Mark Newbery - Mt Barker

Welcome to kicking it local, the podcast all about the football community in South Australia. I'm your host, Johnny Keco and Macron Sports Hub, Adelaide are ready to provide your club, academy or organization with all its team where needs for inquiries or online shopping head to macronstore.com.au and today I'm joined by Mambaki United's CSL head coach for the A's and also player for the B's Mark Newbury. Thank you for joining me Mark. Pleasure to be here Johnny, thank you for having me. It's good to have you online today to chat to me about your story. There's a lot to get through, I've just been doing some research and well looking back on what you've done but let's talk, I want to talk about your current status at Mambaki United shortly but there's early days back in 1992 I believe is when you started your juniors back at Adelaide City, that's a pretty big time, I don't want to put it a little bit of a mark on how much of an age gap there is between us but that's two years prior to when I was born but that's a big year for Adelaide City as well because that period is when they won a few championships in the NSL, what was it like to be a part of a club at a junior level in that era? Yeah, it was amazing, we'd obviously heard that that was one of the premier clubs in the country and so my parents made the decision, we lived in the hills so they made the decision to take me down there and have the trials and got into the club and it was obvious that it was a well run and very respected club and the top notch coaches were there and we occasionally got the catching glimpse of some of the players that you might see on TV and that were training around the place as well so it was quite an honour to be there for a kid of only nine or ten years old. Being your first club that you were being a part of, what was the light to you fitting into there, was it a smooth transition for yourself? Yeah it was, there were so many kids trialling and trying to get into that club and you'd make friends really quickly, I mean we all just loved their football so much so you'd bond pretty quickly with all the other kids and there was always such a buzz getting around at those junior club rooms so it was a real good environment to be a part of. Did you go and support them in the NSL as well, was it a cool feeling to see the club that you're a part of being in the national stage as well? Yeah, absolutely, my old man used to take me to the games, yeah pretty regularly, I remember the famous Damian Morrigold, we were going to the game and we were walking into behind the stands and we heard the whistle go and we thought that's okay, we're not too late, we haven't missed much and obviously three point seven seconds later the crowd erupted with that goal so, but yeah it was a really good going to see the national team play the national side. Now during your time there you obviously would have had ambitions to try and get into the seniors at some point, how did that all pan out for yourself? So I made it all the way to the reserves scored in the year 2000 and I mean we were training with the first team a lot but I never quite broke into that first team but making it to that level I looked back as a good achievement, there was some players in there, I used to rub shoulders with Adriano Pellegrino who obviously won a very good career, he was in that reserve squad with me so yeah once upon a time I was rubbing shoulders with players of that calibre but yeah that was a good achievement. That would be very cool to be around those names as well but your next step after that was Campbelltown City, how did that transition go for you from being an allied city to Campbelltown City as well? There was a couple of years gap there, so in 2004 when I went to Campbelltown and again you were made to feel really welcome at the club as soon as you made the cut as well and being selected as part of the squad, the club that's again a very professional and well run club so yeah you were made to feel really welcome and some good quality players and coaches around you and all the support that club has is phenomenal as well. And how did you find trying to get into the top because I know you were only playing in the reserves during your time there but what was it like trying to break into that first team at that period for yourself? Look it was tough for me, the competition for spots was obviously really high, you've just got to keep going, keep showing up, keep putting in 100% and make sure that the head coach in particular are noticing you and so I was selected as a substitute a few times and was waiting for my chance to get on the pitch but yeah never quite made that one. But yeah it was definitely some higher quality players in there and occasionally some of the A league players would come down and you'd sort of think oh I've got to compete with this now, the likes of Andrew Costanzo and I think Aaron Goulding was part of that as well so yeah it was hard to break into the first team. Well your send off which was before you moved from Federation to the amateur league was back in 2006 and that year you managed to win at Cooper's Stadium for the reserves, how was that to finish off on that occasion? Yeah for me that's a really special memory, the reserve squad I know we had, there was a fantastic amount of potential within that squad and our league result didn't reflect how good a quality side we had, we just went on one of those cup runs where from memory