All articles from our website & appThe digital version of Today's PaperBreaking news alerts direct to your inboxInteractive Crosswords Sudoku and TriviaAll articles from the other regional websites in your areaContinueMs Powell left nearly $64,000 in her will to the centre specifically earmarked for the benefit of not-for-profit community groups that use the centre City of Newcastle councillors acknowledged Ms Powell's gift at a meeting this week Independent Cr Mark Brooker said the bequest was a true act of building community "This is about helping not-for-profit groups stretch their limited funds further," he said "Anne and her brother Clifford were New Lambton through and through "Anne made it clear the money should go to the centre's users and small groups that rely on this space." Cr Brooker said he was told by Ms Powell's friend and executrix that Ms Powell was taken aback by the sheer variety of activities on offer at her first visit to the centre New Lambton Community Centre would receive a share of her estate," he said In honour of her wishes and to expand the amount of the bequest the council will offer a 50 per cent reduction in fees to use the centre for all current permanent bookings capped at $1000 per group until Ms Powell's bequest is spent The reduced fee will also be made available to new not-for-profit users and casual hirers of the space hosts regular events including dance classes and performances handicraft gatherings and community meetings While Ms Powell moved around due to her career as a teacher Mr Powell remained a New Lambton resident for all his life The siblings maintained a lifelong connection to and affection for the suburb they called home The council will arrange for Ms Powell and her brother's names to be added to the Honour Roll of Donors that hangs in the building Labor Cr Peta Winney-Baartz said the kind gesture speaks to the community itself. "I think there couldn't be a greater gift to your community than being able to help uplift them," she said. Independent lord mayor Ross Kerridge said he wants to make sure incredible acts of generosity in the community like Ms Powell's don't go unnoticed. "I think maybe we need to have a better mechanism, now being the sole repository almost of civic memory, of recognising people like this and donations like this, or just people who have contributed a lot to our community on their passing," he said. In total, the Powell siblings contributed more than $703,000 to causes they cared about, including UNICEF, the Koala Hospital at Port Macquarie, Dementia Australia Research Foundation, the Fred Hollows Foundation and others. Newsletters & AlertsView allDaily Today's top stories curated by our news team. Also includes evening update. Grab a quick bite of today's latest news from around the region and the nation. Catch up on the news of the day and unwind with great reading for your evening. 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Fresh daily! Picture by Peter LorimerIt took just one training session for Maitland coach Joseph Wright to see Marry Ntsweng's quality All articles from our websiteThe digital version of Today's PaperBreaking news alerts direct to your inboxAll articles from the other regional websites in your areaContinueThe 2012 London Olympian played another key role in setting up Maitland's 2-1 win over New Lambton at Alder Park on Saturday afternoon and could prove the signing of the season in NPLW Northern NSW The 35-year-old South African provided an assist for Renee Pountney's close-range goal in the 59th minute then finished at the near post after a throw-in in the 65th minute to give the unbeaten leaders a 2-0 lead before twice-capped Matilda Tara Andrews pulled one back for the hosts in the 86th minute Andrews is the runaway leading scorer in NPLW after nine rounds with 18 goals well clear of Charlestown's Madi Gallegos (nine) and Hunter Valley-based Ntsweng (eight) Ntsweng was one of three elite-level footballers the defending premiers added to their roster this campaign along with former A-League players Renee Pountney and Josie Morley "[Marry] had just settled in Australia and she was looking to play football in Newcastle," Wright said "We had a conversation and she came and trained with us for a couple of sessions and she decided that that was the place that she wanted to be As soon as you saw her in the first session you knew that she's everything that she said that she was." Maitland improved to 22 points to open up a six-point gap over second-placed Azzurri as the competition heads towards its midpoint "I've been really impressed with the girls so far this season They put in a lot of work in pre-season to build chemistry between the team," Wright said "All of those players who have come in at the start of the season But I think we're starting to get to a point where we understand how each other plays now and are making sure that we're playing to each other's strengths whilst fulfilling the style of football that we're trying to play." Morley came off the bench in the second half as she returns slowly from what at first was feared a season-ending knee injury The two NPLW matches scheduled for Sunday were washed out The Maitland Mapgies men's game against Broadmeadow at Cooks Square Park on Sunday was postponed due to wet weather who are 10th with 8 points from eight games play ninth-placed Belmont Swansea on Friday night Weston were 4-0 winners over Adamstown at Adamstown Oval The win took the Bears to third place on the ladder with 16 points Renee Valentine is a sports journalist with more than 20 years of experience in Newcastle. She is passionate about increasing the visibility of sportswomen in the media. Got a sports story, email Renee at r.valentine@newcastleherald.com.au Today's top stories curated by our news team Get the editor's insights: what's happening & why it matters tips & travel writing to transport you around the globe Your weekday morning newsletter on national affairs reviews and expert insights every Thursday from CarExpert Your essential national news digest: all the big issues on Wednesday and great reading every Saturday Let the ACM network's editors and journalists bring you news and views from all over Your digital replica of Today's Paper Match of the RoundNew Lambton FC v Valentine FCAlder Park New Lambton FC coach Shane Pryce is confident that his side’s first point can be the catalyst for their first win as they prepare to host Valentine FC in the match of the round at Alder Park on Saturday.  Pryce was a happy coach when the full-time whistle blew at Cooks Square Park on Wednesday night as the Golden Eagles drew 1-1 in their rescheduled round six clash.   A 50th-minute Vali Brandis volley saw his side equalise against Maitland FC who had gone ahead in the first minute through a Braedyn Crowley header.  The draw snapped New Lambton's six-game losing streak and was a reward for the players’ hard work on the training paddock.   Pryce was sure that his men could build on Wednesday’s positive result and get the job done against Valentine.  “It’s a bit of a reward for a long journey and a lot of hard work,” Pryce said.  “We could have won it and I believe we’ve had a chance to win every week But for the players to get some confidence and to also learn what it takes to even get a point in this league how hard they’ve got to work and how much they have to respect the game of football I think it’s going to go a long way towards us keeping on improving.  “It’s about respecting each other’s efforts I don’t think we’d worked collectively and realised how much hard work and sacrifice you have to put on the field to actually achieve something but that realisation was there tonight (Wednesday) There’s not one person I thought could have tried harder and teams and clubs that have had a bit of turmoil “We just need to concentrate on ourselves though I know that’s the old saying but it’s true.  “We’ve got a level now that we’ve set that we need to meet each week or we won’t get anything out of this competition.”  Valentine and New Lambton are 10th and 12th on the table respectively and they share the worst defensive record in the competition with 23 goals against in their seven games.  The Phoenix have conceded 12 of those goals in their past two matches either side of Kallum Garbett’s departure as head coach But his replacement Cas Wright thought there were positives to take out of those games after they scored last in both by battling until the final whistle.  that we never give up and we keep going no matter what the result is,” Wright said.  “It’s the way we’ve tried to build a culture from the youngest teams through to seniors and the young ones watching our seniors play and seeing that it gives them a bit of esteem to move forward in their games that if they’re struggling they have it in them to keep going as well.”  so there will be a good rivalry there,” Wright added about this weekend’s game.  “We’ll be putting our best foot forward and look to start to build the team again We’re focusing on things game by game and looking to improve as we go.”  Wright became the first female head coach in the NNSW NPL Men’s competition last weekend which she said she hoped would show other females that they can achieve success in areas traditionally dominated by men.  it’s about being the best coach for the role regardless of gender,” Wright said “I was the first female TD of a premier club as well It shows that there are opportunities out there but as long as you’re putting the right foot forward “It’s not the best of circumstances for me Wright said her goal this year was for Valentine to finish above where they placed in 2024 under coach Adam Hughes Broadmeadow Magic v Weston BearsMagic Park Broadmeadow Magic head coach Jim Cresnar has challenged his men to step up and show some consistency moving forward as they prepare to challenge Weston Bears on home soil on Friday night.  Two of the three in-form teams of the competition will kick off the round at Magic Park in what is expected to be a blockbuster contest that will certainly have implications on the standings at the pointy end of the table.  Weston is on a four-game winning streak but slipped to fourth during the week after being overtaken by Charlestown Azzurri They are determined to climb back into the top three heading into the Easter long weekend break.   a win against Broadmeadow would close the gap between themselves and the league leaders to three points and the Bears also have a game in hand.  Broadmeadow is on a six-game winning streak after earning all 18 points on offer since their opening-round loss in the grand final rematch against Edgeworth.  Their past three victories have all been by a one-goal margin and they have been second best at times in all of those games but one of the traits of champion teams is that they find ways to win and Magic are certainly doing that.  Cresnar said he was pleased that his men have been getting the job done but he wants them to improve “We haven’t been consistent enough,” Cresnar said.  “No doubt we need to work on a few things with a massive game against Weston coming up.  They’re a team that wants to control the game with the ball The Magic boss said there was a chance that Bailey Wells would line up against the Bears to make his return from a quad injury that has kept him sidelined for the past two matches.  Newcastle Olympic v Adamstown Rosebud FC Darling Street Oval A spot in the top five is on the line when Newcastle Olympic hosts Adamstown Rosebud at Darling Street Oval on Friday.  Olympic is in fifth position but is just two points ahead of Adamstown and Cooks Hill United so while a win in round eight could see them create a five-point buffer from the chasing pack a loss could see them stumble out of the five.  They are also looking to return to form in front of goal after struggling to fire in recent weeks The Olympic men have only found the back of the net once in their past two matches after scoring 14 in their first five.  There were two major positives out of their 0-0 draw against Lambton last Saturday the first being it was their maiden clean sheet of the campaign.   The other was the return of their major off-season signing Roy O’Donovan from a back injury He featured for the first time since round one when he entered in the 86th minute and coach Paul DeVitis is confident his minutes will increase this Friday.  The Rosebud are full of confidence this season and are eager to return to winning ways after falling short against Broadmeadow Magic last Friday Chris Moylan’s men may have lost that match 3-2 but it was a small victory for them as they pushed the league leaders all the way to full-time.  Edgeworth Eagles v Cooks Hill UnitedJack McLaughlan Oval Cooks Hill United coach Chris Zoricich is looking for his side to build on last weekend’s win when they travel to Jack McLaughlan Oval to challenge Edgeworth Eagles on Saturday.  A 4-2 victory away from home against New Lambton FC on Sunday saw Cooks Hill move within two points of the top five but Zoricich thought his men made things much harder on themselves than they needed to as they secured their third win of the campaign.  Cooks Hill are yet to truly show their full potential in 2025 and they are well aware that they will need to rise to another level when they take on one of the form teams of the competition in round eight.  Edgeworth has been in sensational form of late and on a four-game winning streak during which they outscored their opponents 19 goals to three.   They boast the best defensive record with just four goals against in seven starts and the 21 goals they have scored so far are also the competition’s benchmark.  The Eagles are second on the table just one point behind league leaders Broadmeadow and will be playing for top spot if Magic are to drop points against Weston Bears on Friday night.  Lambton Jaffas v Belmont Swansea United Arthur Edden Oval Lambton Jaffas are well aware that they will need to be switched on for the full 90 minutes this Saturday when they host Belmont Swansea United at Arthur Edden Oval.  BelSwans played their rescheduled round six match against Charlestown Azzurri at Lisle Carr Oval on Tuesday night and a Kane Woolston double saw them come from behind to draw the match 2-2.  Lambton coach David Tanchevski labelled Woolston as one of the side’s danger players and said that his side were ready for a tough battle against the competition newcomers BelSwans have been solid since gaining promotion into the league this year.   They adopted the ‘battlers from Blacksmiths’ tag early in the season and they have proven to be exactly that after coming from behind to earn all six points they have picked up so far this season.  But they are going to need to step up this Saturday when they challenge a Lambton team that have kept three clean sheets in six matches and has the second-best defensive record in the competition.  The Jaffas are the worst attacking side this season and Tanchevski is hopeful they will start banging in some goals this Saturday.  Charlestown Azzurri v Maitland FC Lisle Carr Oval Charlestown Azzurri will host the lone Sunday fixture in round eight when they welcome Maitland FC to Lisle Carr Oval.  Each of these sides is coming off home midweek games after Azzurri drew 2-2 against Belmont Swansea United on Tuesday before Maitland drew 1-1 against New Lambton FC on Wednesday.  Those were rescheduled round six clashes and the results saw Charlestown climb above Weston Bears into third place and Maitland remain 11th.  The Magpies’ start to the season has been well below what they had expected as Wednesday’s winless result was their sixth in seven games.   It was also their first match without one of their big 2025 signings with former A-League gun Nick Cowburn recently leaving the club by mutual consent to join Newcastle Croatia FC in Zone Football League One.   recently got their former A-League star back as Taylor Regan made a successful return from injury in a 5-1 round seven win against Valentine FC He got through 69 minutes that afternoon and then the full 90 during the week.  Azzurri are entrenched in the top five and could enter the Easter weekend break one point from the top of the table if results go their way this weekend.  Luxury living is made easy in this gorgeous set in a blue ribbon New Lambton street with an impressive high-end residence is located in the buzzing heart of New Lambton award-winning architects Space Design Architecture with work completed by Newcastle’s SNL builders The Torrens Title home was crafted to showcase a district outlook achieved beautifully thanks to its elevated position and the generous use of glass throughout All areas of this home are sure to impress from the open plan living spaces to the entertainer’s balcony you feel a sense of space and light thanks to the double-height void and louvre glazing you’ll be inspired by the stunning custom joinery that offers abundant storage from built-in robes to cleverly crafted seating with storage gourmet kitchen has been fitted out with all the latest modern appliances including a 900w induction cooktop built-in microwave and water point to fridge All three bathrooms are fully-tiled and are finished with stone surfaces and brushed nickel hardware The two ensuites have luxurious under floor heating to ensure comfort year round and the main bathroom features a bathtub and powder room high end finishes right throughout the home to deliver a contemporary living experience The flooring is a mix of plush wool carpets and engineered wood while LED downlights feature wall lighting and pendant lights create mood There is multi-zone ducted air-conditioning a 5.81kw solar system and a double garage with an auto panel lift door Absolutely every detail has been carefully considered in this freshly constructed home set in one of the best streets of New Lambton It’s now ready to welcome its first proud owners who are looking for urban sophistication with smart solutions to everyday living Get all the latest Newcastle news, sport, real estate, entertainment, lifestyle and more delivered straight to your inbox with the Newcastle Weekly Daily Newsletter. Sign up here Click through to read our latest Issue of Newcastle Weekly Subscribe to Newcastle Weekly. News, Community, Lifestyle, Property delivered direct to your inbox! 