Albion Park win Thunderbirds Cup
Brad Walter
Albion Park Under 18 Girls won the second annual Thunderbirds Cup at Gibson Park on Sunday.
The tournament, which was part of Football NSW's Female Football Week celebrations, featured eight teams from Albion Park, Bulli, Coledale, Woonona and Thirroul.
Despite the hot conditions and the fact it was the first hit out of 2016 for most teams, the standard of football was high and kept the crowd entertained throughout the day.
Albion Park Under 18s beat Coledale Under 16s and Thirroul Youth Grade before triumphing 2-0 over Bulli Under 16s in the final.
Last year's winners, Woonona Under 16s, won the Thunderbirds Plate after recovering from a loss to Thirroul Youth Grade in their first match to beat Coledale Under 16s before coming from behind to edge out Thirroul Under 17s 4-2 in the final.
Earlier, Thirroul Under 16s and Youth Grade teams won their first games against Woonona teams to advance to the Cup semi-final but the Under 16s lost 4-2 to Bulli, while Youth Grade were eliminated by Albion Park.
Thirroul JFC would like to thank everyone who made the day a success, including the other teams for the spirit in which they played, those who volunteered in the canteen and on the BBQ, the referees without whom the tournament couldn't have gone ahead and the officials who ensured the fields were ready for games.