It was June 11, 2020 when the Lismore App announced the closure of the Southern Cross University Football Centre and with it the Liverpool FC International Football Academy (Football era ends as Lismore's Liverpool Academy closes).

Soon after this was announced eleven-year-old Academy player, Oliver Hoath-Bastion, launched a petition to save the Academy which quickly garnered almost 3000 signatures. Lismore Mayor Isaac Smith, State Member Janelle Saffin, and Federal Member, Kevin Hogan, all got behind the campaign to keep the Academy program alive.

Encouraged by this groundswell of support, the Academy coaching team and staff came together determined to find a way to continue to provide our promising young footballers with a quality, high- performance program.

Chairman of NRFA Thomas George wanted to publicly thank the Italo Australia Club and Italo Stars FC for stepping up and generously offering their grounds as a training facility and the Murwillumbah FC, a regular competitor in the Gold Coast Premier League, for taking the displaced Academy teams under its wing allowing them play out their 2020 season in the Gold Coast competition.

"They were incredibly understanding and supportive," said Thomas.

With the survival of the Academy a real possibility, parents and community members created a Steering Committee and the Northern Rivers Football Academy Inc was born.

Rising from the COVID ashes, the NRFA has retained the services of Liverpool-based Technical Director, James Gow, more than 20 of its coaching staff and over 120 Academy players.

With closure of the Queensland border cutting short the 2020 season, the Academy has returned to the Southern Cross Football Centre for an ‘in-house’ 5-a-side competition with teams from all grades battling for honours each Saturday.

Thomas George told the Lismore App that Southern Cross University have opened up their existing facilities to once again be the base for the NRFA.

"We are in the process of getting a new playing kit organised," Thomas said, "then we will have an official launch for the 2020/21 season in November."

The make-up of the new season is totally dependent on the COVID border restrictions put into place by Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk. If the borders remain closed then the NRFA would need to look to Clarence or Coffs for games because even if they travelled to Murwullumbah, it may put them at risk to keep playing in the elite Gold Coast competition, who are in the 'border bubble'.

"It all depends on the border situation," Thomas said.

The new Academy continues to provide a full range of high-performance programs for boys and girls in the 12 to 16 age groups, development programs for 8 to 11-year-olds, holiday skills development clinics and programs for schools.

Keep an eye out in coming weeks for trial and registration dates.