Newtown Jets: Beer, Footy and Food festival returns after two-year dry spell

By DANIEL LO SURDO

The Beer, Footy and Food Festival returned to Henson Park in Marrickville on Saturday after a two-year dry spell, with the hometown Newtown Jets prevailing over the Blacktown Workers Sea Eagles.

The festival returned to Henson Park after a two-year absence, with thousands revelling in the rugby league while also enjoying locally brewed beer and street food in the precinct.

There were 33 different brewed beers at Henson Park on Saturday, including Hawke’s Brewing, Redfern favourite Atomic Brewing, and Bondi Beer. Street food featured Newtown’s Gnocci Gnocci Brothers, vegetarian/vegan food truck Vejoes and German food truck Volkswurst.

Organisers said that the premise of the event was “as simple as its namesake, marrying the east coast’s best breweries, Sydney’s hottest purveyors of street food, and the showdown between two fierce rugby league clubs”.

Man of the match material. #WeAre8972 pic.twitter.com/zWr9pawjez

— Newtown Jets (@newtownrlfc) April 23, 2022

Newtown Jets prevail in a hard-fought affair

The Jets kicked off at 3pm, with the home side emerging 34-16 victors after a strong second half pushed the Sea Eagles out of contention.

The festival has been a “much-loved” tradition in the Inner West, with crowds having surpassed 10,000 at Henson Park in previous years.

The festival comes after Member for Grayndler and Leader of the Labor Party Anthony Albanese pledged $2.5 million in funding for Henson Park if Labor wins the federal election next month.

Proposed funding for Henson Park is said to install a female-friendly changing room to service women’s sports, including AFLW games, and improved grandstands, scoreboard and public address systems.

The pledge was largely welcomed by the community. Inner West independent councillor John Stamolis called the investment “majorly important”, with Greens State Member for Newtown Jenny Leong also expressing her appreciation for investing in women’s sport, but added that “funding needs to be across the board for community clubs, not just the big end of town”.