100% Local, 100% Free. Sudoku and TriviaAll articles from the other regional websites in your areaContinueStedman says "it's not a good look" as he turns to a field player for the Golden Eagles' National Premier Leagues Women (NPLW) exchange against defending premiers Maitland at Cooks Square Park on Sunday (4.30pm) amidst a goalkeeping crisis at the club The Newcastle Herald understands New Lambton had hoped to sign former A-League shot-stopper Claire Coelho as a short-term injury replacement for first-grade keeper Isabella White White came in to fill the void left by the departure of last season's goalkeeper Ally Boertje but was a last-minute casualty on season's eve Stedman said White looked set for seven to 10 weeks on the sidelines Things quickly turned from bad to worse for the club's goalkeeping stocks when reserve-grade shot-stopper Ngawai Pirini was red-carded 18 minutes into New Lambton's 6-1 loss to defending champions Charlestown Azzurri at Alder Park last Sunday was caught off her line and handled the ball outside the area She was subsequently suspended for one game The Herald understands New Lambton had hoped to sign former A-League goalkeeper Claire Coelho as a short-term injury replacement Picture by Jonathan CarrollDefender Finley Woodforth donned the gloves against Azzurri but is not expected to be called upon this weekend One closes on February 7 and there is another mid-season Newcastle Olympic were granted dispensation to sign Isabella Whitton as an injury replacement for Coelho in the week leading up to round one as the latter had sustained a long-term hand injury a spokesperson from Northern NSW Football (NNSWF) said: "Because goalkeeper is a specialist position NNSWF can provide dispensation if a senior goalkeeper is out with a long-term injury "This would involve removing the injured goalkeeper from the club's roster and replacing them with the new player Meaning the injured player would not be able to play first grade until the mid-season window NNSWF rejected New Lambton's request to sign a replacement goalkeeper this week due to different circumstances "New Lambton FC submitted a first-grade roster with one recognised goalkeeper with an eligible under-age goalkeeper on their reserve-grade roster," a NNSWF spokesperson said "New Lambton FC's recognised first-grade goalkeeper is now out with a short-term injury (four weeks) The club's reserve-grade goalkeeper was sent off in last week's match and has incurred a one-match suspension to be served this week "NNSWF has not allowed New Lambton FC to register an extra player outside the player registration window because two goalkeepers are unavailable for one week and four weeks respectively "NPL regulations permit exemptions for justifiable reasons of which a season ending injury can be seen as one the exemption for Newcastle Olympic last year did not allow another player to be added to their roster It was only permitted based on the injured player being out for the season and being removed from their roster entirely a player being sent off is not a justifiable reason to seek an exemption from player registration windows." able to sign any player under 20 to play first grade or a player over 20 to play reserve grade but it's not black and white sometimes," Stedman said we wouldn't even be having the conversation there is just such a shortage of goalkeepers at the moment "Northern need to review the rules and have a look at these circumstances "We're not asking for the goalkeeper to be goalkeeper all year We're just asking the keeper to stand in for a few games We're hoping it's only going to be a short one but if it's longer you're instantly putting pressure on an 18-year-old to be a first-grade keeper for the rest of the year we're basically going to go back to under 12s and say and it just doesn't look good for women's football in the highest level in Newcastle and I think Northern needs to look at those rules and be a little bit flexible "Do you want to stick by these rules and stop football growth and put pressure on these young players or do you want to try and build the women's game in Newcastle." Stedman said New Lambton's 17s goalkeeper would also play reserve grade on the weekend but he didn't want to put a 16-year-old in the position of playing three games in a day you bring young people into senior squads too early and two things So you've got to be careful," Stedman said He was unsure which field player would take on the keeping role against the Magpies Adamstown host Broadmeadow on Saturday (7pm) Charlestown are at home to New Lambton (2pm) Maitland travel to Cooks Hill (4.30pm) and Edgeworth are away to newcomers Belmont Swansea (6.30pm) Lambton meet Broadmeadow at Magic Park (2pm) and Newcastle Olympic play Weston at Darling Street Oval (4.30pm) More from SportNewsletters & AlertsView allDaily Grab a quick bite of today's latest news from around the region and the nation Catch up on the news of the day and unwind with great reading for your evening Don't miss your weekly Knights update Get the latest property and development news here Test your skills with interactive crosswords Match of the RoundNew Lambton FC 2-3 Valentine FC Valentine FC coach Cas Wright was thrilled to get win number one as Valentine FC head coach under her belt on Saturday and was full of praise for the playing group following their come-from-behind 3-2 victory against New Lambton FC at Alder Park The Phoenix showed resilience to earn the three points after suffering big losses in back-to-back games either side of losing former coach Kallum Garbett earlier this month as they netted an 89th-minute equaliser and an injury-time winner It was Valentine that struck first as left fullback Josh Winiarczyk made a run upfield and pounced on a loose ball to score from close range in the 44th minute after a Carter Smith strike had rebounded away off the post That made the score 1-0 in the visitors’ favour at half-time but New Lambton equalised in the 63rd minute when Caleb Reed won a penalty that skipper Kent Harrison converted Harrison then put the hosts ahead in the 69th minute when he got onto the end of a bullet Zach Verhoven cross from the right edge and headed home at the front stick The Golden Eagles were still ahead with three minutes remaining in regulation time as they searched for their first win of the campaign But their hopes were dashed in the 88th minute when Jagger Wholert stopped a goal-bound Toby Jensen header with his hand and was sent off after conceding a penalty kick Dean Pettit converted from the spot to level up the score at 2-2 and then for the sixth time in eight games this season the Phoenix scored last when Pettit squared a pass for Jensen to blast the winner into an empty net Wright was pleased to have gotten her first win as the side’s head coach out of the way and said the result was a well-deserved one for her men “It’s special to get the first win and I’ve had a fair few messages which has been nice to receive that acknowledgment,” Wright said It’s not just me; the guys deserve the credit for the hard work they’ve been putting in but we’ve talked about that grit and determination in this side and they showed it again “We’ve scored in every single game this year we just need to keep working on our defence “It was a good outcome after the previous two weeks We have been rebuilding and solidifying a things and having a few players come back in also made things a bit easier “Cale Graham was back and did a great job as a central defender and Carter (Smith) and Campbell (Ross) were both back as well “We’ve still got more players to come back in too” Valentine’s victory saw them climb from 10th into eighth as they moved within five points of the top five while New Lambton are still last on one point heading into the Easter long weekend break Broadmeadow Magic coach Jim Cresnar could not have been any prouder of his side after they overcame a first-half red card to defeat the Weston Bears 2-1 at Magic Park on Friday night The two sides created a few shots each in the opening 45 minutes but none of them really tested either goalkeeper They went into half-time locked at 0-0 just seconds after Magic’s leading goal-scorer Jarred Baker was sent off for a second bookable offence which meant the hosts were forced to play with 10 men for the entire second stanza Broadmeadow were well and truly up for the battle and they managed to strike first when right wingback Sam Kamper made an angled run into the box and controlled a pass with one touch before firing a powerful shot across goalkeeper George Stephens and into the bottom left corner Cody Nancarrow doubled the home side’s lead two minutes later when Jayden Stewardson flicked on a header into the youngster’s path and he rounded Stephens before calmly slotting his strike over two retreating defenders Weston did hit back in the 76th minute when Magic’s keeper Lewis Alvarez pulled off a diving save to deny a Burke Fahling strike and Brock Beveridge scored the follow-up attempt but Broadmeadow held on to earn a brave 2-1 victory it was a potentially season-defining result There was obviously a lot of resilience and great character from individuals and as a team as well,” Cresnar said “At half-time we spoke about keeping our structure and discipline and sticking to the game plan “The biggest contributors were the guys who came on off the bench; the likes of (Jayden) Stewardson They were very effective and had a big impact particularly in that second half against a really good team; probably the best team in the league They’re definitely one of the strongest teams we’ve played this year and it was an important three points to put between us and them.” The result saw Broadmeadow extend their streak to seven consecutive wins and kept them on top of the table heading into the Easter long weekend break while Weston slipped to fifth following their second loss of the year Newcastle Olympic FC 4-0 Adamstown Rosebud FC Newcastle Olympic rediscovered some form in front of goal when they marked their return to Darling Street Oval with a dominant 4-0 victory over Adamstown Rosebud on Friday night Olympic were finally back at home after a run of four consecutive away games They entered the half-time break ahead 2-0 after Nathan Toby opened the scoring in the 22nd minute with a tidy finish from a tight angle and then won a penalty in the 40th that Kale Bradbery converted The hosts tripled their lead in the 60th minute when Jared Muller got onto the end of a Jye Rodway cross from the right and headed home Olympic’s third Bradbery put the icing on the cake when he completed his brace in the 86th minute with a powerful left-footed strike across the keeper and into the bottom right corner to make the final score 4-0 The victory was part of a historic weekend for Olympic as they hosted all 12 NPLM NNSW PYLG and PYLB matches on home soil across the three days for the first time and won all 12 of them Paul DeVitis and Mick Bolch’s men’s win was their fourth in eight matches and they now head into the Easter long weekend break fourth on the table seven points behind league leaders Broadmeadow Magic Adamstown remains sixth after their fifth loss of the campaign and are now four points outside the top five Edgeworth Eagles FC 2-0 Cooks Hill United FC Edgeworth Eagles soared to another victory on Saturday as they outscored Cooks Hill United 2-0 at Jack McLaughlan Oval to extend their unbeaten start to the season to eight matches The two sides entered the break locked at 0-0 and it remained that way until the 58th minute when Ryan Feutz got onto the end of a Jackson Brady cross and headed the ball down into the path of Jaylen Rodwell Feutz then fired himself out to the top of the golden boot race after doubling Edgeworth’s lead on the hour-mark The Kiwi striker picked up the ball on the halfway line and raced upfield and into the 18-yard box before slotting his one-on-one chance into the bottom-left corner which was the way it remained when the full-time whistle sounded as the second-placed Eagles scored their sixth win of the season and their fifth on the trot The result saw them restore the one-point gap between themselves and league leaders Broadmeadow Magic heading into the Easter long weekend break Cooks Hill remain seventh after their fifth loss of the campaign and they are now four points outside the top five Two teams proving hard to beat this season finished all square at Arthur Edden Oval on Saturday night as Lambton Jaffas and Belmont Swansea United contested a 1-1 draw The two sides were desperate for a win after being overtaken by Valentine FC earlier in the afternoon The visitors almost took the lead in the 11th minute but were denied by the woodwork as a curling Ethan Hall strike from the left edge somehow stayed out after beating Ben Kennedy and striking the inside of the right post That was the best chance of the first half as the score remained locked at 0-0 at the break It looked set to stay that way until Adam Woodbine broke the deadlock with a 78th-minute volley from close range 20 minutes after he had been introduced off the bench The Jaffas had been held scoreless in four of their previous six games and struggled to convert their chances again on Saturday but they managed to put one away in the 82nd minute when Shusuke Kirihara volleyed home from a similar position to Woodbine to make the score 1-1 Lambton finished the stronger of the two sides and created two big chances to snatch their second win of the season but BelSwans’ goalkeeper Kye Abrahams stood strong to deny Kirihara and Lachlan Griffiths and keep the home side out to earn his side a point as it finished 1-1 It was the fourth draw of the season for BelSwans and Lambton despite having lost fewer games than four sides ahead of them Maitland FC scored a much-needed victory on Sunday afternoon as they took down Charlestown Azzurri 2-1 at Lisle Carr Oval The Magpies got off to a red-hot start when their skipper Braedyn Crowley opened the scoring in the third minute But the hosts hit back in the 26th minute when Reece McManus stormed into the box and volleyed a powerful shot past a diving Matt Trott Trott made several crucial saves to keep the score at 1-1 before and after the break and his side capitalised at the other end in the 58th minute when Aden Raftery received a pass out wide on the left and beat his man before picking out Crowley with his cross whose shot was too powerful for Ben McNamara to handle Crowley’s double not only guided his side to their second victory of the campaign but also saw him join Edgeworth Eagles’ Ryan Feutz at the top of the golden boot race The win saw Maitland climb from 11th into ninth on the table and they are now just five points outside the top five heading into the Easter long weekend Charlestown are still third following their loss but are now seven points behind league leaders Broadmeadow Magic sun-drenched spaces and panoramic views you can enjoy day and night this spectacular New Lambton new-build designed by renowned architecturally- designed new-build boasts an enviable central location The brief to the architect and builder was to create a high-quality home to match its prized address a home where every inch exudes luxury and class and Space Design Architects and SNL Builders have created exactly that two-bathroom masterpiece with a welcoming natural palette is arranged over two levels Spacious raked ceilings up to 4 metres high highlight windows and skylights create an expansive light filled sanctuary The entire home flows seamlessly from the open plan living seamlessly stretching out to a large entertainer’s balcony for alfresco dining The kitchen features a splashback window with district views and has the absolute latest in modern appliances installed Mod cons include double self cleaning ovens water point to fridge and a Vintec wine fridge Smart living continues throughout the home from heated flooring in the ensuite an automatic double garage and even provision to install a lift down the track if required Another stunning feature of the home is its elevated position which offers a special sweeping  outlook across the neighbourhood for a stunning-by-day Every inch of this home has been carefully considered from the bespoke finishes to the custom joinery throughout including beautiful built in robes in the bedrooms and built in seating with clever storage Adding to the already impressive highlights reel is the convenient and sought after location in the heart of New Lambton Village just a short talk from buzzing cafes with some of the best coffee in Newcastle Just completed and ready to welcome its lucky first owners this urban sanctuary holds a high benchmark when it comes to contemporary living and truly is the home for those who want it all All articles from our websiteThe digital version of Today's PaperBreaking news alerts direct to your inboxAll articles from the other regional websites in your areaContinueMs Powell left nearly $64,000 in her will to the centre Today's top stories curated by our news team. Picture suppliedTHE BODY of a man was found in New Lambton two hours after he was reported missing to police after failing to return from a night run Sudoku and TriviaAll articles from the other regional websites in your areaContinuePolice were alerted at about 1am on Friday that a 26-year-old man was missing from an address at Kotara Officers were told the man had gone for a run just before 10.30pm on Boxing Day but had not returned Newcastle police conducted patrols in the Kotara Lambton and New Lambton areas in the early hours of December 27 as they searched for him Officers were called to Birdwood Street in New Lambton at about 3.15am after the grim discovery of a man's body Police and NSW Ambulance paramedics went to the scene but the man sadly could not be revived "Police established a crime scene and commenced inquiries into the circumstances surrounding the man's death," a NSW Police spokesperson said The Newcastle Herald was earlier told the man had suffered a suspected medical episode near the corner of Birdwood Road and Henley Street Newcastle City Police District officers and the forensic team remained at the scene at about 7am but the road was reopened to traffic that morning Police and crime reporter at the Newcastle Herald. Email: afalkenmire@austcommunitymedia.com.au Match of the RoundAdamstown Rosebud FC 0-4 Weston Bears FC One of the most successful and respected NPL NNSW coaches has dubbed Weston Bears as “the real deal” this year as he watched on while they dismantled Adamstown Rosebud 4-0 at Adamstown Oval on Friday afternoon Former Edgeworth Eagles and Broadmeadow Magic boss Damian Zane was in commentary for the Match of the Round Anzac Cup clash and was impressed with the Bears’ performance highlighting that Weston teams of old were known for dropping points in games like that one Zane declared that Kew Jaliens’ side are showing consistency that they haven’t in previous years and he labelled them a premiership and championship threat in 2025 The Bears buried the Buds with an 11-minute first-half flurry to establish an unassailable lead before striking late from the spot to add a fourth Their front three continued to prove they are one of the most dangerous trios in the league as Aaron Niyonkuru provided assists for Blake Archbold in the 22nd minute and Chris Hatfield in the 25th Archbold’s strike to open the scoring was a cracker from outside the box before Hatfield charged onto a through ball and clinically buried a one-on-one strike to make it 2-0 Archbold then set up Weston’s third when he got in behind the Adamstown defence and played a