I think we knocked off Blue Eagles and Metro Stars, made it to the final against Sassi who had been the outstanding team all year and managed to snag a one new win in a final, a sort of a tense final and yeah with a few hundred people watching so it was a bit of a taste of what it would feel like to have made it to that top level I suppose. Then well that's a cool way to finish off the year or obviously winning the cup in that final year there before moving to Amateurs but the amateur move, was that just saying because you thought that it was never going to work out in seniors, your aspirations in the Federation or was it just a bit easier for you to make a move into the Amateurs and a bit more relaxed of the environment for yourself? Yeah it was a bit of that, I mean also I'd signed a three year contract with Campbell Town for that period so it was 0405 06 and they weren't going to renew that so yeah I didn't want to keep trying at the Federation level and took the foot off the pedal a little bit and dropped down into the Amateur League Saturday at his Amateurs so yeah. Did you still have the same enjoyment playing in the Amateurs as it was in Federation for the under-23s? To be honest I don't think so, it's a completely different environment so the Federation level clubs obviously it's still very enjoyable but it's a step down in professionalism and the players and people that are around you, it's a bit of a different kettle of fish but still enjoyable. Well now you're playing Collegiate so you've played pretty much everywhere in Federation Amateurs now in the Collegiates but you had a break in between but what led you to going back to the Allent Hills where you're from and playing at Mount Barker now in the CSL where you've been since 2016? Yeah so I moved up to Littleham in 2015 and got the bug again to keep playing, keep fit and see how far I could go and Mount Barker were the club to go for. I joined them in 2016, I think they were Div 3 then and we got promotion to Div 2 in Collegiates in the first year I was there and then to Div 1 the year after and that was a tough year and went back down to Div 2 and we are back down in Div 3 now but I've been heavily involved there ever since and I mean I play, I coach, I volunteer, I work behind the scenes in administration and yeah dude my heart and soul is with that club now, I've made some lifelong friends there and wouldn't dream of going to another club now I don't know. Well how did you feel playing at the club because you would have been in your early to mid 30s when you started playing at Mount Barker United, how's the transition being for your body and yourself to be playing there in that league as well? The transition has been good, I made a conscious decision to really try and push myself like I say I was in my mid 30s when I joined there but I got the diet right, got the training right, managed the body as well as you can and I'm still here going now, I'm 41 and still going, the next goal is to be playing at 50 years of age but that's a long term goal and we'll see how we go with that one. Oh you can still get there but let's talk about the most recent change as well because last year you were playing in the A's and then coaching the B's, this year you've done a bit of a flip and now you're playing in the B's coaching the A's, how are you finding that to try and do that, you had a little bit of a slip in your playing level but you've had a bit of a boost in your coaching level as well? Yeah, yeah that's true, so for me I mean obviously the age is a factor in the playing, the body starts to slow down a little but taking on board coaching the A's this year has been really rewarding like I've been with the club for seven years now and this year was the first year where it sort of felt like a little bit of a rebuild in the A's, we had a whole bunch of new and younger players coming through, some that had played previously with the club but at the state league level and so it felt like a bit of a rebuild and we had a really successful season, we finished fifth but only one win out of third and so for a new squad to come together and perform so well I thought it was a good achievement and the culture within that team now is exceptional, all the players really enjoy it there and I think it's a place now they look forward to coming and giving 100% of football but yeah really good year for my first year coaching A's. So what's it like being a part of the CSL setup and being in both roles, is it a challenge trying to do juggle the playing and the coaching at the same time or obviously yeah. It does have its challenges, yeah sometimes it's a bit rushed on a match day but at the trainings I coach both B's and A's and in the B's level I can sub off early and sort of go across to start getting the A's ready so it works for me and all the players are very supportive of it, they're happy to see me play in the B's as well and then they know that I'll be a long short leader to get them ready for the A's match so. Yeah well here with coaching for yourself that the Valeo cameras do a little bit of helping help you out a little bit with your coaching? Yeah absolutely I love going back and watching the Valeo's and yeah I wouldn't say mastered the technology yet but I've know how to put a clip together and I'll post that on a thread for the lads and explain to them what I'm after and what runs I want to see and what's gone wrong, what's going right and the feedback from those video videos