UTS Gridiron

The pre-season team meeting is being held this Saturday 21st July 10am – noon, at UTS Broadway. Everyone is to meet in the foyer at 9:45am. Any questions please contact Matt Steel on 0418 600 326 or email president.

The Level 0 Officiating Course is being held this Saturday 14 July 10am - noon. This is a great way for new players to understand to the rules of gridiron football. Players interested who have not yet registered should contact Matt Steel on 0418 600 326 or email president.

Details regarding the 2007 Season are as follows:

Fitness Training begins (Voluntary Practice)
Date: Tuesdays from 12th June 2007
Time: 7:30pm – 8:30pm
Venue: Powells Creek Reserve, Concord West

Level 0 Officiating Course (This is a good way for new players to understand to the rules of the game.)
More details will follow on this as the club has to have a number of its playing members reach this level.
Date: Saturday 14th July 2007
Time: 10:00am – 12:00pm
Venue: Powells Creek Reserve, Concord West

Full Team Meeting & Registration Day
Date: Saturday 21st July 2007
Time: 10:00am – 12:00pm
Venue: UTS Campus, Broadway Ultimo (Everyone to meet in the foyer at 9:45am)

Rookie Pre-Season
Practice Days: Tuesday, Thursday & Saturday (3 practices in total)
First Rookie Practice Session: Saturday 28th July 2007
Tues & Thurs time: 7:45 - 9:45pm
Saturday time: 10:00am – 12:00pm
Venue: Powells Creek Reserve, Concord West

Team Pre-Season
Practice Days: Tuesday, Thursday & Saturday (18 practices in total)
First Team Practice Session: Saturday 4th August 2007
Tues & Thurs time: 7:45 - 9:45pm
Saturday time: 10:00am – 12:00pm
Venue: Powells Creek Reserve, Concord West

Season
Practice Days: Tuesday & Thursday nights
First Game: Saturday September 15th

If you require more details or have any question regarding the season you can contact Andrew Douglas via email coach or mobile 0411 014 936 or myself Matt Steel President UTS Gridiron email president or mobile 0418 600 326.

Andrew Douglas (Head Coach / Offensive Coordinator) - Andrew has been involved with Gridiron since 1987, and enters his third year as the Head Coach of UTS Gridiron. In 2005 Andrew introduced the Spread Offense and is looking to build on the solid performances achieved from season 2006.

Ese Enari (Defensive Coordinator) - Ese has been involved with Gridiron since 1986, and enters his fourth coaching season with UTS Gridiron. Ese has also been the Defensive Coordinator for NSW State Squads and Australian squads.

Thomas Hester (DB’s & LB) – Thomas announced his retirement as player at the end of the 2006 season and will enter his first year coaching for UTS. (Playing Seasons 2000, 2003 - 2006)

Martin Head (QB & WR) – Rejoins the club’s coaching personnel after having a break for a couple of years. This will be Martin’s fourth year as coach with UTS. (Playing seasons 2000 - 2001, Coaching 2002 - 2004)

Anthony Maxwell (DL) – Anthony has found his way back to UTS after having a brief stint coaching the Mustangs. (Playing Seasons 1996 -1998, Seasons 2000 - 2003, Coaching Season 2004)

On Saturday 5 May Fred & Paula will be hosting the UTS Pacific Island Experience day.

Cost will be $5 and drinks are BYO. The day kicks off at 11am with footie in the park and hanging out by the pool, followed by the Pacific Island feast at around 3-4pm. Friends and relatives are welcome to attend.

RSVP John “Porridge” Kritikos via email treasurer or by phone 0422 586 833 ASAP as we really need to know how much food to organize.

It’s been decided that we will combine the Club’s AGM and Presentation into one event.

Venue: - TBC
Date: Saturday, 20th January 2007
Time: - AGM 12 noon / Presentation 1pm
Cost: - TBC (we are still waiting to finalize a venue and also the menu)
RSVP: - email president

The AGM is an important part of the club and every member has a right to vote who they want sitting in executive positions running the club for the year. Also if there is anyone interested in nominating themselves for any of the positions please feel free to send me an email and I will then pass onto you the job description available.

Monday 5th February 2007 – Superbowl (XLI) Party
This is the day we all take a sick day off work to watch it on the big screen.
Venue: - UTS Broadway (Glasshouse Bar)
Time: - Kick Off Time yet TBC (It’s generally 10:00am)
Cost: - Free of Charge so bring your mates, family and partners.