pass across the face off the goal to Cooper Buswell The Bears took that 3-0 lead into half-time and they almost made it 4-0 on the hour-mark but a curling Burke Fahling strike was superbly saved by Adamstown goalkeeper George Scorer But Scorer was unable to keep Hatfield out in the 86th minute as the Weston striker scored a penalty kick after an Adamstown handball that made the final score 4-0 The Weston coaching staff were blown away by their side’s performance and assistant coach Nathan Morris commended the way everyone played their part to execute the gameplan “We executed our plan going into perfection really,” Morris said “We kind of had an idea of how the game would go with the physicality and the fitness of Adamstown and we achieved everything we set out to do “We controlled the game with and without the ball and we had the polish in front of goal that we lacked against Broadmeadow “It was a good day and everyone did their job Mana (Iwasaki) and the wingbacks had to set their lines correctly and be aware of that direct ball and the midfielders had to be on the same page to win the second one when it does go direct “We gave them a few little chances early on We probably could have had a few more if we were a little bit more clinical though.” Adamstown’s coach Chris Moylan said in the lead-up to the match that the Buds would need to be at their best or the result would not go their way which was the way he thought it played out “We didn’t play at our best as a team and we had a few players who individually weren’t near their best,” Moylan said They were really good and they made us pay “One of the downsides of having a youthful team is we make mistakes that compound and lead to goals In the first half there we made three mistakes in the space of 11 minutes and they scored three goals Next up for Adamstown is another home game on Sunday evening when they host Charlestown Azzurri to wrap up round 10 Weston are in action on Wednesday night when they welcome Lambton Jaffas to Rockwell Automation Park for a rescheduled round six clash before they travel to Jack McLaughlan Oval to face league leaders Edgeworth Eagles on Saturday New Lambton FC 2-2 Belmont Swansea United FC New Lambton FC boss Shane Pryce declared that his side had earned back some of the respect they lost in their two previous outings when they struck late to earn a 2-2 draw against Belmont Swansea United on Friday night The two sides met at Alder Park in an Anzac Day clash and the hosts went into half-time with a 1-0 lead after Tapuwanashe Goora beat the offside trap on the half-hour-mark and showed composure as he slotted a one-on-one strike into the bottom right corner BelSwans equalised in the 72nd minute when Reece Newton converted a penalty kick that was won by Ethan Hall The visitors went ahead with four minutes left in regulation time when New Lambton failed to clear a corner and Joe Kable drove the loose ball into the back of the net But Mick Stafford’s men conceded a late equaliser for the second week in a row and were forced to settle for their fifth draw of the season It was Samuel Donohoe who scored New Lambton’s second when he got free in the box in injury time and headed home a Kent Harrison corner kick to rescue a point for the hosts Pryce was proud of the character and determination his men showed after ordinary performances in their round eight loss against Valentine and an Hahn Australia Cup exit at the hands of Zone League Two side Croudace Bay United in recent weeks “It was a good response to the last two poor performances and I think we earned a bit of respect back with the way we went about the game,” Pryce said because in the previous games we weren’t up to the standard or level we need to be at as a group That’s the first half of the Valentine game and then the cup game We were a bit down as a group and we needed confidence and the boys went out there and gave it their best shot “I’m happy for the boys but still disappointed we didn’t get the three points.” New Lambton will go searching for their first win of the season on Saturday afternoon when they travel to Darling Street Oval to tackle Newcastle Olympic and BelSwans will kick off round 10 when they host Maitland FC at Blacksmiths Oval on Friday night Edgeworth Eagles FC 3-0 Newcastle Olympic FC The biggest question rising from the weekend was can anyone beat the Edgeworth Eagles as Peter McGuinness’ men earned a comfortable 3-0 victory in front of a home crowd over Newcastle Olympic on Saturday afternoon A first-half brace from reigning golden boot winner Ryan Feutz at Jack McLaughlan Oval laid the platform for Edgeworth to extend their unbeaten start to the season to nine games and their active winning streak to six The gun striker got in behind the Olympic defence twice in the opening 45 minutes as he showed composure to go around Adam Pearce and fire the ball home into an empty net in the 13th minute before he slotted a strike past the goalkeeper and into the bottom-left corner in the 29th minute Feutz almost had a third with the last kick of the half but dragged his shot from a tight angle wide and created a few more chances in the second stanza but was unable to convert The Eagles did manage to net one more when Jackson Brady curled in a corner in the 73rd minute that defender Xander Woweries volleyed home at the back stick to make the final score 3-0 Edgeworth are now first on the table after Broadmeadow Magic’s round nine fixture on Sunday was washed out The Eagles will get a chance to extend their unbeaten run to 10 matches this Saturday evening when they return to Jack McLaughlan Oval to host Weston Bears while Olympic will look to bounce back when they welcome New Lambton FC to Darling Street Oval earlier that afternoon Cooks Hill United showed exactly what they are capable of when they took down Charlestown Azzurri 1-0 at the Fearnley Dawes Athletics Field on Saturday evening Liam Wilson’s first goal of the season in the 86th minute helped his side secure the three points after he was given far too much time and space just outside the box by the Azzurri defence and made the most of it as he picked out the bottom-right corner Charlestown had chances of their own to open the scoring earlier in the match but were kept out by some excellent work between the sticks by Daniel Eisenhauer They pushed hard to find an equaliser in the dying stages but were held scoreless for the first time in 2025 as Cooks Hill clinched a 1-0 victory It was the first time that Chris Zoricich’s men have kept a clean sheet this season and their fourth win of the campaign saw them finish the weekend in sixth place The loss was Azzurri’s second on the trot and they dropped to fourth on the table They are away again on Sunday evening when they travel to Adamstown Oval to challenge Adamstown Rosebud Lambton Jaffas returned home from Croudace Bay Complex with all three points after cruising to a 3-0 win against Valentine FC on Saturday night Tom Waller and Jimmy Oates all netted their first goals of the season in the first half and neither side were able to find the back of the net in the second Griffiths opened the scoring in the 18th minute and Waller doubled Lambton’s lead in the 21st Each of the two goals were tap-ins off the back of some classy build-up play by their teammates Oates also scored from point-blank range when he headed home off a corner kick in the 33rd minute to make the score 3-0 which was the way the score remained at full-time The Jaffas climbed into seventh on the table after scoring more than two goals in a game for the first time this season They can go within one point of the top five if they can win a rescheduled round six clash against Weston Bears away from home at Rockwell Automation Park on Wednesday night Valentine dropped to 11th after their fifth loss of the campaign and next up is a home clash against Broadmeadow Magic on Saturday evening This match was postponed due to wet weather.  The people fortunate enough to call New Lambton home are a very patriotic bunch.   they will very proudly list all the reasons why their suburb is one of the best in the region.  and schools that are the envy of neighbouring postcodes.  It also boasts 29 parks that cover almost 40% of its total land area.  For Lisa Macklin Property director Lisa Macklin New Lambton is more like a village than an address.  but very rarely do they leave,” she says.    After her husband had spent a lifetime in the suburb this is where the pair chose to raise their own son and ironically this is also where he resides with his own family.  “New Lambton is such a family-friendly suburb it honestly is a wonderful place to live.”  HIGHEST DEMOGRAPHIC 40- to 49-year-olds with children  New Lambton is a hive of activity most days with the suburb’s 11,000 residents popping in and out of the main shopping precinct at various times of the day.  the postcode services the community both within and outside its 5.5km radius.  The former coal mining township stretches from its 450-acre nature reserve on one side to its 30,000-capacity international sports centre on the other.  It sits on the border of Newcastle and Lake Macquarie LGAs.  Sudoku and TriviaAll articles from the other regional websites in your areaContinueThree adults and five children have been hospitalised though all were said to be in a stable condition An adult woman had suffered a suspected fractured wrist and a man was suffering back pain while the children were taken for precautionary assessment NSW Police cleared the scene just before 6pm where it appeared the vehicles had collided at the intersection of Hobart and Wallarah streets in New Lambton was extracted from the front yard of a nearby property Both vehicles were towed from the scene as Highway Patrol officers directed traffic around the crash site The crash follows four deaths on state roads over the holiday period since Friday the most recent incidence of which claimed the life of a motorcycle rider near Port Macquarie around 12.30pm on Saturday was killed when his motorcycle collided with a Toyota Landcruiser in the westbound lanes of the Oxley Highway about 47 kilometres outside Port Macquarie The other driver was uninjured and was taken to hospital for mandatory testing to drive safely - to avoid driving while tired especially on long trips - and warned that officers would be enforcing all road-related legislation and any dangerous driving behaviours which put the safety of road users at risk this is the busiest time of year on NSW roads and police will be out in force across the state to encourage compliance with the road rules." Broadmeadow Magic coach Jason Konjarski says there will be no excuses ahead of their bottom-of-the-table clash against Adamstown Rosebud JFC at Magic Park on Sunday afternoon. Magic occupy seventh position with three points but will be determined to repeat their round two 4-2 win over the Buds to move off the bottom. Everything is on the line to avoid sitting at the foot of the table and a win for either side could send them as high as fifth. Broadmeadow have strengthened before the May transfer window, as Adamstown trio Tori Johnson, Madalyn Campbell and Georgia Minors made the move to Magic ahead of round eight. Konjarski has also signed a Japanese goalkeeper who will arrive in Newcastle in the transfer window to help plug their defence, as Magic have conceded 42 goals, the most in the competition. The Magic coach said that now that they had some more depth, there was no reason that they could not turn their season around. “It’s time for the girls to step up. No more waiting around. We’ve added depth, we’ve got another international on the way and there are no excuses,” Konjarski said. “We’ve got a squad stacked with talent. The quality is there but now it’s about turning performances into results. “Enough of the almost games. We need wins. We need points. And that comes down to belief. “Every single girl in that squad needs to buy into what we’re doing and go out there ready to prove it. Week in, week out. No fear, no doubts, just results. “This is not a rebuilding phase. You only rebuild when there’s a solid foundation to go back to and let’s be real, Magic have only ever won two trophies and they came in the same season. Outside of that? Nothing. So, we’re not rebuilding. We’re building something new, something better.” Johnson and Campbell have not had to wait for their first grade debut for Magic as their age does not affect the first grade player rosters but Minors will have to play reserve grade until the May window opens. Adamstown coach Martin Slade said that there was no bad blood from his end but expected the trio to come out with something to prove on Sunday. “I hope Tori, Madalyn and Georgia get what they want from football at Magic that Adamstown couldn’t give them,” Slade said. “When they were with us, they wanted to win games. “Coming up against them, they will be eager to make a point and could use it as some sort of fuel. “We know what Tori is like when she is on and how devastating she can be in attack.” The Buds finally got the monkey off their back with their first win in round seven over Lake Macquarie City FC before the bye in round eight. Slade said there would be extra venom in their bite this weekend as they looked to get one back over Magic. “You have to look back and actually see where you come from to see where you are now. We have to right that wrong. We want to win games,” Slade said. “[Magic] will be using us as a reference point as they have already beaten us. Whereas we have already lost to them so we know that we can’t make it two in a row. “Yes it is good to turn our results around. We have won a couple of games but it doesn’t mean anything ahead of this weekend. “I felt like we were potentially more competitive in lots of games this year but we couldn’t turn them into results. But in our recent wins, we took our chances in relatively short periods of time to put ourselves in a good position. "The good thing has been that the two games that we have won we have had an immediate reaction from going down. Within a couple of minutes each time we have scored and then capitalised on getting the upper hand and scored again. “The group have shown that if they go behind, they know that they can still win games. Whereas this time last year, we were the opposite, where we would concede and then drop our heads and concede again.” Adamstown went down 2-0 to Maitland FC in the Women’s League Cup semi-final on Wednesday night and will be eager to bounce back against Broadmeadow on Sunday.  New Lambton FC coach Aaron Stedman believes the key to success against league leaders Maitland FC will be to hit the ground running when they go head-to-head at Alder Park on Saturday afternoon. The Golden Eagles have had one of their best starts to the season in recent times as they sit fourth on the table, with three wins, one draw and three defeats. Stedman was thrilled with his side’s efforts so far but knew they had a challenge ahead of them this weekend. “I am so pleased with the position we are in. We are sitting well clear of fifth on the table and are in touch with the league leaders,” Stedman said. “I know going into the Maitland game we have a lot of confidence. But they are a good team and it will be a good game. “We are working on a couple of things to make it easier for us. We know Maitland has some dangerous people up front and we have to be pretty switched on at the back. We have a system to put in place to help limit their opportunities. They have been able to score a lot of goals. “The key for us will be to hit the ground running and if we can do that, we are really confident that we can get something out of the game.” New Lambton have scored the most goals in the competition with 27 goals from seven games. Star striker Tara Andrews is well ahead in the golden boot race with 17 goals to her name. A hat-trick from Marry Ntsweng secured the win for Maitland against the Golden Eagles at home the last time the sides met in round two. But New Lambton’s form has continued to grow and they will be confident that they can take it to the Magpies. Maitland continues to soar at the top of the table, three points ahead of the rest of the pack, and do not look like slowing down. They will enter the contest off the back of a 2-0 win over Adamstown Rosebud JFC in the Women’s League Cup on Wednesday night. Maitland was pushed right until the end by Lake Macquarie City FC in round eight but two late goals from Georgia Amess kept their unbeaten run alive. The Magpies remain the only undefeated team in the league after eight rounds and will hope to continue their run with another three points on Saturday.  Lake Macquarie City FC will be determined to secure their second win of the season when they travel to Darling Street Oval to take on Newcastle Olympic on Sunday afternoon. The Roosters have shown that they can compete with the best in the competition. But they have struggled to pick up points as they have fallen short in the final stages of games. They sit fifth on the table with four points but trail the top four by five points. Lakes coach Gabrielle Blanch has been pleased with her side’s performances so far but believed they had been hard done by not to come away with any points. Lakes announced last week that A-League and Young Matildas stars Lara Gooch and Milan Hammond had signed with the club from the Newcastle Jets. Hammond will be available to play for the Roosters from round 12, while Gooch has been sidelined for the Jets with an ankle injury and is yet to confirm when she will make her debut. Olympic were victorious with a 5-2 win the last time the two sides went head-to-head in round two. Craig Atkins’ side has bounced back from a dip in results with back-to-back wins over New Lambton FC and Broadmeadow Magic. They went down 3-0 to Charlestown Azzurri in the Women’s League Cup semi-final on Wednesday night. Olympic are third on the table, six points behind league leaders Maitland FC and will be confident ahead of Sunday.  Match of the Round New Lambton FC v Adamstown Rosebud JFC Alder Park, Saturday 4pm New Lambton coach Aaron Stedman believes his side will face a battle against Adamstown Rosebud as they look to secure consecutive wins at Alder Park on Saturday.  After a tough start to the season, the Golden Eagles finally got off the mark with a dramatic 3-2 win over Lake Macquarie City FC.  They sit fourth on the table after four rounds with three points, seven behind league leaders Maitland FC.  Stedman hoped they could continue their winning momentum but was prepared for a hard fight against a strong Adamstown outfit.  “I think we are confident now that we can keep a bit of a roll going,” Stedman said.  “We have had a bit of a bumpy start to the season with our goalkeeper issues and missing players in round one but we were still competitive in those matches. “To come up against Lakes who are a strong team and walk away with a win is something that we take a lot of confidence from. “Adamstown is a young, enthusiastic team that always wants to do well, is constantly pressing. We know that we are in for a battle, and we just need to make sure that we match up to them in those areas. “Anytime in the season that you can get back-to-back wins builds confidence, you feel good and lose the pressure.” New Lambton knows all too well how important every point is in making finals after they fell short on goal difference last season. Stedman said that the club is determined not to repeat 2024 and will do what it takes to make the top four.  “You always want those points early in the season,” Stedman said.  “Last season is still a thought in my mind. I think it is important to pick up as many points as you can if you want to play finals.  “I think this year, it will be a lot closer and everyone will be vying for the top four.  “We want to make the top four. But this year we want to secure it without going down to the last couple of games. It would be nice to secure it a fair few games out. “At this stage, a win would be awesome as it is important. Looking at the table, if we can get three points this weekend, it puts us in a good spot to keep building.” Former A-League goalkeeper Claire Coelho made an impressive debut for the Golden Eagles against the Roosters after signing as an injury replacement for Isabella White.  Stedman was unsure if Coelho would be available for this weekend’s match with a clash of commitments as Newcastle Jets Women’s Goalkeeper Coach but was confident of the plan that they have in place in her absence.   “She [Coelho] has played at some of the highest levels so there is no issues with her coming into the team. “Amy [Gosling] did an awesome job against Maitland but it gives us more confidence with Claire.  “If Claire has some Jets games coming up we will promote our reserve grade goalkeeper. We need to keep our outfield players on the pitch. “Ngawai’s [Pirini]  first game was a bit unfortunate but she is learning every week and understanding the game better.” Adamstown enters the contest still searching for their first win of the season despite two impressive performances against Newcastle Olympic (0-0) and Maitland (2-0).  They sit sixth on the table with one point and are desperate to secure their first win against the Golden Eagles.  Coach Martin Slade believed Saturday’s clash would be hotly contested but one where they must pick up points from. “New Lambton will be on a high after their 2-3 win. They want to win games,” Slade said.  “Tara Andrews did what she does best and having Claire who can launch the ball up the pitch makes a massive difference. “It will be two teams going head-to-head who will be fighting it out for the top four. “To close the gap, we have to start converting games into points. We can’t rest on our laurels, we have to win now.  “You have to have a little bit of luck, but results speak for themselves.  “Our players are good and we will keep pushing. We just need to stick to the process.” Slade confirmed that at this stage all Buds players would be available for the weekend’s contest.   Broadmeadow Magic v Lake Macquarie City FC  Magic Park, Friday 8pm  Lake Macquarie City FC coach Gabrielle Blanch says that despite their goalkeeper woes, it will be business as usual as they prepare to face Broadmeadow Magic at Magic Park on Friday night.  Lakes will be without their first-choice goalkeeper Taylah Gray, who received an eight-match ban for match official abuse in their round four match against New Lambton.  They will also be without one of their reserve grade goalkeepers Morgan Ross, who is recovering from sinus surgery, which means fellow reserve grade shot-stopper Elyse Vella will be forced to play across both grades.  But Blanch said the show must go on as they continue to search for their first win in the NPLW NNSW competition.  “The suspension period didn’t really come as too much of a shock to us following what happened and what we understood of the Zero Tolerance Policy,” Blanch said.  “We addressed the elephant in the room on Monday night and then went straight into our session to make sure that it wasn’t something that was going to be dwelled on.  “It is business as usual and we move forward. Now we have to support the player that comes into first grade from reserve grade. Ellyse will have to step up and play both reserve grade and first grade.  “We need to focus on how we help to get Ellyse through this period and do everything that we can not to concede.” Despite picking up only one point in their first four matches and sitting last on the table, Blanch was pleased with her side’s performances and believed their first win was right around the corner.  “There is not much for me to be disappointed about. I think the results look a bit unfair in consideration with how the girls have fought week in and week out. I am continuing to take so many positives from how we play,” Blanch said.  “The resilience of the girls has been next to none. It is not easy to lose but the girls continue to turn up to training with enthusiasm and believe in what we are doing. As a coach, I cannot ask for much more.  “It comes down to the ability to score goals and win games which I don’t think we are too far away from.  “We are making sure that we are constantly improving each week and make sure we are ready to turn up on Friday night.”  Broadmeadow Magic have had a mixed start to the season after two losses and one win.  Coach Jason Konjarski has admitted that this season’s focus will be on rebuilding the women’s program but hoped that they could start to find some consistency in performances.  Magic is yet to win at home, which is something they will wish to change against the Roosters on Friday night.   Newcastle Olympic v Charlestown Azzurri  Darling Street Oval, Sunday 6pm Two teams will be eager to continue their unbeaten run when Newcastle Olympic welcome Charlestown Azzurri to Darling Street Oval on Sunday afternoon.  These sides have already met once this year when Azzurri beat Olympic in penalties in the 2025 HMRI Charity Shield.  Olympic will hope that they can get their revenge in front of a home crowd on Sunday afternoon after a strong start to the season with seven points from three matches.  Craig Atkins’ side were knocked off the top of the table after they had the bye in round four but are just three points behind league leaders Maitland FC.  Olympic leads the way with goals scored so far this season, hitting the back of the net 13 times in three matches.  But they will not be the only team with firepower in attack, as Azzurri have also proved to be lethal in front of goal.  Madi Gallegos and Melina Ayres have each scored four goals in their first two matches of the season.  The Blues have only played two matches in the first four rounds after they served the bye in round two and their round four match was postponed due to wet weather. But despite playing the least number of games of any club in the league, they sit third on the table with six points, one behind Olympic and four behind Maitland.  The reigning champions will hope that they can keep their wonder-streak alive and serve Olympic their first defeat of the season.   New Lambton desperately tried to sign a goalkeeper last week to help fill the void after Isabella White sustained an ankle injury on the eve of NPLW kick-off then reserve-grade shot-stopper Ngawai Pirini was red-carded in the opening round and subsequently suspended for round two Coelho answered an SOS from the club to play in goals on a short-term basis but Northern NSW Football's rules only allow for long-term injury replacements The extent of White's injury was not known until late Friday afternoon when scans revealed she was set for an extended period on the sidelines Former A-League goalkeeper Claire Coelho has been added to New Lambton's roster Picture by Jonathan CarrollNorthern NSW Football (NNSWF) has since confirmed it has provided New Lambton an exemption to register a senior goalkeeper outside the registration window as White's injury was more severe than initially communicated by the club The exemption was based on confirmation of the goalkeeper's injury length being 10 to 12 weeks as opposed to the three to four weeks initially communicated and White being removed from New Lambton's playing roster until at least the midseason window Newcastle Olympic were able to sign Isabella Whitton outside of the registration window due to a long-term injury to Coelho New Lambton Football Club president Clayton Harrison described the ability to sign Coelho who is the Jets' A-League Women's goalkeeping coach and will not be available every game for the Golden Eagles "We lost Ally Boertje to the Jets last year then we went on an extensive search and everything in between and didn't come up with anything that we were able to secure," Harrison said "There's generally a shortage of keepers in the women's game at that level That quantity and depth of player stocks through the women's game is something that we all need to work on She's still juggling her Jets' responsibilities but it does ease the pain a little bit with Isabella out now for up to 10 weeks It would have put a lot of pressure on the rest of the goalkeeping crew at the club to fill that hole it's not appropriate to have field players having to go between the sticks It's not something that everyone wants to take up and there's reason for it." Centre-back Amy Gosling donned the keeping gloves last weekend The round-two loss came after a 6-1 defeat at the hands of defending champions Charlestown in round one Coelho played 10 seasons in the national league for Newcastle between 2013 and 2023 She played out the 2023 NPLW season with Olympic but did not play last season due to injury who have former A-League players Tara Andrews and Tessa Tamplin on their roster and will be boosted by the addition of Jets duo Lauren Allan and Cassidy Davis midseason In round-three NPLW action on Friday night (8pm) Lake Macquarie travel to Charlestown on Saturday (4pm) and Newcastle Olympic play Adamstown at Darling Street Oval on Sunday (5pm) Cooks Hill travel to Weston (4.30pm) and newcomers Belmont Swansea are away to Valentine (7pm) Newcastle Olympic play Charlestown (3pm) and New Lambton take on Broadmeadow (4.30pm) police badge,POLICE are seeking help to find a woman missing from New Lambton Heights Sudoku and TriviaAll articles from the other regional websites in your areaContinueKaytana Smallwood was last seen at a hospital on Lookout Road about 4pm on Wednesday January 15 "When she could not be located or contacted officers attached to Newcastle City Police District were notified and commenced inquiries into her whereabouts," NSW Police said in a statement "Police and family hold concerns for her welfare." Ms Smallwood is described as of caucasian appearance Police said she is known to frequent the Hamilton South and New Lambton areas Anyone with information on her whereabouts has been urged to call 1800 333 000 Information is treated in strict confidence Matt began his Newcastle Herald career as a cadet in 2009. He is a Walkley nominated reporter who has covered councils, police and general news rounds across the Upper Hunter, Port Stephens, Maitland, Lake Macquarie, Cessnock and Newcastle. Now his focus is on digital storytelling and breaking news. New Lambton.Nova City Ballet is a "childhood dream come true" for Courtney Coburn Sudoku and TriviaAll articles from the other regional websites in your areaContinueThe brand new large-scale performing arts training facility in New Lambton is also "My husband Michael Levey and I also own and operate a property development business We have combined our specialities to bring Nova City Ballet to Newcastle," Coburn tells Weekender "I have spent years searching for a large-scale commercial space to host an elite "The building was formerly a large office so Michael quickly put together the five custom-designed studios involving a change-of-use development application and an extensive internal fit-out." the two largest are divided by a portable wall so that they can become one; the Studio SuperNOVA "This venue has been created to benefit the performing arts community across Newcastle and the Hunter Region," Coburn explains "Organisations such as Hunter Drama will be rehearsing their large-scale musicals in the SuperNOVA Studio weekly and we have had international bookings to host large-scale rehearsals "We even have the capacity to host concerts in the SuperNOVA Studio This large-scale studio venue is a first for Newcastle." Nova City Ballet provides dance tuition in all styles to all ages including accredited full-time courses for students who study school via distance education An accessible space has been created to allow for a dance and movement program for individuals with additional needs led by an occupational therapist with experience in paediatrics "Anyone can enrol with Nova City Ballet," Coburn says "We provide classes in several styles to all ages from babies discovering music and movement to an adult of any age who is learning how to dance for the very first time." Coburn trained for 20 years with Marie Walton Mahon Dance Academy and has owned and operated her own dance business which is when I met my dear friend of 30 years "They met while dancing professionally together in Germany and Singapore before moving to Newcastle to teach dance and raise their family an internationally recognised organisation in support of male dancers Nova City Ballet's launch event is tomorrow Complimentary classes can be booked at trybooking.com There will also be a tour of the building and a barbecue "My long history of dance in the community motivated me to financially invest in the future of the performing arts in Newcastle," Coburn says "I was born and raised here in New Lambton and I am deeply passionate about the community and quality dance training in the Newcastle area "I also now have three daughters who are just as passionate about the performing arts "I love the pure joy you feel when you dance and I love watching a performer beam on stage; seeing the joy from students' hearts travel up to their eyes and smiles." visit novacityballet.com or phone 0439 914 562 The team at Lisa Macklin Property is thrilled to announce the opening of a thoughtfully designed second office in New Lambton marking an exciting phase of growth for the group located at the former Dowling Property premises and painted in the agency’s signature blush pink is undergoing a stylish renovation to create a warm and innovative space “We’re thrilled to further extend our footprint in New Lambton,” founder and director Lisa Macklin tells the Newcastle Weekly “This growth enables us to continue offering the personalised service and local expertise we’re known for The expansion reflects Lisa’s personal commitment to fostering inspiration and comfort for her team members and clients and positions the group to deliver a broader range of real estate services tailored to meet the diverse needs of clients across Newcastle For agents looking to elevate their careers the growing business is extending an open invitation to join the journey including new staff members Maddie and Honey,” Lisa says “Now we have the additional space we hope to recruit and support experienced sales agents in their careers.” The continual business growth means that the Lisa Macklin team can also continue to support the wider community and keep giving to those in need “This year we sponsored and took part in the inaugural Sleap Walk to raise money for the Paediatric Intensive Care Unit courtyard fund and we contributed donations to the Survivors R Us Christmas campaign We will look at ways we can support other wonderful local projects and organisations for 2025.” Lisa explains that while much of the community is ready to wind down for Christmas Newcastle’s real estate industry is hitting one of its busiest periods “As the academic year ends and contracts at the RAAF and John Hunter Hospital are renewed for 2025 there is a lot of movement in the rentals space and high demands as more stock becomes available the New Lambton area always holds strong value and we’re still seeing good prices achieved in the area which is good news for sellers going into 2025.” As the sales team looks forward to moving into the revitalised office space for the start of the new year “We’re honoured to build lasting relationships in this community and excited to call this beautiful new office our second home.” Lisa Macklin Property’s latest chapter promises new opportunities further cementing its reputation as a trusted name in Newcastle real estate Picture suppliedThe estimated cost of the proposed new basketball stadium at New Lambton has reached $82,614,419 in a significant price escalation since funding was first committed Newcastle Basketball was awarded a $25 million grant from the previous state Liberal government for the project in 2019 Funding has resulted in the proposal being planned over multiple stages The $82,614,419 figure is without GST and includes all construction stages and escalation costs to the end of 2025 Newcastle Basketball did not respond to questions from the Herald about how much each stage would cost what had been spent on the project so far and how the remainder would be funded Documents lodged with the proposal state the estimated start date for construction of the first stage is April 2025 while consultant fees have been estimated at $4,307,245 and furniture fittings and equipment are expected to come with a $1,550,993 price tag Contingency costs have been set at $5,127,673 while demolition and remediation of the site has been estimated at $1,250,456 The first stage involves construction of a single-storey building with six courts and relevant amenities The estimated build time for the first stage would be 12 months The next phase includes two more basketball courts administration spaces and training areas as well as an extra 75 car spaces The existing Broadmeadow stadium would continue to be used after the first two stages are built to cater for player demand. The final expansion would add three more courts which can be used as a single show court with retractable grandstand seating expanding the mezzanine level for more corporate spaces and 55 more car parks The proposed development includes an "external active recreation area" including a half basketball court The plans are on public exhibition until November 11 Sage Swinton is a news reporter who was born and bred in the Hunter. She has been with the Newcastle Herald since June 2020. Image suppliedNewcastle council says New Lambton sports fields are the only available site for the city's proposed new basketball stadium after ruling out the former Shortland tip as a location NSW Office of Sport representatives and Wallsend MP Sonia Hornery visited the former council tip in Astra Street last week to gauge its suitability as an alternative site A council spokesperson said on Wednesday