Rams HQ A little history…

The new clubhouse With player numbers approaching 1000 in season 2012 it was becoming clear that we had outgrown the old boat shed. It was broken into and vandalised from time to time and the old girl even survived an attempt to burn her down. The committee decided it was time for an upgrade and went into action. Knowing approval to build closer to the fields wouldn’t be given due to the site being a former rubbish tip, the committee aimed for a complete rebuild. We’d been saving hard and fundraising for a few years and we won some grants to enable the dream to come true. Construction started at the end of season 2012 and we had our first ‘open house’ in July 2013. Now featuring toilets, a brilliant change room, fabulous canteen and bar and plenty of space, Rams HQ became the envy of every other club on the Coast.

The old clubhouse at its new home With around 150 members in the early 70’s the Rams were very fortunate to have a clubhouse of their own. After about ten years the committee added on a room to the left hand side that served as a makeshift change room and office. A few years later the over 35 Sandshoe Brigade built a bar in one corner and the canteen was functional if not a bit cosy. The BBQ was squeezed into a corner of the front verandah and we always had volunteers happy to help cook on an icy cold winter’s morning. The clubhouse was the scene of many post match celebrations, 200 club nights, club presentations and meetings. It developed quite a reputation over the years and many members hold very fond memories of some wonderful (and sometimes dubious) events! Through the nineties and noughties, player numbers surged beyond 800 and the clubhouse was struggling to meet our needs.

Situated on the Gosford Waterfront in the 1960s opposite Vaughan Avenue, the building was a boat shed that served the local boating community for a number of years before what was then known as Brisbane Water County Council decided it had served its purpose and was time to go. The East Gosford Soccer Club committee requested the building be given over to them for use at Hylton Moore Oval for use as a clubhouse. The committee was only given a very short time frame to retrieve the building before it was demolished. A plaque commemorating the eventual opening was unveiled by the then club president Dr R. H. Feather on 25 September 1971.

Graeme Schmidt ~ Treasurer Martin Vanderslot ~ MPO Brett Wright ~ President Judith McIntosh ~ Registrar David Pook ~ Equipment Manager Karen Wright ~ Merchandise Manager

Steve Gibbons ~ Secretary Jerry Raftery ~ Women’s Coordinator Stewart McIntosh ~ Jnr Vice President Barry Moulds ~ Coaching Coordinator Stuart Wetherall ~ Snr Vice President Phil Meyer ~ Canteen / Cadets Absent: Daniel Lara ~Asst Treasurer

Acknowledgements. The Rams would like to acknowledge the wonderful support provided by the following:

The committee that put it all together

Paul and Scott Woodcock (The Woodies) - Principal Builders The countless Rams players for the donations of materials and labour.

East Gosford Soccer Club was established in 1963 and was first known as the Dinosaurs. The Clubhouse: The clubhouse was previously located at the site of the recently removed Karribee ferry on the Gosford waterfront. We were given the building in 1972 on the condition it be taken away within 2 days. This was accomplished and the old house was erected in the position it occupies today. It was officially opened by Dr Feather who was instrumental in the formation of the club. Today: We currently have over 1,100 registered players. This is more than four times the 286 players we had in 1994. We enjoy one of the highest participation rates of girls and women's teams in our association which has 23 member clubs totalling just over 14,500 players in 2023. We have players from under 5s through to over 45s (and a few a lot older than that!) We also boast a very successful senior club consisting of several all age teams for both men and women and both male and female Premier League squads who have been very successful in recent years. Tomorrow: We are always striving for continual improvement in providing an avenue for our members to participate in our terrific sport at the grassroots level. We hope our efforts allow all of our players to reach their potential and either continue to play just for fun or go on to bigger and better things. There is a project currently underway to compile a full history of the club and we invite anyone who may wish to contribute to contact us at info@eastgosfordfc.com Thank you.