Sunday 18th February 2007 – UTS Lawn Bowls Day
Venue: - Coogee Bowling Club (Dolphin St, Coogee) This is right next to Coogee Beach, and the Coogee Palace, We have booked for 20 people, but can adjust if there is more demand, if last year was any indication, should be an awesome afternoon.
Time: - 12:30pm
Cost: - $10 (which includes bowls hire and green fees for 2 hours)
RSVP: - Simon Irrgang, email ulo or call: 0419 614 157

Late March 2007 – UTS Golf Day
This event has turned out to be real good annual event and its great event to invite mates to the fold to enjoy a great afternoon of Golf. Prizes usually consist of the longest drive and a couple of the closest to the pins as well has the winning group. So start to organize you team (4 people) and details will follow to confirm all the dates and times.

It has been a fantastic season for UTS Gridiron, but each season has it’s losses. Sadly, we have four major club contributors who are retiring after the 2006 Grand final season. Thank you all for your contributions over the years. You will be sorely missed.

Tom Hester
Wide Receiver (LB, QB)
Tom is the most versatile player on UTS. During his many years with UTS, he has played every position and exceeded in them all. He even guided UTS to a week nine victory over the Mustangs as a temporary head coach. Tom’s contributions over the years have been vital to the team’s success, and he will be sorely missed by the club.

Noah Parker
Offensive Guard (NT)
Noah played four years for the Michigan Wolverines in the US before moving down under and play for the Concord Jaguars in 2003. When the Jags folded in 2004, Noah came to the aid of a struggling UTS unit. He has been a running back’s dream - helping turn the 2-6 team he joined make the Grand Final in ‘06. Noah was elected team captain and selected to play state in all three of his UTS seasons.

Lewis Astridge
Free Safety (QB)
Lewis was promoted to starting Quarterback in 2001. After leading UTS to their best record in 2002 with 17 combined TDs, he earned a nomination for league MVP. In 2005, he found a new niche at the Free Safety position, where he has reeled-in 8 interceptions. Lewis has twice been selected for the NSW Wolfpack in his seven seasons with the club.

Fred Gaitau
Defensive Lineman (LB)
Former Lions retiree Fred decided to give Gridiron one more season with a new club, UTS. Fred ignited sparks on the defensive front. He is best known this season for stuffing running backs for losses. He was one of the 2006 team leaders in tackles. He has been a blessing without a disguise.

In what was a great match between two evenly matched teams, the Lions came away with NSWGFL crown in a nail-biting 34-26 victory. The score was 14-13 at halftime, the Lions extended the lead in the 3rd, and UTS caught up in the 4th. At the final whistle, UTS fell 8 points shy of winning the league championship.

While the narrow loss was disappointing, UTS would like to congratulate the Lions on winning their 4th straight NSWGFL championship. We would also like to thank our fans and supporters. Your passion on the night was amazing, and the entire team thanks you for your inspiration.

UTS now closes their 2006 as runners-up of the 2006 NSWGFL Waratah Bowl. We will be adding photos, game reports, stats and other notes in coming weeks. Don’t forget there is also a lineup of offseason events approaching shortly, so be sure to check back for updates.

Lastly and most importantly, a huge congratulations goes to all the UTS Gridiron players and coaching staff who contributed to the most successful season in club history. Coaches Andrew Douglas and Ese Enari have done an amazing job turning UTS into the championship team of 2006. The players also put in a massive amount of hard work and commitment to achieve such an amazing goal.

That was the final match of the 2006 Division One season. UTS are already focused on the 2007 season, with all eyes on the Championship Trophy.

Congratulations UTS! You are all winners. To see the full 2006 Division One team, go to the 2006 roster.

Welcome to Australia’s Superbowl ladies and gents! UTS Gridiron Division One squad have successfully made it to the NSWGFL Grand Final, the Waratah Bowl. It is their first ever appearance in the clubs’ 12-year existence. UTS earned their spot after defeating the West Sydney Pirates in the semi-finals, 52-32. It is also one step further from last season, when they were knocked out of the playoffs in a narrow match against the Lions 21-29. This is a massive achievement and utsgridiron.com would like to offer their congratulations and the best of luck in the Grand Final! Well done guys.