Newcastle Jets executive chairman Shane Mattiske believes the F3 Debry is one of the greatest rivalries in Australian sport.

And, that competitiveness will go to the next level after the Hunter club and its greatest foe, Central Coast Mariners, unveiled a new piece of silverware ahead of the inaugural A-League Women’s (ALW) clash between the two organisations this weekend.

With round one kicking off at Industree Group Stadium on Saturday 14 October, the combatants agreed to create a trophy to symbolise their sporting discord.

Now, the winner of the best-of-two series in 2023/24 will not only earn bragging rights… but a magnificent reminder of their success.

A piece of guard rail from the M1 Motorway, formerly known as the F3 – which links Newcastle to the Central Coast – has been used as a focal point for the unique trophy.

“With the Mariners returning to the Liberty A-League Women’s competition, the time is perfect to design something specifically for the ALW F3 Derby,” Mattiske said.

“But, I know the whole club is looking forward to bringing it back to Newcastle at the end of the series.”

For this season only, if both teams win one match, it will then be awarded to the side with the best goal difference.

If each outfit scores an equal number of goals, it will go to an away goals rule.

In the rare scenario that there is an equal aggregate of away goals and results at the end of the first two games, the clubs will stage a penalty shootout, which does not affect the A-League ladder.

Central Coast CEO Shaun Mielekamp was equally adamant about his team’s desire to prevail.

“There’s no doubt the F3 Derby holds a special place in A-League folklore and now we get to bring that passion around the rivalry to life in the women’s game,” he said.

“To symbolise it with such a unique trophy where the two sides will literally be playing for an old guard rail from the freeway just adds to the story of one of the most captivating battles in Australian sport.

“I’ll be honest, we were torn as to what the A-League Women’s F3 derby should look like and I want to thank Shane [Mattiske] and his team at the Jets for once again being passionate about working together to create something that, overtime, will be very special for everyone at both organisations to compete for and celebrate.” 

For more sports stories:

• ALW: Jets captain Davis itching to get on the park
• Newcastle Weekly kicking goals with Jets’ partnership
• Homegrown stars keen to refuel Newcastle Jets’ title aspirations

Get all the latest Newcastle news, sport, real estate, entertainment, lifestyle and more delivered straight to your inbox with the Newcastle Weekly Daily Newsletter. Sign up here.