Lilli Pilli Football Club

Infobox Football club
clubname = Lilli Pilli Football Club
fullname = Lilli Pilli Football Club


nickname = Berries
short name = LPFC, The Berries
founded = 1961
grounds = Lilli Pilli Oval, Glenn McGrath Oval, Breen Park, Solander Fields, Woolooware High School
chairman = flagicon|AustraliaGreg Storey
league = NSW Conference League (South), SSFA ( Sutherland Shire Football Assosciation
major sponsor = Visa, Carmens Nightclub, Caringbah Bizzo's
pattern_la1=_greenlower|pattern_b1=_greenstripes|pattern_ra1=_greenlower
leftarm1=FFFF00|body1=FFFF00|rightarm1=FFFF00|shorts1=008800|socks1=008800
pattern_la2=_shouldersonblack|pattern_b2=_shouldersonblack|pattern_ra2=_shouldersonblack
leftarm2=000000|body2=000000|rightarm2=000000|shorts2=000000|socks2=000000

Lilli Pilli Junior Soccer Club was formed in 1961 to enter competitions run by the Sutherland Shire Junior Soccer Football Association (SSJSFA). It is based in Lilli Pilli, New South Wales, Australia.

The club's official colours are gold and green striped shirt (with white numbers on the back and the "Real Play" and "Visa" logo on the sleeves), green shorts, and green socks with two gold bands at the top and "LPFC" written in gold under the bands. Lilli Pilli are affectionately referred to as the "Berries" (by their supporters... mockingly otherwise) and their home ground is often referred to as the "Berry Dome" or "Berry Stadium".

Lilli Pilli has expanded from its original one-field home ground Lilli Pilli Oval to include other fields such as Woolooware High School, Glenn McGrath Oval, Solander Fields and Breen Park. Currently Lilli Pilli is the largest club, in the largest association in Australia. In 2007 it entered 104 teams, with over 70 in competition grades and player numbers were over 1400.

In 2006, members voted to rename the club from "Lilli Pilli Junior Soccer Club" to "Lilli Pilli Football Club" or more simply "Lilli Pilli F.C." Also in 2006, plans began to be drawn up to redevelop the existing Clubhouse; including change rooms and a second story on the clubhouse.

Lilli Pilli has its own weekly newsletter titled "The Goalmouth" (in description of the area in front of a goal in football). This newsletter contains draws for the next round and the allocation of ground control, canteen duty, and pack up to each team. However, it is Lilli Pilli website (www.lillipilli.org) that is gradually replacing the paper based goal mouth as the medium of communication between the club and the players.

NSW Competition

FBNSWLilli Pilli FC is proud to announce Football NSW has confirmed it has successfully applied to participate in Football NSW's 2008 Conference League. Conference League is the fourth tier of Men's Football in NSW, following the NSW Premier League, Super League and Division One State League respectively. The competition is expected to consists of 18 teams competing in divided conferences; North and South. Lilli Pilli will compete in the Southern Conference. Each side plays all the teams within their conference three times; upon completion a Minor Premier for each Conference is crowned. The top two sides form each Conference then play-off in the Championship Series. Minor Premiers from the South and North Conference vie from an automatic spot in the Grand Final in a Major Semi, while second place getters in each conference battle it out through a series of Finals towards the Grand Final. The winner of the Grand Final is crowned Conference League Champions and become eligible for State League Division One promotion. Conference League begins around the same time as our local Sutherland Shire competitions late in March 2007.

The Lilli Pilli FC Management Committee has been considering this step forward for the club over a number of months. Most importantly, the Committee was swayed by enthusiasm from within its All Age ranks to extend Lilli Pilli's activities, whilst still maintaining its strong commitment to fielding strong elite sides in the SSFA Under 21s and All Age competitions. This is an exploration for Lilli Pilli FC, an opportunity to extend its role and activities in football, an opportunity to bring more quality football close to home at Seymour Shaw Park and an opportunity for Lilli Pilli to do what it enjoys best - play football.

In the coming months we'll unveil sponsors, the 2008 draw, management and coaching appointments and the teams participating in the Conference League in 2008. It is a unique step for a club our size and a tremendous opportunity for us to demonstrate our passion and interest in football.

Greg StoreyPresident - Lilli Pilli FC

External links

*http://www.lillipilli.org/ - Lilli Pilli Football Club
*http://www.shirefootball.com/clubprofile.asp?ID=16 - Sutherland Shire Football Association (Lilli Pilli)
*http://www.shirefootball.com/ - Sutherland Shire Football Association