New Lambton will join the Northern NSW NPL men's competition next year, taking the number of clubs to 12.
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Northern NSW Football made the announcement on Thursday, saying New Lambton had exceeded the requirements of the club development rating system which measures criteria such as youth development, coaching, governance, organisational structure, facilities and finance.
The promotion of New Lambton follows the addition of Cooks Hill to the top men's tier this year. They sit ninth on 12 points from 13 games.
The decision leaves the second-tier Northern League One with nine clubs.
New Lambton have become of the largest grassroots clubs in the region but are relatively new to the top divisions.
The change came after New Lambton FC merged with New Lambton Eagles in 2016. The club entered teams in the men's second tier in 2017 and Women's Premier League competition, now the NPLW, in 2018.
They are on course to win three consecutive Northern League One premierships this season but their facilities at Alder Park have been seen as a major obstacle to NPL promotion.
However, NNSWF football operations general manager Liam Bentley said in a statement: "They have worked with Newcastle City Council on the Alder Park masterplan which will see a host of upgrades finalised by the 2023 NPL NNSW season, including new undercover seating, match official amenities as well as the spectator amenities available through the Alder Park Sports Club.
"New Lambton are a very well run club off the pitch with sound governance, a strong financial position and have demonstrated clear strategic plans over the last five to 10 years.
"New Lambton FC have continually invested in youth development over the long term, including the appointment of former Socceroo [player] and Newcastle Jets coach Clayton Zane as its technical director."
New Lambton president Clayton Harrison said: "I think this is evidence that long term commitment can turn into long-term gain.
"It reinforces all the effort put in the last few years. And it is going to allow New Lambton kids to stay at New Lambton from under-6s to retirement if they choose.
"I think we will bring something different to the competition. I think we've proven ourselves with our high retention rates and commitment to development.
"It was really important for us to be successful on the pitch this year as well. If we were going to go up we wanted to win the competition and put in a good show across all the age groups. Only then could the players feel deserving of promotion.
"As a club we have a real commitment to community. We're one of the largest and most diverse community clubs around and we're growing up as a club."
New Lambton have enjoyed success in the women's top division, winning the title double in 2019. However, this year in the NPLW they have no points and have conceded 149 goals in 14 games.
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