Texi Smith

Interesting article on drinking in the stands at football. We have no issues in Australia with it; okay you might get a b**r shower if you're in trhe active area if a crucial goal goes in, but in general it's no problem.

After taking in a Newcastle United Premier League game at St James' Park recently, the restriction of only being able to drink alcohol out of view of the field of play is still the rule; I think it works, to be honest. The need to get to the bar and miss the action is removed completely and the focus is 100% on the play. Of course, this is a stadium that is sold out every week and doesn't really have a single dedicated 'active' section; if you want to load up beforehand, the Stack gives you the right venue to do so.

And after attending my first ever Newcastle United Women WSL2 game at Gateshead International Stadium, I experienced the other side of the coin. Fans happily drinking in their seats and enjoying the freedom to do so. Not a sold out stadium, plenty of room to move around, a different atmosphere altogether to the men's game the day before. No chance of a flying b**r despite the lasses scoring for fun.

So, would a relaxation of the no alcohol rule in top-flight football in the UK work? Nothing like a serial pi**er bothering you four times a game to get past or a spilled b**r pouring down the terraces onto someone's coat under their seat to remind you of the practical negatives.

Drinking at football matches - would fans welcome it? Andy Burnham has long championed a repeal of the ban which prevents football supporters from drinking alcohol in the view of the pitch. But do fans even want it?

Hottest 100 Aussie books. Vote now at https://top100books.abc.net.au/browse/authors/t - note you may need to add the books manually if they're not there.

I'm working on more, give me a reason to write!

If you’re not in Queensland tonight…

📢 FOR THE REAL FOOTBALL FANS ⚽️⚽️

Not everyone’s in the stands tonight…
but that doesn’t mean you can’t make it feel like you are.

This is your call
🍻 Get down to your local
⚽️ Pack the pubs
🥁 Make it LOUD

Because this isn’t just another game — this is the Socceroos.

Yeah, AFL might pull big numbers and NRL might shout the loudest some weeks… but when it comes to the world game, nothing unites like this.
The World Cup alone pulls massive national audiences and global attention every time it rolls around

This is our moment.
Our colours. 🟢🟡
Our team. 🇦🇺

So let’s show them what real support looks like
Fill every pub.
Sing every chant.
Turn every screen into a home end.

🇦🇺GREEN.🟢 GOLD.🟡 UNITE. 🇦🇺

PS: As we’re still so busy and trying to get all your scarves out - we let AI do the work for us.... (info taken from word of mouth and FANZO.

Oh no! Hopefully with both teams' fans wearing yellow, we'll not notice.

📣🥁🟢🟡 Socceroos Active Support Update - QLD Series

Socceroos Active Support will not be attending either of the games against Brazil in Queensland this weekend.

This has come about due to a range of factors and means there will be no organised Socceroos Active Support presence at either game including our trademark drums, flags, coordinated pre-game venue or supporter march.

It’s disappointing, particularly after the amazing scenes we saw in North America, but we hope everyone in the active bay gets behind the boys, brings their own flavour and makes some noise for the Socceroos! 🇦🇺

Wishing our boys all the very best on the pitch. 💚💛

On Sunday, I went and watched Newcastle United hit top spot in the WSL2. A beautiful day out south of the Tyne, chants to match the men's game, fabulous entertainment, and a goal and an assist from our very own Kaitlyn Torpey.

A whole stand chanting Aussie Aussie Aussie, the comical "...when we get promoted, this is what we seeeeng, we are the Geordies, super Geordies, Tanya is our queen!" and "ohhh, Kaitlyn, Kaitlyn Torpey..."

Newcastle United Women vs Matildas, the perfect combination. I also wrote about it here for Impetus Women's Football. Have a look and get yourself down to the next game at Gateshead International Stadium. Great value!

https://impetusfootball.org/2026/09/23/table-topping-toon-terrorise-united/

Texas Live! NUFC style. This is fantastic! Newcastle United

First match report for Impetus Women’s Football. In an increasingly shrinking space, it’s great to give a fresh view and increase exposure of our beautiful game. And I can say ‘I was there’ to see Sarah Hunter score a worldie!

Bulls taken all the way in Championship thriller Bulls FC Academy 1 University of New South Wales FC 1  : 4-2 on penalties By Texi Smith 15/9/26 Above: Bulls FC lift the trophy. Photo: Texi Smith Bulls FC Academy clinched the 2026 NSW NPL Wo…

Whilst, yes, it was good to be back, this was a meek performance from Sydney FC when we needed to assert our authority to conquer our biggest rivals. A night where nothing went right, we would have missed the pen anyway. Read all about it in the comments. A Hahn Australia Cup horror show in Kogarah...

Ah, it's that time of year again. I wrote this three years ago. The structure is slightly different now, but the scenario remains the same. Don't think that the Super Sunday trial day in October is going to bring instant success, it may be time to adjust expectations accordingly and get proactive now. To any Under 17 girls youth player out there, I wish you every success.

Harsh lessons for NPL girls Even before the final whistle sounded on the final day of the 2023 Football NSW Girls Youth League Under 16 season, all the girls could think about was 2024. Moving into the most important years of…

Grand Final weekend, around the grounds, West Epping Friday night for the Women’s Masters Division 1 Grand Final, a 2-0 win for the West Ryde Rovers Football Club. Then Saturday afternoon back at the same venue for a famous 45/4 1-0 win for the good guys. Celebrations at Mary’s then off to Christie Park on Sunday arvo for a conflict of interest, refereeing the Rovers AA4 women to a rip-roaring 0-1 reverse against Northern HFC. Big atmosphere on a beautiful afternoon at the Arctic Circle. Great weekend of football!