that the landfill site was being remediated through to 2030 in line with NSW Environment Protection Authority regulatory requirements "The site's former use as a landfill facility means it is unlikely to be suitable for major development as the landform is unstable the zoning doesn't allow major development and the site is steep and undulating," a council spokesperson said Newcastle Basketball plans to build 12 indoor courts three of which can be converted to a show court and parking for 205 cars to replace its dilapidated stadium at Broadmeadow The association received $25 million in NSW government funding in 2019 for a new stadium, but rising constructions costs mean the grant will pay for only a first stage of six courts Newcastle Basketball failed in its application for $15 million in funding from the first round of the Commonwealth Growing Regions Program announced in May Community members Michelle Brown and Jacqui Rosewood protesting against the proposed basketball stadium site in May Picture by Jonathan CarrollThe council spokesperson said the state government had advised that "it is not possible to retain the facility within its Hunter Park sporting precinct" "The Office of Sport and Newcastle Basketball approached City of Newcastle in 2022 to discuss possible sites for the facility in the Newcastle local government area," the spokesperson said "As the Office of Sport's grant funding does not provide for purchasing land the criteria for sites included public ownership (either council-owned or Crown land) minimum land size to cater for the facility appropriate site zoning and proximity to existing transport infrastructure "The only site that met the criteria is Wallarah Oval which is Crown land under City of Newcastle's care and control." A cutaway view of the proposed indoor basketball stadium opposite Hunter Stadium Image supplied The Newcastle Herald asked the Office of Sport why Hunter Park could not accommodate a new basketball stadium but did not receive a response by deadline The council said it supported Newcastle Basketball's efforts to find a new home but had raised concerns about parking traffic and flooding issues at the New Lambton site "which need to be quantified and addressed through the development application process" The association's drawn-out search for a new home has the potential to delay the government's push for high-rise housing on the existing basketball stadium site The Young Road site is one of three the government has identified for high-priority land rezonings to allow for apartment towers under the Broadmeadow "place strategy" An early concept plan for the proposed basketball stadium has the tallest proposed height limits of the three redevelopment sites with potential for 40-storey buildings Newcastle Basketball general manager Matt Neason told the Herald last year that the association would have to operate from both the Broadmeadow centre and the new stadium until it had enough funding and development approval for the full project Mr Neason left Newcastle Basketball in May The Newcastle Falcons NBL1 teams will continue to play out of the 53-year-old Broadmeadow stadium until a new show court is built which Mr Neason said would take at least five years unless the association received more funding This is probably not the page you’re looking for New Lambton president Clayton Harrison believes Jean-Paul de Marigny will be the trigger to "get the best out of what we've got" in the NPL after announcing the former Western Sydney Wanderers coach as their head of men's football Sudoku and TriviaAll articles from the other regional websites in your areaContinueThe Golden Eagles who just finished their second season in NPL men's in 10th spot is a former Socceroos defender who carved out a playing career with Sydney clubs before moving into coaching He had two stints at the Newcastle Jets as an assistant coach and also worked at Melbourne Victory and Wanderers He was a caretaker then fully-fledged head coach briefly at Wanderers in 2020 Harrison said De Marigny has moved to Carrington to retire and the club was quick to get him on board "He's mates with [New Lambton technical director] Clayton Zane and as soon as we knew he was here we had a couple of lunches and coffees with him and he's been watching some of our games over the last month so it's landed where it's landed," Harrison said "It's great for us and good for football." New Lambton said De Marigny's role would include overseeing the club's football strategy which raised questions about the future of coach Shane Pryce New Lambton brought Pryce in last season after they finished 11th on debut Pryce improved the Golden Eagles defence and helped them avoid the new relegation zone by six points Harrison said Pryce would remain head coach "Shane is still here and has another season to go," he said "He's keen and when I was talking to him last week about it any coach would be crazy not to be excited by it It's just someone to come in and create that club-wide approach and also be a real drawcard for young players who want opportunity "We want to drive really high standards through the club from top to bottom and that's what his agenda is "We're not going to be spending like some of the clubs do so we need to get the best out of what we've got and I think he's going to be the trigger for that." who became Newcastle Football general manager this year "A lot of clubs give an awful lot of autonomy to their head coach and they then either just look after their senior squad or they permeate their brand throughout the entire club," he said recruitment was done hand in hand with the head coach and head of football and I think of the 32 field players in our field squad this year 15 or 16 of them have been with us from 10 or under so JP was a perfect choice for that and he'll oversee all that." Leon Davis remains as New Lambton's head of women's football Craig Kerry is a sports reporter for the Newcastle Herald. Skip to main content The first of three public art murals at Blackbutt Village is taking shape this week as part of the $4.5 million upgrade of Orchardtown Road shopping precinct Newcastle social and artistic enterprise UP&UP Inspirations will produce the murals at three locations in Blackbutt Village following consultation with the New Lambton community and local businesses with the first adding colour to the northern façade of the Blackbutt Village Grocer.  IMAGE CAPTION: (l-r) City of Newcastle Project Manager Alex Altuneg artist Olas One and UP&UP Inspirations co-founder Faith Curtis at Blackbutt Village The public art is one of the final elements of City of Newcastle's Local Centre upgrade of Blackbutt Village The upgrade has already delivered improved access for pedestrians and shoppers upgraded drainage and enhanced footpath connections to the popular Blackbutt Reserve Lord Mayor Nuatali Nelmes said Blackbutt Village will be a more walkable filled with local character under the full scope of the improvements "Blackbutt Village is where New Lambton locals gather to support their local businesses grab a coffee and connect with friends and family," Cr Nelmes said more attractive place to shop for New Lambton residents through these upgrades including the addition of 130 new trees and 23 landscaped garden beds which will create a more appealing environment with increased shade and colour becoming a source of pride that captures how New Lambton locals feel about their green spaces "I'm thrilled with the improvements that have been completed so far in Blackbutt Village and can't wait to see the final stage of the project taking shape over the next six months." The Blackbutt Village upgrades are made possible through $591,677 in support from the NSW Government.  Minister for Regional NSW Tara Moriarty said Blackbutt Village will have a chance to flourish through the investment by state and local government "Blackbutt Village and New Lambton are unique places that deserve to have their character celebrated while providing enhanced facilities infrastructure and amenity for the suburb," Minister Moriarty said "I'm delighted the NSW Government is working alongside City of Newcastle and the New Lambton community taking pride in this beautiful neighbourhood." Minister for the Hunter Yasmin Catley said it’s wonderful to see the long-awaited project nearing completion.  “Blackbutt has long been a great place for families to spend weekends together The new murals will inject colour and character into the precinct so locals can enjoy all it has to offer," Minister Catley said “It’s fantastic that the NSW Government is supporting community projects like this and ensuring we have access to modern public spaces I can't wait to see the rest of the upgrades to Blackbutt village." City of Newcastle will continue the delivery of the final project stage with new community spaces on Myra Street and Carnley Avenue and upgrades to the intersection and signals on Carnley Avenue later this year pending design approvals through Transport for NSW.  The completed works will deliver a shared zone for pedestrians an off-road shared pedestrian and cycleway and a new pedestrian crossing providing a safer link between the car park and shops.  A community gathering is planned for August 10 in Blackbutt Village to mark the project milestones Blackbutt Village is being upgraded through City of Newcastle’s Local Centres program which invests in communities across Newcastle.  Other centres renewal delivered include Beresford Avenue 12 December 2024 10:39 am · Hunter News · · Ian Crouch Police are on the hunt for a man who held up a service station at New Lambton early Thursday morning. The men entered the 7/11 outlet on Turton Road at about 1.30am and allegedly threatened an employee with a weapon while demanding cash. He was given an amount of cash before leaving the store. The worker was not injured during the incident. Anyone with information is urged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000. 2NUR FM acknowledges Traditional Owners of country throughout Australia and recognises the continuing connection to lands, waters and community. We pay our respects to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures, and to Elders both past and present. All articles from our websiteThe digital version of Today's PaperBreaking news alerts direct to your inboxInteractive Crosswords Sign up for our newsletter to stay up to date We care about the protection of your data. Read our Privacy Policy. Picture by Simone De PeakA CHILD riding his bike near a New Lambton primary school suffered multiple injuries when he was hit by a car on Tuesday morning Sudoku and TriviaAll articles from the other regional websites in your areaContinueEmergency services were called to St James Road at 8.30am on September 17 to reports of a crash suffered multiple injuries including a suspected broken leg Paramedics treated the child at the scene before he was taken by ambulance to John Hunter Hospital in a serious condition A spokesperson for Hunter New England Health has since confirmed the boy is now in a stable condition Police at the scene of an incident where a child was hit by a car near New Lambton Primary School Picture by Simone De PeakThe driver of the car was subject to a roadside breath test which returned a negative result with the Newcastle-Hunter Traffic and Highway Patrol Command leading the investigations anyone with information or dashcam footage is urged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 with police officers blocking off one eastbound lane but this lane has since reopened to traffic This story will be updated as more details become available. For feedback or news tips contact the Newcastle Herald's editorial team at news@newcastleherald.com.au Jessica began her journalism career in 2009 as a cadet at The Port Stephens Examiner before moving to London for a two-year stint working in magazines and digital publishing. The Lake Macquarie local returned to Australia where she took up a reporting role at The Maitland Mercury. She worked across several rounds including local council, police and property before moving into digital journalism and joining the team at The Newcastle Herald in 2017. went head-to-head at Alder Park in NPLW Northern NSW on Saturday Pictures by Marina Neil and Sproule Sports FocusCraig Atkins said three points were non-negotiable as Newcastle Olympic prepared to close out the first round of NPLW Northern NSW against New Lambton at Alder Park All articles from our websiteThe digital version of Today's PaperBreaking news alerts direct to your inboxAll articles from the other regional websites in your areaContinueAnd last year's beaten grand finalists did not disappoint their coach snapping a two-match losing run to beat the Golden Eagles 5-1 on Saturday and improve to third place "We knew we had a job to turn it around and I thought it was quite a dominant performance," Atkins said "It took us a while to get the ball in the back of the net We seem to like hitting the woodwork at the moment but we were patient and we played our football and got the result in the end The score was locked 1-1 at the break after twice-capped Matilda Tara Andrews cancelled out Olympic's opening goal by Sophie Walmsley Olympic hit the woodwork twice in the first half but were clinical in the second period with Jemma House and substitute Maddy Howard both bagging doubles with Howard limping from the field with a serious ankle injury late in the game Australia's favourite sporting team are heading to Newcastle on Monday night and there was a Matildas flavour to the NPLW clash who has one cap for the Matildas and returned to NPLW this season after starting a family proved a constant headache for New Lambton with sublime balls in behind New Lambton's men's side also went down at home on Sunday The Golden Eagles took a 1-0 lead through Jackson McClymont in the 13th minute but were reduced to 10 players six minutes later when Hugh Browne was red-carded for a tackle on the edge of his own box Joshua Benson scored with the free kick then doubled down in the 30th minute before Joel Clissold extended Cooks Hill's advantage to 3-1 in the 38th minute Kent Harrison converted from the spot for New Lambton in the 42nd minute to close an action-packed first half Substitute Alex Gillespie sealed the three points for Cooks Hill with a free back-post header at the death Cooper Buswell produced a match brace and Dogen Gyoja also scored as Weston beat Belmont Swansea 3-0 and Charlestown accounted for Valentine 5-1 Azzurri led 5-0 after Harrison Frendo and Regan Lundy both scored braces then Reece McManus found the back of the net pulled one back at the death by Toby Jensen Azzurri meet Belswans in a rescheduled NPLM match on Tuesday night and Maitland play New Lambton on Wednesday night Defending premiers and champions Broadmeadow retained the competition lead with a 3-2 win over Adamstown at Magic Park on Friday night Adamstown conceded an early own goal then James Cresnar struck twice to have Magic ahead 3-0 before Nic Gismero then Dino Fajkovic scored late Second-placed Edgeworth beat a 10-player Maitland 4-0 at Cooks Square Park on Sunday night The Eagles led 1-0 when Maitland's Jordan Jackson was red-carded for a tackle as the last line of defence Adamstown came from behind to beat Lake Macquarie 2-1 at Lake Macquarie Regional Football Facility and bank their first win of the season Ani Jensen have Lakes a 1-0 lead with a curling corner kick but Marion Dunbabin then Tanya Jones struck back for Rosebud On Sunday afternoon in a top-of-the-table NPLW clash Maitland seized the competition lead top with a 3-0 win over Azzurri at Lisle Carr Oval Former South African international Marry Ntsweng scored either side of half-time then Sophie Stapleford iced the win in the 73rd minute Picture suppliedNEW Lambton Public School's Wafiq Ayyash has been crowned the junior winner of the 2024 Premier's Spelling Bee final Sudoku and TriviaAll articles from the other regional websites in your areaContinue"It feels amazing to win," he said 60 students battled it out with words such as 'fascinate' Wafiq is from Bangladesh with his primary language being Bengali and his second language is English "Reading books has allowed me to learn English quite well," he said The last word he had to spell at the competition was 'treachery' and he felt relieved he had heard of it before "It was probably my favourite word because it is a little challenging," he said The spelling whiz came up against 30 students in year 3 and 4 while Hunter School of the Performing Arts student Mary Emile Obligado came runners up in the year 5 and 6 senior competition Hunter siblings Anica and Calvin N, from Biddabah Public School, and Anika and Anushka Iyengar, from Maryland Public School also competed on Friday The 2024 Spelling Bee's participation has increased by almost 10 per cent on last year with nearly two-thirds of NSW public primary schools competing Regional areas are well-represented with students travelling to Sydney from Temora New Lambton Public School's Wafiq Ayyash has been crowned the junior winner of the 2024 Premier's Spelling Bee final Picture suppliedYamba Public School in northern NSW has had students compete in the finals five times in the past eight years with this year's entrant Year 5 student Willow Allen More than 1,800 students competed in 60 regional finals over a 10-day period to reach the State finals 303 students (200 juniors and 103 seniors) speak a language other than English at home and 95 students (46 juniors and 49 seniors) identify as Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander Minister for Education and Early Learning Prue Car said she was thrilled with this year's competition "The Spelling Bee shows just how inclusive our public education system is - any student can compete and be a contender for the top honours," she said Alanna is a journalist at the Newcastle Herald with a focus on education. She takes pride in regional journalism which she believes is crucial to informing our towns and cities. Have a story? Email her at alanna.tomazin@austcommunitymedia.com.au Its founders are calling it a “first” for Newcastle – Nova City Ballet opened today in New Lambton with its 15-metre wide stage bigger than the Civic Theatre’s The ‘state of the art’ studio has captured international attention with overseas choreographers already booked in to use the space Match of the Round  New Lambton FC v Adamstown Rosebud JFC This match was abandoned by the referee at half-time on the basis of player safety.  The wet-bulb temperature was monitored prior to kick off Before the match the wet-bulb reading did not meet the threshold of NNSWF’s hot weather policy which is 30 degrees WGBT This meant that the game proceeded with designated drink breaks.  In consultation with both clubs at half-time it was apparent that a number of players were suffering the ill effects of the heat and with the wet-bulb temperature close to the threshold a decision was made by the referee to abandon the match.  