has been really good from the playing group, they're really supportive of that because sometimes with only one training session a week you can make it really clear through a video video in an actual match situation so yeah it's been really good having that. And with having a CSL team up there in Mount Barker, what's some of the challenges you guys try and face as a club because we know that there's challenges of getting players up the hill for the Federation clubs including the Hillshawks in Mount Barker United but as in a collegiate sense what's the challenges like in that area trying to recruit players up there? Yeah I imagine it's a challenge to get people up the hill like you say but numbers wise the club doesn't struggle at the CSL level, we do have I think just over a hundred registered players so this year we fielded five teams in the collegiate league which is I think the max you can have or close to the maximum you can have so the numbers are there. For me personally it's a matter of trying to recruit some of the quality players that hopefully will fill up the A's and then it will filter down into B's and the lower grades of the CSL so yeah I think it is difficult for clubs up the hill to recruit those quality players that are based in the city. Well talking about you have five teams in the CSL one thing I can't go without talking about is that across that you have a best and fairest only one winner this year was you. How was it to win that in 2023 and have that award? Yeah phenomenal it was a bit of a surprise, like I say there's a hundred registered players there and so to get that accolade yeah it was fantastic for me, it's only been running for three years now that award that we do over the whole club and so I get to pop my name down there on the perpetual trophy so yeah it's something I can look back on in the future and be really proud of. Well you're lucky you don't have coach yourself in the team because then you might give yourself the coach's player of the year maybe. Yeah some of the boys were telling me that I think it was rigged. Do they? Yeah. Well you can't rig that but I would probably try and do that because anyway I can probably win an award for playing football because I'm not that great at it but talking about having the players as well the trials, you guys doing trials this season as well for Mount Barking Island Collegiate, how's that working for you guys this year? So yeah this is the first year that we're actually going to run trials for the A's and B's, usually it would just be what we call a come and try day and try and get some players out that way but I think from what I'm hearing a few players are coming across that are really going to challenge for spots in the A's and B's this year and hopefully really strengthen us up and give us that extra depth that I don't think the club's had for a few years now so I think competition for spots in any club or team is really important especially at the A's level and so hopefully the idea is that these players will realise that they can't take the spots for granted, they have to be showing up and putting in 100% and really earning their spot. And so hopefully the collegiate mob will strengthen through being framed as trials. Hopefully so and your two dates are coming up as well October 22nd and November 12th so hopefully you can get some big crowds down there and many players come and try out for the club. Yeah we hope so, from what I'm hearing tomorrow next year sorry we'll be a positive season. Look forward to seeing what you guys can do on the field but off the field as well being a volunteer and as well as being a player and a coach what's that like to have that load and trying to do those extra things for a club and get the club going because we know how important volunteers are, how do you find being a part of the club and doing those type of things as well for the club? Well basically I do it because I love it, football's given me so much throughout my lifetime and you just rise to the occasion, you see how much it means to some of the players and other people at the club and like I said I've made lifelong friends there now and these people are the sort of ones that you'd bend over backwards for and yeah that's the most rewarding thing, seeing that it's a club and it's a place that people can come and wash away all their other worries in life and enjoy being part of a football club. And we can't go past, can't keep talking about your career and being at the club without talking about your partner who's also at the club, Claire, she's obviously a big volunteer at the club, she's done a lot of work, she's also the winner of a competition we had on our on Kicking at Locals page with Macron so she does a lot of hard work around the club, what's it like being there with her and sharing the time with her? It's awesome, she's really affectionately known as the club mum at Mount Barker, she'll get questions and ask for advice from anything from football to personal life to career to anything but for me personally having her support right behind me, it's the foundation that I can build myself on and be the best sort of coach, player, volunteer that I can be, having her love and support next to me is really fantastic. We know a lot of partners, they try and get out to one game every week to support but she's got two games a week to try and support you, does she manage to get out to both? She does, she's there most of the day, I remember a few years