As Season 2023 comes to an end, your Committee is working hard and planning for Season 2024!The club made some good progress last season in the areas of overall on-field performance. Both our senior women’s and men’s teams had their best seasons and are focussed on promotion for next year, whilst our Under 12 boys, Under 15C girls and U18B boys all made finals this year. Our Miniroos had another growth year and the Boys NPL progressed again with solid results across the board. We look forward to more success on the pitch next season. Overall, the club fielded over 70 teams and had 997 playing members.
Off the field, it was a rough start with Council letting us down with promised ground improvement works at Dorothy Laver and High Street. We know this caused major inconvenience for a lot of our members and it cost the club a small fortune in relocation costs. I want to acknowledge the great initiative shown by some teams in making alternate arrangements and supporting the club financially through this time.The good news is that our community rallied and put a lot of pressure on Council to improve the grounds. To their credit, Council responded and we now have Dorothy Laver and High St being upgraded this summer (total cost $2M). We are competing against another 54 reserves and most need investment, so we are fortunate to get ahead of the queue. Council is now focussed on sports ground improvements as a priority so we are hopeful that Warner Reserve will get the attention it deserves very soon also. As a club and community Warner Reserve needs a new club room and a synthetic pitch given its high use. All that said, special mention to Cr Victor Franco (Gardiner Ward) and Cr Garry Thompson (Solway Ward) for their support on the grounds issue. Their personal involvement and support was critical and appreciated.Our current focus is completing our end of season reviews, signing new sponsors, getting kit ready for next season, running our popular Go7s competition (still time to get your team registered), and preparing for the AGM in November. We have also decided to move the Charity Match to a “Season Launch” day in February at a venue to be confirmed. None of this can happen without the support of our sponsors and volunteers. A specific thank you to all the coaches and team managers “on the grass” providing a great experience for all our members. As always, there is always room for more people to help, so please don’t hesitate to contact the club – we need many different skills to make this happen for our community.At the end of this year we will be saying goodbye to some of our committee members and welcoming a new crop of committed, passionate and talented volunteers to help run this club next year, which will be our 45th year of providing football for “all players of all abilities”. We will make our official thank yous and introductions at the club’s AGM in November.Finally, next season will also be my last as President. I joined the Committee in May 2019 and next year will be my 6th season involved in the Executive. My goal is to pass the baton over with the club in the best condition possible! I encourage as many people to attend the AGM as possible. This year hasn’t been easy for the club and our members, but we are looking ahead with confidence. AGM notices will be sent out shortly.RegardsRay