New Lambton FC and Adamstown Rosebud JFC have been informed that the match will be restarted from the point that it was abandoned cards and substitutions will remain in place as per the time of the abandonment as per NNSWF regulations.  The scoreline at the time of abandonment was 4-2 to New Lambton.   Broadmeadow Magic 1-8 Lake Macquarie City FC Lake Macquarie City FC coach Gabrielle Blanch believes her side have made their mark on the competition with a statement 8-1 win over Broadmeadow Magic at Magic Park on Friday night.  The Roosters secured their first NPL Women’s NNSW win in style with a dominant performance and were hungrier faster and sharper than their opponents.   Rooster’s captain Brooke Summers opened the scoring in the 10th minute with a header from a corner kick.  Mattiese Loretan doubled Lakes’ advantage five minutes later with a scrappy tap in past the reach of goalkeeper Stella Morgan.  Things went from bad to worse for Magic when defender Gemma Lawson was sent off in the 29th minute for denying a goal-scoring opportunity after she brought down Emily Loader-Weston who was away towards the goal.  The Roosters were able to capitalise instantly with Ani Jensen scoring a spectacular goal from the free kick outside the penalty area.  Jensen whipped the ball around the wall of Magic defenders and into the top left corner of the goal to give the away side a 3-0 advantage into the half-time break.  Lakes put their foot down in the second half and scored five goals in a 30-minute period.  Loader-Weston netted her second of the season with a strong strike from a cross in by Elivienne Acland in the 50th minute before Tahlor Thackray scored a long-range wonder strike eight minutes later The onslaught continued from the Roosters as Jensen scored her second of the night in the 67th minute after she torpedoed another bullet strike into the back of the net and Thackray netted her second of the night and fifth of the season one minute later Loretan put the cherry on top in the 81st minute to net her second of the evening and take the scoreline to 8-0.  Broadmeadow clawed one back in the 84th minute through Lilly-Jane Babic but the damage could not be undone and the scoreline remained 8-1 at the final whistle.  Blanch was thrilled for her side to secure their first three points of the season in such spectacular fashion.  not just from the scoreline but from the way we played,” Blanch said.  “It was a bit of a statement after the week we had It was lovely to have five goal scorers on the team sheet we had a really important conversation at a 3-0 scoreline about how we could take the foot off the peddle but it would be more important to keep going The girls went out there and put the game to bed in the last 45 minutes.  ‘I know that they had to change their formation a number of times to deal with the pressure we were putting on them.  I have seen it for so long in training every week and we kept talking about trusting the process.  “The powerhouse midfield that was on display on Friday night was impressive and they are only going to get better.” The Roosters coach praised goalkeeper Elyse Vella for her efforts and strong performance in her first grade debut Coming in it was always going to be daunting for her so there was some very clear instructions for the team that they needed to support her and be there for her,” Blanch said.  “I couldn’t ask for anything more from her The win moves Lakes off the bottom of the table into fourth position with four points They will hope that they can continue their momentum after a two-week break as they serve the bye in round six and the competition has a designated wash-out weekend The Roosters will take on Adamstown Rosebud when they return in round seven.  Broadmeadow sits sixth on the table and will be desperate to bounce back when they travel to Alder Park to face New Lambton FC next Saturday.   Newcastle Olympic 1-5 Charlestown Azzurri  The reigning champions Charlestown Azzurri kept the good times rolling with a 5-1 win over Newcastle Olympic at Darling Street Oval on Sunday evening.  Azzurri served Olympic their first loss of the season with a dominant display across the park Melina Ayres broke the deadlock in the 20th minute with a spectacular long-range strike after a misplaced header from defender Jorja Hogg.  The former A-League striker doubled her tally and the scoreline eight minutes later with an impressive volley that sailed into the back of the net.  Olympic clawed one back in the 35th minute after Jemma House got onto the end of a ball from Rhali Dobson and slotted the ball past goalkeeper Danielle Bartels.  But the Blues restored their two-goal buffer before half-time after Gema Simon pounced on a dropped ball from goalkeeper Tallon Convery in stoppage time.  Craig Atkins switched out Convery in the break for Janali Haynes but the change didn’t stop the wrath of Charlestown in the second half.  Ayres completed her hat-trick and took the scoreline to 4-1 in the 53rd minute when she out muscled Danielle Nicol and launched the ball over the head of Hunter and into the goal Jayna Fraser killed the game off in the 66th minute with a strong direct strike from the edge of the penalty area that smashed into the back of the net.  Olympic were unable to find answers as the scoreline remained 5-1 at the final whistle.  Atkins will hope his team can bounce back from their first loss when they take on the reigning premiers Maitland FC at Cooks Square Park on Sunday.  Azzurri will be eager to continue their winning streak when they travel to Lake Macquarie Regional Football Facility to face Adamstown Rosebud on Friday night.   Match of the RoundValentine FC v Newcastle Olympic FC Croudace Bay Complex Valentine FC coach Kallum Garbett said that his side will be without their star striker Carter Smith as they search for their first win against Newcastle Olympic at Croudace Bay Complex on Saturday.   Smith has quickly become a fan favourite at Valentine after scoring three goals in three matches but a hamstring injury has sidelined him for what is expected to be an extended period of time.  He joins Nicholas Martinelli on the sidelines after he suffered an ankle injury that forced him from the field in round two.  Garbett admitted that Smith would be a significant loss across the next two months but expects his side to adapt and overcome.  “It’s a little bit of an unknown with Carts at the moment,” Garbett said.  It’s not great when you see those ones where they pull up without contact We’re probably looking at four to six weeks off I would assume.  “His attacking output with three goals in three games has been really good We also lost Nick Martinelli to injury in the Adamstown game but the big thing for us is we have a deep enough squad where there’s no excuses to stop sticking the ball in the back of the net.  “I firmly believe we have the players to step in and do a good job for us.”  The Phoenix have picked up two points out of a possible nine following draws against Maitland FC and Belmont Swansea either side of a 3-2 loss against Adamstown in round two.  They led in two of those matches and all three of them were winnable so their challenge now is to start finishing games off.  Doing so against a hungry Newcastle Olympic side will be a tough challenge but one Garbett expects his men to tackle head-on it’s just about putting together a full 90-minute performance,” Garbett said.  “Last weekend we got ourselves in a good position to win the game but we let it get away from us there at the end.  “We have to keep pushing with what we want to do and we are of the feeling that eventually the results will turn around It’s just a matter of making sure we put together a full match.  “The players that Olympic have got in over the off-season make them a very formidable side to go up against.  even though they’ve had some frustrating results over the past two weeks they’re going to be a really tough team.”  Olympic has had a mixed start to their campaign with a win a draw and a loss during the first three rounds All of those games were played at home and the side now faces four consecutive away fixtures.  Coach Paul DeVitis identified the way his men have been starting as something he would like to see improve come Saturday night as they look to begin that run with a win.  I’ve watched bits and pieces of their games and they’re really dynamic,” DeVitis said.  I’m looking for more positive starts to games We’ve been finishing games extremely well and our fitness levels are showing But we need a mindset change; from the beginning of games You can win a game in the first 20 minutes in this league.”  DeVitis expected to be without Roy O’Donovan (back) and Zach Thomas (groin) again this Saturday after they missed last weekend’s loss against Charlestown and he is hopeful they will both return in round five following next weekend’s designated washout weekend.  Broadmeadow Magic FC v Charlestown Azzurri FC Magic Park Broadmeadow Magic head coach Jim Cresnar said his side will not be able to afford to concede the way they have in this Sunday’s top-of-the-table clash against Charlestown Azzurri at Magic Park.  Charlestown are the only team to have won all three matches to start the season and they have the best defensive record alongside Edgeworth with just one goal conceded and two clean sheets kept so far.  Magic is the only other team to have won more than one match so far and they have been ruthless across the past two weeks as they have found the back of the net 10 times to put a 1-0 loss against Edgeworth in the season opener behind them.  Broadmeadow’s men conceded three goals against New Lambton last Sunday in an eight-goal thriller and Cresnar said that while that was not a cause for concern he would like to see his side switch on from the get-go this Sunday.  It’s a crucial game for us,” Cresnar said.  “I think a bit of complacency early on played a part (against New Lambton) “You can’t be complacent against any team in this competition and we need to start better than that.”   A Broadmeadow side that netted 80 goals during the regular season in 2024 has looked electric across the past two matches as they put away five goals against both Lambton and New Lambton with six players finding the back of the net.  The additions of attacking weapons Jack Simmons and Seo Ram Lee as well as Ezra Palombini have been beneficial to the Broadmeadow squad and have them firing on all cylinders.  “It’s similar to what we were doing last year when we scored over 80 goals,” Cresnar said.  and the good thing is it’s not just one or two players scoring a lot of players are scoring from our front three and our midfield Charlestown’s coach James Pascoe is hopeful that a defensive boost will be ready to help thwart that Magic attack with visa player Richie Danquah touching down in Australia this week He will train with Azzurri on Thursday night and is expected to be in the squad for Sunday’s match.  But the Blues will be without Taylor Regan and Ty Cousins who are both expected to miss three to six weeks after leaving the field with injuries in last Sunday’s win against Olympic.  Belmont Swansea United FC v Cooks Hill United FC Blacksmiths Oval Round four will kick off at Blacksmiths Oval on Friday night where Belmont Swansea United will look to continue an unbeaten start to their maiden NPL campaign when they host Cooks Hill United.  BelSwans were tipped by many to be facing a relegation battle in 2025 but they have proven so far that their club is up for the battle in the topflight and they will be no pushovers.  They have conceded the first goal in all three matches they have played so far but they managed to come from behind on all three occasions to either win or draw.  Coach Mick Stafford said his ‘battlers from Blacksmiths’ had enjoyed every minute of the season so far and are looking forward to welcoming Cooks Hill to town on Friday night.  The visiting side is determined to tighten up defensively as Chris Zoricich’s men go in search of their first clean sheet of the season.   Cooks Hill has already conceded nine goals so far and twice they have conceded four goals in a game.  Cooks Hill are also looking to rebound at the other end of the park after being held scoreless for the first time this year when they went down 4-0 away from home against Weston last Saturday.  New Lambton FC v Edgeworth Eagles Alder Park Edgeworth Eagles are on the hunt for goals and coach Peter McGuinness is hopeful that they can finally find them when they travel to Alder Park on Saturday afternoon to challenge New Lambton FC McGuinness’ men have produced some classy football across the opening three rounds and have already secured two clean sheets but they have struggled to convert at the other end of the park finding the back of the net just twice.  There has been a lot to like for Eagles fans as their side is one of just three that are yet to be beaten in 2025 but their coach has challenged them to start taking their chances.  “I thought we had some good moments in the game [against Jaffas] which would have been nice to capitalise on,” McGuinness said.   “Once again I thought it was a solid performance defensively We just need to add goals to how we are playing.”  New Lambton overcame their scoreless start to the campaign last Sunday when they found the back of the net three times against defending champions Broadmeadow but they conceded five as their goals against tally ballooned out to 10.  The Golden Eagles can be a danger side this season if they put a full 90-minute performance together and they will hope to do so for the first time when they welcome Edgeworth to town.  Weston Bears  v Maitland FC Rockwell Automation Park Two sides coming off their first victories of the season will go head-to-head at Rockwell Automation Park on Saturday evening when Weston Bears host Maitland FC in the El Clasicoal.  These two teams have been on a similar path so far in 2025 having both drawn once and lost once across the opening two rounds before banging in four goals each in round three to get their campaigns off and running.  Maitland did concede three times against Adamstown last Friday night and are looking to clean that up but Weston marked their first home game last Saturday with their first clean sheet of the season and are now hoping to make it two from two in round four.  Boosting their chances of doing so will be a loud and proud Rockwell Automation Park home crowd as Weston host their annual Old Bears Day.  Maitland is hoping to spoil that party and more importantly are determined to start playing to their potential.  “Weston are a physical team and they play some decent football under Kew,” coach Adam Hughes said.   be better defensively and be better with the ball I feel that we’ll keep growing going forward.”  Maitland’s skipper Braedyn Crowley was withdrawn from last Friday night’s win against Adamstown due to an ankle injury after producing an exceptional first-half performance.  Hughes is hopeful he will play this Saturday and will give him up until the last minute to prove his fitness.  Lambton Jaffas v Adamstown Rosebud FC Arthur Edden Oval Lambton Jaffas and Adamstown Rosebud will face off at Arthur Edden Oval this Sunday in a clash that will see the Jaffas attempting to spark their attack and the Rosebud searching for defensive stability.  Lambton put a shock 5-0 round two loss against Broadmeadow behind them last weekend when they held 2024 grand finalists Edgeworth to a 0-0 draw away from home.  Lambton is hopeful of producing similar defensive resolve while finally clicking at the other end of the field and putting some goals away after scoring just twice across the opening three rounds.  Their opponents Adamstown have had no problem scoring in 2025 They found the back of the net eight times a total that is only bettered by Broadmeadow but their defence has troubled them as they have conceded a competition-worst 11 goals so far.  Coach Chris Moylan’s main focus going into the season was tightening the Rosebud defence after they averaged three goals against them per game in 2024 but they conceded five goals in the season opener and four in their most recent outing.  How they perform defensively against a lackluster Jaffas attack that has been held scoreless two weeks on the trot could be season defining for Moylan’s men.  The match is also a chance for Adamstown to finally find some success against Lambton having not earned a point off them since 2018 The Jaffas have beaten the Rosebud in all of their past 10 league encounters since 2019 and have done so a combined 38 goals to five.  