back we had to head down to an away game and it was horrible whether it was 20mls of rain and 10 degrees and I said no stay home, put the fire on her and she just wouldn't have a bar but she still wanted to get out there and support me and yeah, she's very supportive. That's good to hear that someone would love that to help you out but it sounds like it's a great club to be a part of, I've spoken to a couple people, volunteers from up there and it seems like everyone really enjoys it because I think because you're a further away from a lot of the other clubs, not as many clubs in your area, it has a different feel to it, do you see that for the club? Yeah, I think that's fair to say, obviously we stick together most clubs so yeah, geographically being so far away, it's not like if you're upset at this club you can pop down the road to the next one or anything like that and I think there is a good sense of camaraderie with the Hills clubs and in particular ours here. It's good to see and we'll better wrap it up now because I know you've got a busy busy schedule especially it's off season but there's never an off season in football is there? No, not for me, I'm consistently always watching, analysing football and can't switch my head off of it. Ah no, there's nothing wrong with that but mate, we've got to wrap it all up but we've got to wrap it all up the way I do it with every single guest and that is with the kicking at questions which I ask every single guest and hopefully you haven't even heard this before because it always makes it better and I get better answers when no one has a clue. Okay, alright. Well let's do it. Well which footballer would you love to have a kick with on the park if you had a choice, anyone in the world? Oh for me, that's an easy one, that's Thierry Onray for me being an Arsenal fan. Yeah, he was my favourite player back in the day and I'm still reflected on the Invincible's era and what he was able to achieve with Arsenal so yeah, favourite player by far was Thierry Onray. Yeah, I think he's a good player but the other thing I've got to mention as well is that for any of my regular listeners who will know when you just said you're an Arsenal fan that I reckon, I actually have to go back and do the stats because I reckon it's over 50% of my guests have been Arsenal fans and you're added to the list now Mark. Yeah, well yeah, hopefully there's more of us around, hopefully we can all be celebrating very soon with, you know, a league win or a Champions League or FA Cup, something like that. Yeah, well don't celebrate too soon, just in case, it's still early days and I think for us other football fans that love, they don't really have an attachment to any EPA sides like myself would be barricading for Tottenham just for Ange's sake I think. I know, this is why I brought this up at the end of the conversation so you don't need to switch off. No, no, all the best to Ange but I don't know what the club is at for obvious reasons. Yeah, absolutely, I think everyone that's, I don't really have an attachment to Tottenham but if I had to support anyone now, I would have to be Ange, not Tottenham but Ange. It would be good to see him, it would be good to see him do well but it would be great to see Tottenham and Arsenal right at the end, flying for that top spot, that would be pretty cool. Top two at the minute so maybe it will stay that way. Let's hope so, well let's move on to the last one as well, name two people, someone internationally and someone locally who you'd love to have a kick with, love to kick it with on a Saturday night and watch some football so kick it back, have a couple of beers and watch some football, two people. Oh, someone internationally. Yeah, internationally and someone locally so two people. Oh, you could invite Terry, I reckon he'll be good fun. Well, yeah, look, I might be able to have some beers with him and maybe a few beers and then kick the football and we'll see how we go after that. Yeah. Someone locally, I'll bring up one of my old coaches actually, Steve Maxwell was someone that I really looked up to, he coached me as a youngster and I'd like to go and have a beer with him if he's in there listening. Hopefully, what was it like being coached by Steve Maxwell? He in my opinion was one of the better coaches that I had, he trained me, it was under 19s level at Adelaide City so it was sort of that jump from the youth system into the seniors and I think looking back, that was the year that I just learned the most I ever had about how much it takes to become a professional footballer. Yeah, so yeah, I've always said that he was probably my favourite coach and one of the better coaches that I had in my career. Beautiful. Well, that's good to see, well, hopefully you can, you'll have the beer with him and Terry on Rhee's what you've chosen so there you go, a beer, absolutely well thank you for joining me Mark, it's been a pleasure chatting to you, learning your story as well at the CSL level and hopefully next year you can win some trophies with both of the teams maybe with both the B's as a player and the A's as a coach. Yeah, let's hope so, thanks for having me Johnny. That was the Mount Bark United CSL Head Coach and Player Mark Muvery. Make sure you subscribe to Kicking at Local wherever you get your podcast so you can get a taste of the SA football community. Plus, follow @KickingAtLocalSA on Instagram and Twitter so you don't miss any of the action. See you soon! (gentle music)