2009 SEASON REVIEW>> View Table>> View scores>> View pictures

2009 is likely to be remembered as a landmark in the history of the ELSA football competition.

This year has seen a series of innovations that have contributed to a huge step in the right direction.  Such a step would not have been possible without the help of the coaches and co-ordinators who spent a great deal of their time making sure the players were down at the park and firing every Friday. Our thanks also go to the players, the referees, our sponsors and most importantly the participating colleges for their ongoing support.

The introduction of sponsorship packages has sparked a growing interest among companies that understand our vision and our long term commitment to expanding and enhancing the competition. Thanks to their help, we will be able to finance our marketing strategy and implement new structures within the league, which will in turn add to its continuous improvement.

2009 is also the year where the face of ELSA has been unveiled to the world following the successful re-design of its website. This state of the art web portal has had an average of 9,172 hits per month from the moment it went live all the way through to the end of the season. The average number of unique visitors for that same period was 343 per month. At the moment the website averages 177 visits per month.

We have been flooded with emails from football enthusiasts from around the world wanting to be part of ELSA. We were able to direct them onto the 8 participating colleges via our partners Information Planet.

Another major development of this year’s season was our involvement with the internationally renowned Australian icon the Bondi Icebergs for the organization of our end of year presentation and party. Filled to capacity, the Bondi Icebergs was the perfect venue for the event. Overlooking Bondi Beach on a moonlit night is wonderful enough by itself, but with all the students, co-ordinators and guests there having an unforgettable time together, the night was in the words of some 'The best ever'.

Mention should also be made of this season’s honorees, who provided us with some of the best football this competition has ever seen.

The Most Improved Team award went to Australian Pacific College which finished 3rd in the league; a great improvement after finishing last in 2008. Kaplan Aspect was the Knockout Cup winner, whereas an unlucky GEOS finished 2nd in both the Cup and the league. Last but not least, Group Colleges Australia (GCA), were crowned the 2009 ELSA Champions after winning the league for a record-breaking 3rd time in a row.

As we gather momentum through these major changes, one can only predict the exciting prospects for 2010, bearing in mind that next year is World Cup year.