Another year is almost over and with so much happening across Newcastle and the Hunter, we’ve put together a guide for what’s on New Year’s Eve for the best things to see From fireworks, feasting and dancing the night away; here’s our ultimate what’s on guide for New Year’s Eve Newcastle Newcastle The foreshore will once again play host to Newcastle’s big NYE event with 35,000 expected to experience the fun from 5pm City of Newcastle are this year delivering one of the most accessible and inclusive events in regional Australia with an audio description accompanying the fireworks for the first time in the event’s history crafts for kids and dedicated accessible parking as well as all the usual food and musical options ahead of the 9pm fireworks Maitland Grab your picnic blanket and get ready to farewell 2024 along the picturesque Levee riverbank in Maitland This family-friendly event includes all the usual great food options and live music and entertainment concluding with a spectacular fireworks display at 9pm “New Year’s Eve in Maitland has become a fun-filled tradition in the events calendar bringing our community together to reflect on the past year and look forward to what’s ahead,” says Maitland City mayor Philip Penfold Port Stephens – Nelson Bay Celebrate the new year in style in Nelson Bay with the McGrath Port Stephens New Year’s Eve Fireworks Bring a cheese platter or pick up some local takeaway and set up your picnic blanket along the Nelson Bay foreshore This is a family friendly event with alcoholic drinks and glass prohibited Lake Macquarie – Wangi Wangi RSL The New Year’s Eve fireworks display on Wangi Bay has long been featured as a valued community event supported by Lake Macquarie City Council The RSL and Wangi workers club will be serving food and drinks with views and there are a range of food trucks located nearby for more options Redsalt at Rydges Resort, Hunter Valley If you are looking for an elevated dinner and fireworks package for the whole family Redsalt at Rydges is offering a six course tasting menu for the adults and the kids get three Adults can enjoy paired wines and the whole family can enjoy the fireworks from 9pm friends and families wanting to dress up and be catered to this New Year’s Eve here are our top picks of great restaurants and venues offering delicious feasting options Acacia Dining, Maitland – soiree dinner with views of the fireworks 6pm – 9pm Alfies, New Lambton – dinner and drinks from lunchtime Circa 1876, Hunter Valley – Dinner and drinks 5.30pm-8.30pm Light Years, Newcastle – five course banquet from 5pm Magnolia, Nelson Bay – champagne and tapas from 5pm Meet, Newcastle – dinner and drinks from 5pm The Roundhouse at Crystalbrook Kingsley – Dinner with family friendly options from 5pm For the party people looking to stay out well into the night here’s a list of places in Newcastle and the surrounding areas where you can let your hair down Bartholemews, Newcastle – NYE Cabaret Spectacular from 7pm Bernies, Newcastle West – A Bernie’s celebration from 7pm Beach Hotel, Merewether – NYE Ft. Bag Raiders from 4pm Customs House, Newcastle – Bowties & Bubbles from 6.30pm Harrigans, Hunter Valley – Moooove in 25 party from 7pm Honeysuckle Hotel, Honeysuckle – Night of White from 6pm Jams, Newcastle West – Laneway Party from 8pm Jana at QT, Newcastle – four or five coast feasting options from 5.30pm Martha, Belmont – Midnight with Martha from 8.15pm Ms Mary at Crystalbrook Kingsley, Newcastle – Party Under the Stars from 8.30pm Newcastle Racecourse, Broadmeadow – The Years Live from 7pm Shoal Bay Country Club, Shoal Bay – Party on the Patio from 7pm The Exchange, Hamilton – NYE Masquerade Party from 7pm The Grand, Newcastle – Underground Disco from 8pm The Kent, Hamilton – Disco Fever from 10pm Get all the latest Newcastle news, sport, real estate, entertainment, lifestyle and more delivered straight to your inbox with the Newcastle Weekly Daily Newsletter. Sign up here by 29 November 2024 It's all happening across five conveniently located Wests Clubs this Christmas The largest Christmas Raffles in the Hunter are back with over $164,000 in prizes to be won across all five Clubs! Plus, show your valid Wests membership card when you buy $5 worth of tickets and get an additional $5 FREE! Not a member? Join today Enjoy the magic on Christmas Day and let us take care of the cooking and cleaning at your local Wests Club and enjoy a festive lunch or dinner feast with all your holiday favourites from succulent roasts to decadent desserts All clubs open and there’s no public holiday surcharge Get to Wests New Lambton to catch the impressive Christmas lights display consisting of more than 42,000 bright white LED lights is one of the biggest expressions of illuminated festive cheer in Newcastle book a late night table at Chophouse Grill to enjoy the lights while you dine There’s no better time to unlock even more fun by becoming a Full Wests Member you can enjoy all the perks of a Full Membership plus we’ll give you $10 back to spend in-club This includes exclusive benefits like 15% off beverages All clubs will be open for lunch or dinner and no need to book or worry about a holiday surcharge who will be performing at Wests New Lambton from 8:30pm to help you ring in the new year NOTE: Please note that events listed on this site are subject to change by the artist Every effort is made to ensure that the event information listed on this site is accurate should you be concerned please contact the specified venue for verification We encourage you to contact the venue before making plans Privacy Policy Our simplified product lineup offers bespoke and affordable advertising options designed to capture the attention of our hyper-local audience We create original and engaging media to tell your story sell your tickets and get people through the doors If it’s on in Newcastle, it’s on Newcastle Live – the Hunter’s source of entertainment and lifestyle news and information. We’re devoted to all the great things happening in the region. We’ll keep you up to date with what’s on in Newcastle and across the Hunter region. All articles from our website & appThe digital version of Today's PaperBreaking news alerts direct to your inboxInteractive Crosswords, Sudoku and TriviaAll articles from the other regional websites in your areaContinueAbout 2am on Tuesday, October 1, two men allegedly attempted to enter houses and cars on Duke Street and Henderson Place. Newcastle City Police District Proactive Crime Team police were notified and began making inquiries into the incident. About 7.30am on Wednesday, October 9, police executed a search warrant at a unit on Christo Road, Waratah. During the search, police allegedly located and seized clothing and jewellery. Police also seized the key to a vehicle which was allegedly stolen from a Rankin Park address on October 3, before it was discovered on Morpeth Road, Waratah, on October 7. A 20-year-old man was arrested at the unit and taken to Waratah Police Station where he was charged over the alleged property offences. Officers charged the man with two counts of attempted aggravated break and enter in company steal; two counts of attempt armed with intent to commit indictable offence; two counts of attempt larceny; possess housebreaking implements; goods suspected stolen in or on premises and breach of bail. The man was refused bail and appeared before Newcastle Local Court on October 9. He was a again refused bail and will face court next on October 17. Police inquiries into the incident continue and anyone with information is urged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000. All articles from our website & appThe digital version of Today's PaperBreaking news alerts direct to your inboxInteractive Crosswords, Sudoku and TriviaAll articles from the other regional websites in your areaContinueThree years, more than 10 meetings and about $30,000 later, the New Lambton resident is locked in a stalemate with the City of Newcastle over what was supposed to be a simple bus stop relocation outside her house. What started out as a vision to build her dream home on Queens Road has turned into an "absolute nightmare" that has left her and her partner at their wit's end, unable to resolve issues with the council. "As soon as this is done, I'm selling my house," Ms Bricknell said. "I hate it. I hate my house. I just built the most beautiful house and I just hate it. "It's a strong word but it's just been so time-consuming, it's absolutely ridiculous." One of the conditions of Ms Bricknell's development application was to relocate the bus stop on Queens Road out the front of her driveway. The irony of the debacle is that Ms Bricknell said she was told Keolis Downer was considering removing the bus stop she had to relocate, and that it was used by just 21 people each week. Plans were made to move the bus stop around the corner on Evescourt Road, despite there already being a bus stop about 300 metres away. View +2 PhotosWhen Ms Bricknell began to excavate for the new bus stop on Evescourt Road, she found pipes underground that did not show up on Dial Before You Dig plans. Nobody knew who owned the pipes, Jemena was called out to turn the gas off for a day and discovered data cables inside them. After hours of research, phone calls and emails, Ms Bricknell finally determined the metal piping was owned by Telstra and the data cables by NBN. New bus stops need to meet guidelines for accessibility and equity; because of the steep incline at the new bus stop, which Ms Bricknell raised with the council as a safety concern, she would have to dig 30cm deeper, meaning the pipes would need to be moved. Ms Bricknell said she had been told the pipes were "dormant" and were not actually used to provide services. Telstra has told her that moving the pipes was not an issue, but Ms Bricknell expects the costs to be in the order of $20,000. Ms Bricknell said the council had since turned its back on her, telling her it was her responsibility to come up with new plans. "So because I asked for a plan to abide by, they have now retracted any kind of help," she said. "This has been going on since well before 2022; plans have been submitted and come back, and I have probably spent hundreds of thousands of taxpayer dollars on stupid meetings about a bus stop nobody uses." A City of Newcastle spokesman said the bus stop on Queens Road that needed to be relocated had been in operation for more than 20 years as part of the Route 25 service. "During the development application process, the applicant requested the relocation of the bus stop to accommodate the proposed development," he said. "This was approved on the condition that the applicant relocate the existing bus stop. "As with all developments, any costs associated with modifying public infrastructure to benefit a private property are the responsibility of the developer." The council spokesman said the property owner proceeded with the construction of their development "without first resolving the requirements for potential relation of the bus stop", which he said was a condition of their development consent. He said Ms Bricknell's construction certificate was issued by a private certifier and acknowledged that she had since identified public utilities in the area that would need to be moved to allow the bus stop to be relocated. "This matter is now with the property owner, who must decide whether to adjust their development to retain the current bus stop location or proceed with the relocation," he said. "In either case, the developer is responsible for covering the full costs of any required infrastructure changes, as is standard practice for all developments in the city." Ms Bricknell said she had always been prepared to relocate the bus stop, she had simply asked the council to approve a plan to go forward. "I'm just in limbo; it's costing me an exponential amount of money. It's just ridiculous, and I can't draw a conclusion," she said. "I cannot tell you the stress this is causing me." Keolis Downer has been working with Ms Bricknell and City of Newcastle regarding the request to move the bus stop since 2022. A Keolis Downer spokeswoman said they would continue to work with both parties to find the best outcome. "Our approach to relocating a bus stop is to make sure the new location is safe and accessible while minimising the impact to our customers, particularly school students," she said. The Queens Road bus stop also services a number of school bus routes. Basketball NSW has called on City of Newcastle to retain its support for the proposed New Lambton stadium describing the council's potential withdrawal as a "significant setback for indoor sports in the region" Sudoku and TriviaAll articles from the other regional websites in your areaContinueThe sport's state body issued a statement appealing to the council after a notice of motion was lodged by ward three councillors Mark Brooker and Sinead Francis-Coan seeking to pull City of Newcastle's in-principle support for the Wallarah and Blackley ovals site Plans for the proposed new $82 million stadium are open for public feedback after an environmental impact statement was lodged for the state significant application The proposed site has attracted fierce opposition from residents Newcastle Basketball has spent an estimated $1 million on planning and environmental assessments since the proposal was floated in 2019 Basketball NSW CEO Maria Nordstrom said the organisation "fully supports the project in New Lambton", which would "be of regional significance and will act as a regional excellence hub in the Hunter for basketball" "This will continue to build on Newcastle's rich heritage in developing talent as well as the opportunity to re-establish elite teams playing at the highest level of the sport in Australia in the city where the National Basketball League once started," she said "A delay to this once-in-lifetime project which is already behind plan will see the state funding at high risk of being withdrawn which will put the whole project in jeopardy and the $1 million already spent going to waste." Newcastle-bred three-time Olympian and Basketball Australia board member Suzy Batkovic has also spoken out in support of the proposal "As someone who has dedicated my life to basketball I know firsthand the importance of facilities like the Hunter Indoor Sports Centre to foster talent and provide a community hub for all," she said "Beyond supporting our players and community and give the local economy a real lift through the events and competitions it could host "This is about building a future for indoor sports in the Hunter Region not only for current players but for generations to come." HomeTributes & FuneralsDeaths & FuneralsTate (OAM) Alma Joan1923 - 2025 • Aged 101 years • New Lambton The relatives and friends of Alma are invited to attend her Memorial Celebration of Life at Seventh Day Adventist Church anticipation is building once again for the most magical time of the year Families throughout the Hunter region are transforming their homes into cosy havens of holiday cheer signalling the imminent arrival of Santa Claus through twinkling lights and festive displays you enjoy the simple pleasure of taking a leisurely drive or stroll to soak in the quiet beauty of Christmas lights Get all the latest Newcastle news, sport, real estate, entertainment, lifestyle and more delivered straight to your inbox with the Newcastle Weekly Daily Newsletter. Sign up here As previously announced by Football Australia eight invitational clubs comprised of the Member Federation NPL State Premiers* from their respective 2025 domestic seasons will join the eight NST foundation clubs in a ‘Champions League’ format The NPL Premiers will secure their place in the national competition based on sporting merit which will further elevate the NPL and provide added excitement amongst the local football community.  In line with the 2024/25 Domestic Match Calendar (DMC) the opening round will see Football VIC’s Melbourne Knights FC take on Heidelberg United FC at Tompsett Stadium on Thursday 6 February (7:30pm AEDT) in the first NPL match of the new season.  Football NSW will commence its NPL Men’s season as Manly United FC host Central Coast Mariners FC at Cromer Park on Friday 13 February will see NNSW Football get underway when Belmont Swansea United FC face Adamstown Rosebud FC at Blacksmiths Oval (7:45pm AEDT).  21 February marks the commencement of the NPL Men’s Competitions for Football SA and Football QLD with Campbelltown City SC facing MetroStars SC at Steve Woodcock Sports Centre (8.00pm AEDT) and Gold Coast Knights FC taking on Lions FC at Croatian Sports Centre (8:30pm AEDT)  Football TAS will commence their season with a double-header on Friday 14 March (8.15pm AEDT) as Glenorchy Knights FC face Clarence Zebras FC at KGV Park and Launceston FC take on Launceston United FC at Prospect Park (8.15pm AEDT).  Football West will also start their league on Friday March 14 when Bayswater City SC and Sorrento FC play at Frank Drago Reserve (10.15pm AEDT) while Capital Football kick-off on Saturday 5 April with fixtures to be confirmed.  The NPL Women’s Competition will be led by Football QLD as Sunshine Coast Wanderers FC take on Gold Coast United FC at Ballinger Park on Saturday NNSW Football will kick off their NPL Women’s season on Saturday with New Lambton FC facing Charlestown Azzurri FC at Alder Park (6.00pm AEDT).  Football NSW will follow with a packed opening round of NPL Women’s on Sunday with a 2024 Grand Final rematch between Macarthur Rams FC and APIA Leichhardt FC at Lynwood Park (5.00pm AEDT) the highlight.  7 March with four matches featuring a clash between Adelaide University FC and Adelaide City FC (6.45pm AEDT) at Service FM Stadium before Football VIC commences on Friday 14 March with two matches across the state including Bentleigh Greens SC v South Melbourne FC at Kingston Heath Soccer Complex (6.15pm AEDT).  Football West will begin their NPL Women’s competition on Saturday 22 March with a match at Dorrien Gardens Trinca Field between Perth SC and Fremantle City FC (8.00pm AEDT) please visit the respective Member Federation’s website.  Melbourne Knights FC v Heidelberg United FC at Tompsett Stadium (7.30pm)  Manly United FC v Central Coast Mariners FC at Cromer Park Field 1 (7.30pm)  Belmont Swansea United FC v Adamstown Rosebud FC at Blacksmiths Oval (7.45pm)  Gold Coast Knights FC v Lions FC at Croatian Sports Centre Field 1 (8.30pm)  Campbelltown City SC v MetroStars SC at Steve Woodcock Sports Centre (8.00pm)  Glenorchy Knights FC v Clarence Zebras FC at KGV Park (8.15pm)  Launceston City FC v Launceston United FC at Prospect Park (8.15pm)  Perth SC v Balcatta Etna FC at Dorrien Gardens Trinca Field (10:00pm)  Bayswater City SC v Sorrento FC at Frank Drago Reserve (10.15pm)  Opening Match(es) all times shown in AEDT  Sunshine Coast Wanderers FC v Gold Coast United FC at Ballinger Park Field 1 (6.00pm)  Brisbane City FC v Gold Coast Knights FC at Imperial Corp Stadium Field 1 (6.00pm)  FQ Academy QAS v Lions FC at Nudgee Recreation Reserve Field 1 (7.00pm)  Mitchelton FC v North Lakes United FC at Teralba Park Field 1 (7.00pm)  Eastern Suburbs FC v Souths United FC at Heath Park Field 1 (8.00pm)  New Lambton FC v Charlestown Azzurri FC at Alder Park (6.00pm)  Adelaide University FC v Adelaide City FC at Service FM Stadium (6.45pm)  Campbelltown City SC v Metro United SC at Steve Woodcock Sports Centre (7.00pm) Adelaide Comets FC v Flinders United FC at LJ Hooker-Mile End Sports Park (8.45pm)  Salisbury Inter FC v West Adelaide SC at Service FM Stadium (8.45pm)  Macarthur Rams FC v APIA Leichhardt FC at Lynwood Park Field 1 (5.00pm)  Western Sydney Wanderers FC v Manly United FC at Wanderers Football Park (5.00pm)  Newcastle Jets FC v Northern Tigers FC at Lake Macquarie Regional Football Facility (5.00pm)  Illawarra Stingrays FC v Sydney University FC at Macedonia Park UNSW FC v NWS Spirit FC at The Village Green Synthetic (5.00pm)  Mt Druitt Town Rangers FC v Bulls FC Academy at Popondetta Park Field 1 (5.00pm)  Gladesville Ravens FC v Sydney Olympic FC at Christie Park Field 1 (5.10pm)  Bentleigh Greens SC v South Melbourne FC at Kingston Heath Soccer Complex (6.15pm)  Spring Hills FC v Preston Lions FC at Springside Recreational Reserve (8.30pm)  Perth SC v Fremantle City FC at Dorrien Gardens Trinca Field (8:00pm)  *This does not include Football NT as they do not participate in an NPL Competition.  