 3. Joshua Harvey, 5. Sam Carmichael, 6. David Signore, 8. Harry Thannhauser, 9. JUAN GUTIERREZ, 10. Jumar Oakley, 11. Thomas Briscoe, 15. Ryan Wood, 17. Tom Dittmar, 18. Antoni Panagoulias, 19. Rocco Visconte, 20. Stavros Bakopanos, 22. Aristomenios Haralampopoulos, 23. Matthew Charalambous
Coaches: Neil Young, Mathew Balopitos, Matthew Prodanovski, Marijan Kolar
Team Staff: Jody Loomes, Sean Bushby, Steven O'Donnell
Meet these two A-League stars tomorrow from 2.30 pm for a signing session.
There'll be an opportunity to win some prizes throughout the day, including the chance to drive a Mustang for the weekend! Plus, how would you like the chance to head home with a $90 goody bag of treats from Paris Creek Farms? Details to be announced at the event!
State League Two
Mount Barker United SC v Vipers SC
Pitch Two | 2.30 pm
U18 9.30 am
Reserves 11.45 am
Mount Barker have a chance this weekend to put their troubles behind them and start this new chapter with a bang. It is no secret that results have not gone their way to say the least, but they now have a clean slate and an opportunity to make use of this facility – this new journey begins with a tough fixture in 6th placed Vipers.
Vipers have had a great run of results and have been showcasing why they were a state league one side only one season ago. If they continue in this vein, they are a real chance to make another run at promotion.
A win for Mt Barker could be the spark that turns the season around and lay the foundation for years to come. Vipers’ aspirations are more immediate, as three points this weekend could send them up to 3rd.
The hosts are ready to put on a show in front of some new and some familiar faces. Get down and cheer on your local side. Kick-off at 2.30 pm.