City of Newcastle is moving forward with plans for a year-round aquatic facility at Lambton Park War Memorial Swimming Centre. Community engagement will begin next month on the proposed upgrades at Lambton, which could include features such a new indoor 25m and toddlers' pools for improved programs and year-round operations, as well as a new gym, kiosk and changerooms. City of Newcastle will maintain ownership of the five swimming centres and responsibility for overseeing the seven-year lease, with two possible seven-year extensions, to ensure good community outcomes. City of Newcastle Acting CEO David Clarke said the long-term lease provides certainty for the future operation of, and investment into, these much-loved local publicly owned facilities. "City of Newcastle is committed to maintaining and investing in our network of inland swimming centres to ensure they continue to meet the expectations and evolving needs of our community," Mr Clarke said. “The lease with BlueFit will help facilitate the delivery of a year-round aquatic facility at Lambton Swimming Centre, which was a key community priority during consultation for our 20-year Inland Pools Strategy, unanimously adopted by Council in May last year. "We look forward to involving the community in what the new year-round facility will look like, with community engagement getting underway in August." CEO Todd McHardy said BlueFit is delighted to have the opportunity to strengthen its relationship with City of Newcastle and continue delivering for the community. "BlueFit began working with City of Newcastle in 2014 and since then Newcastle’s swimming centres have consistently received high satisfaction ratings," Mr McHardy said. "We're excited to be a part of the planning for upgrades and improvements at Lambton Park War Memorial Swimming Centre." A busy program of maintenance activities is being delivered during the winter closure, with Lambton on track to reopen for the traditional early swimming season on Saturday 17 August, while the Stockton, Mayfield, Wallsend and Beresfield pools will be back in action during the September school holidays. Swimmers will be greeted with refreshed and upgraded facilities, with works being completed across all five swimming centres during the closure period including safety upgrades, extensive re-painting, and maintenance of pool tiles and promenades. Mr Clarke said City of Newcastle and BlueFit were gearing up for another busy season, following record visitation numbers in 2023/24. “Last summer was the first season that BlueFit had managed all five of our pools and the community flocked to our facilities, with almost 450,000 people visiting during the season, the highest number since 1997," Mr Clarke said. "Under the management of BlueFit, Newcastle’s swimming centres enjoy significantly lower entry fees than pools operated by other local councils. "BlueFit are committed to ensuring entry fees at Beresfield remain at the 2023/24 rates for the coming season in recognition of the lower median household incomes of suburbs in the Beresfield area. The western corridor also experiences the effect of the urban heat island more than suburbs closer to the coast. "We look forward to continuing to work together to meet the recreation needs of our growing population." City of Newcastle has invested more than $5 million upgrading and $2 million maintaining the city's public pool network during the past few years including the new grandstand at Lambton Park War Memorial Swimming Centre and the installation of accessible changerooms at Wallsend Swimming Centre. All articles from our website & appThe digital version of Today's PaperBreaking news alerts direct to your inboxInteractive Crosswords, Sudoku and TriviaAll articles from the other regional websites in your areaContinueThe state-government funded project on Robinson Avenue, opposite Jesmond Park, will provide accommodation for up to 37 residents, with eight one-bedrooms and 12 two-bedroom units. Two of the units have been built to an adaptable standard to suit people with disabilities, and there is step-free access to all ground level units. Newcastle has about 2000 people on the waiting list for social housing. Wallsend MP Sonia Hornery said the new units were well connected to transport links with a bus stop less than 300 metres away, and walking distance to both Lambton public school and the local shopping centre. "As someone who grew up in public housing, this is such an important thing for our government to provide," Ms Hornery said. "We have new builds going up in Lambton, Waratah West, Wallsend and soon to be joined by new investment in housing in other areas of the Wallsend electorate. "This move will see more homes available to the many people on the social housing waitlist in our region, getting more vulnerable people into homes." Homes NSW worked with Kingston Building to redevelop the site overlooking Jesmond Park, where more than 40 native trees were incorporated into the design. View +6 PhotosNSW Housing Minister Rose Jackson said Newcastle was crying out for more social housing, and the government was listening. "We're thrilled to see yet another completed project in the area that almost 40 people will soon be calling home," Ms Jackson said. "This builds on our recent work in the Newcastle local government area where a Memorandum of Understanding with council is helping to fast-track housing projects to get more people off the waitlist and into safe and secure homes. "Housing and homelessness is a state-wide issue and this is a perfect example of this government's commitment to delivering more housing in the regions that is safe, modern and fit-for-purpose." pictures suppliedPLANS for a proposed $10 million 25-metre indoor pool at Lambton are moving forward with community consultation and a long-term lease All articles from our website & appThe digital version of Today's PaperBreaking news alerts direct to your inboxInteractive Crosswords, Sudoku and TriviaAll articles from the other regional websites in your areaContinueThe year-round aquatic facility, planned for Lambton Park War Memorial Swimming Centre City of Newcastle will start community engagement in August, while pool operator BlueFit will manage the daily operations of council's five inland pools under a new seven-year lease decided by council CEO Jeremy Bath The decision was delegated to the CEO after Labor councillors declared conflicts of interest in the matter, meaning a quorum of councillors could not be reached to vote on awarding a tender BlueFit said swimmers could expect significantly lower entry fees than pools operated by other local councils with Beresfield having its general admission fee further reduced to $2.90 "BlueFit are committed to ensuring entry fees at Beresfield remain at the 2023-24 rates for the coming season in recognition of the lower median household incomes of suburbs in the Beresfield area," BlueFit CEO Todd McHardy said He said the company was delighted to strengthen its relationship with the Newcastle community "BlueFit began working with City of Newcastle in 2014 and since then Newcastle's swimming centres have consistently received high satisfaction ratings," he said City of Newcastle acting CEO David Clarke said the long-term lease provides certainty for the future operation of these "much-loved local publicly owned facilities" "The lease with BlueFit will help facilitate the delivery of a year-round aquatic facility at Lambton Swimming Centre which was a key community priority during consultation for our 20-year Inland Pools Strategy unanimously adopted by council in May last year," he said "We look forward to involving the community in what the new year-round facility will look like." work is being completed across all five of Newcastle's swimming centres re-painting and maintenance of tiles and promenades Lambton pool is on track to reopen for the traditional early swimming season on August 17 Wallsend and Beresfield pools will remain closed until September Mr Clarke said City of Newcastle and BlueFit were gearing up for another busy season following record visitor numbers in 2023-24 "Last summer was the first season that BlueFit had managed all five of our pools and the community flocked to our facilities with almost 450,000 people visiting during the season HomeTributes & FuneralsView +2 PhotosDeath NoticesTate (OAM) Adamstown Ladies Probus was saddened to hear of the passing of Alma Tate Alma always displayed great kindness and caring towards all our club members We are poorer for Alma's passing but we are blessed for having shared her friendship Labor councillors have flagged a fresh site option for Newcastle’s new basketball stadium following outcry over plans to put it on two ovals at New Lambton But residents and a Lord Mayor candidate say they have little confidence it’s a suitable solution The 2024 Zone Football League regular season has ended with three clubs being promoted and two relegated.  Newcastle Croatia FC and Lambton Jaffas Juniors were each promoted from their respective competitions while Minmi FC and Mayfield United JSFC were relegated.   Macquarie Football and Hunter Valley Football announced last year that the men’s Hunter football pyramid would be connected for the first time from the NPL Men’s NNSW and HIT106.9 Northern League One competitions through to Zone League One allowing for the return of promotion and relegation.   “Congratulations to HIT106.9 Northern League One club Belmont Swansea United and Zone Football League clubs Dudley United Newcastle Croatia FC and Lambton Jaffas Juniors on gaining promotion in their respective competitions,” Northern NSW Football General Manager Football Operations Manager Liam Bentley said.     “This year has been an exciting season of football across our region in reconnecting NNSWF’s premier competitions with the Zone League Football competitions.     “There is now a fully functioning football pyramid in northern NSW for the first time which allows aspirational clubs to move up to higher levels based on sporting performance.”  Dudley United was promoted to HIT106.9 Northern League One for 2025.  It all came down to the final round of the season with Newcastle Suns in the driver’s seat to secure the premiership and promotion two points ahead of Dudley.   But the Suns fell at the final hurdle going down 3-2 to Newcastle Olympic which saw Dudley come out on top with a 2-0 win over Kotara South FC.   Minmi FC finished in last position and was relegated to Zone League Two.  Zone League Two club Newcastle Croatia FC was promoted into Zone League One after a dramatic showdown on the final weekend of the regular season.  It was a battle between first and second place for the premiership and promotion between Croatia and Stockton Sharks that saw Croatia secure top spot with a 4-1 victory at home.  Mayfield United JSFC was relegated to Zone League Three after South Maitland FC snuck off the bottom of the table after winning their rescheduled fixture against Merewether Advance SFC on Wednesday night.   Lambton Jaffas Junior FC secured promotion into Zone League Two on goal difference.  They edged out second-place Kurri Kurri FC by 15 goals with a dominant 10-0 victory over Southern Lakes United in the final round of the competition.  Lake Macquarie City FC finished at the bottom of the table but will remain in the competition as there is no relegation.  while Lake Macquarie City FC was relegated to HIT106.9 Northern League One.  Adamstown Rosebud finished the season in 11th position on the table and is fighting for their survival in the promotion/relegation play-offs to remain in the NPL Men’s NNSW next season.  They will take on 106.9 Nothern League One side West Wallsend SFC in the second leg of a two-leg play-off series with the winner on aggregate advancing to the play-off final HIT106.9 side Belmont Swansea United secured automatic promotion to the NPL Men’s NNSW next season after finishing 12 points clear of Kahibah FC in second place.  Toronto Awaba FC and West Wallsend SFC all finished in the top four to qualify for the promotion/Relegation Play-Offs with Adamstown Rosebuds.   Wallsend FC finished the season at the bottom of the table with eight points But because there are only nine teams in HIT106.9 Northern League One there will be no relegation from the competition in 2024.    Find out more about promotion/relegation HERE.    Maitland FC 3-6 New Lambton FC Round 13 Rescheduled Fixture Maitland FC coach Keelan Hamilton described parts of his side's 6-3 loss to New Lambton as having a bad nightmare.  The Golden Eagles completed their clean sweep of the Magpies this season with a nine-goal thriller at Cooks Square Park on Saturday afternoon.  The match was a roller-coaster ride from start to finish switching momentum frequently between the two sides.  New Lambton opened the scoring in the ninth minute after a horror mistake from Maitland goalkeeper Annabella Thornton A through ball fell to Thornton outside the penalty area for her to chest down and clear but she mistimed her kick and the ball fell to the feet of striker Tara Andrews.  The A-League veteran made no mistake and launched a perfectly placed long ball that flew into the back of the net.  Andrews was able to double her own and her side’s tally after they were awarded a penalty kick for contact on Cass Davis in the penalty area in the 16th minute.  But the Magpies struck back before half-time with a powerful first-time strike from Georgia Amess from the edge of the penalty area after she ran onto a perfect through ball from Sophie Nenadovic.  Tahlia Gossner brought the scoreline back to even in the 53rd minute after she headed the ball past the reach of goalkeeper Ally Boertje off a corner kick.  Maitland edged into the lead for the first time in the match in the 60th minute when Bronte Peel’s cutback across goal was fumbled by Boertje.  The ball fell loose into the penalty area and to the feet of Sophie Jones whose strike deflected off defender Hannah Bourke and flew into the goal.  But the Magpies comeback was silenced five minutes later when Lauren Allan equalised for the Golden Eagles with a long-range strike who had dived to save the shot and went into the back of the net.  New Lambton got themselves back in front in the 78th minute after they capitalised on another mistake from Maitland.  Gossner was unable to clear the ball inside the penalty area as she and Thornton scrambled to retrieve it But Andrews beat them to it and launched the ball high into the sky and onto the head of Nyah Bradley The visitors put their foot down and took the scoreline to 5-3 in the 83rd minute after Ally Pike got onto the end of a free kick from Davis and tapped the ball into the back of the net New Lambton put the game to bed in the final minutes of regulation time with a strong strike from Allan who was unmarked at the edge of the penalty area.  This is Maitland’s second loss in two weeks and third loss to New Lambton this season.  They remain on the top of the table but with Olympic on equal points and a game in hand the Magpies' chance of the premiership has slipped.  Hamilton said that his mistakes let his side down on the day but couldn’t fault their efforts to fight until the end.  “It was like having a bad nightmare at times,” Hamilton said.  we just kept making big mistakes and gift-wrapping goals.   “But I am super proud of our players and their effort and fight.  “We gave away a head start again but to our credit we clawed our way back with some really good play and 3 excellent goals but unfortunately couldn’t stop making big mistakes at the other end.  The Magpies will have their final shot at the premiership next Sunday when they travel to Adamstown Oval to take on Adamstown Rosebud JFC in the last round of the regular season.  The win was crucial for New Lambton to keep their finals hopes alive as they leapfrogged Broadmeadow Magic and into finals territory in fourth position.   Coach Aaron Stedman said that he was thrilled with his side's efforts and their belief to come from behind to secure a vital win for their 2024 campaign.  “I went through every emotion in the game,” Stedman said “The game changed nearly every ten minutes The second half dramatically changed from one side to another get themselves ahead and then go behind but then dig deep and come back is massive.  “They were mentally strong and stayed positive which is a very hard thing to do when you fall behind to the top team “The girls never changed their attitude all the way through the game It is something that they have been doing all season It has been very rare that they have dropped their heads.  It doesn’t matter what the score is or how you are going it is 90 minutes of football where anything can happen at any time.”  Stedman was pleased that his side executed the gameplan and punished Maitland for their mistakes.  “We had talks about being able to keep going forward and hope to force a mistake,” Stedman said “We have usually made mistakes on our end and been punished so to have that role reversed helped us go out there and put pressure on.  Against quality teams you don’t know how many chances you will get so you have to punish if they arise.  The Golden Eagles coach thought each player in his side stepped up to the fight and deserved all the glory for the important victory.  “I thought last night everyone played so well,” Stedman said.  “You have great players like Cass and Lauren but there are so many other girls who play well week in and week out.  Hannah [Bourke] and Kate [Heap] were fantastic They all deserve recognition as they played brilliantly and got us over the line.  “It is great to see from the club and my perspective that we aren’t just relying on our [Newcastle] Jets girls “Everyone in the group is so positive and wants to play good football all the players on the field have just gotten better and better.”  But the final celebrations cannot start yet as the Golden Eagles still need to win their last game of the regular season against Charlestown Azzurri at Lisle Carr Oval and other results go their way to maintain their top-four position.   Newcastle Olympic v Broadmeadow Magic Round 13 Rescheduled Fixture This match was rescheduled due to wet weather conditions.   Charlestown Azzurri FC 12-0 Mid Coast FC  Round 13 Rescheduled Fixture Charlestown Azzurri completed their clean sweep against Mid Coast FC at Lisle Carr Oval on Saturday after a 12-0 victory.  Sienna Fraser-Kelly opened the scoring for Azzurri in the second minute after the ball snuck into the back of the net.  The Blues extended their scoreline again when Melina Ayres netted two goals in the 12th and 14th minutes.  Ella Joyce and Gema Simon put their names on the scoresheet in the 21st and 29th minutes before Fraser-Kelly took the scoreline to 6-0 in the 32nd minute.  Aryes secured a hat-trick in the 35th minute before Joyce got her own with goals in the 37th and 41st minute.  Charlestown went into the sheds at half-time with a 9-0 lead but wasn’t done putting Mid Coast to the sword Joyce netted her fourth goal in the 67th minute after a powerful strike from outside the penalty area flew into the back of the net.  Substitute Annabel Goodman got herself on the scoresheet in the 75th minute with an unmarked tap-in before Cassie Corder rounded out the scoring and netted the 12th and final goal of the afternoon The win has further cemented Azzurri’s position in third on the table as they head into the final round of the regular season They will take on New Lambton FC at home next Sunday before they prepare for finals football.  Mid Coast continues to sit at the bottom of the table with only one win in 20 matches They will hope to finish their season on a positive note when they travel to Magic Park to take on Broadmeadow Magic on Sunday.