Today marks International Volunteer Day. This year’s theme, “Every Contribution Matters,” celebrates the power of collective action and recognises that every act of volunteering — big or small — builds a stronger, more connected world.
Today, also marks the official launch of the International Year of Volunteers for Sustainable Development, shining a spotlight on the vital role volunteers play in shaping sustainable communities.
Volunteers are the backbone of local community sport. From coaches, umpires and team managers to canteen crews and committee members — your time, care and commitment create safe, inclusive spaces where players grow in confidence, skills and belonging. Without you, grassroots sport simply wouldn’t exist.
To every volunteer who has shown up this year and continues to show up, thank you.
What a great turnout at our Junior Netball Christmas Dinner! With around 50 players, parents and family members from our 13s, 15s and 17s teams, it was such a lovely way to wrap up the year.
It’s incredible to see how far our program has come — from just one team this time last year to the strong, supportive community we have today. Moments like these really show what St Mary’s Netball is all about.
A huge thank you to Coach Mick Denton for organising a wonderful night.
We’re proud to share that we have once again been recognised by TAC Victoria for our leadership in promoting road safety within our community. This year, we received $2,100 as part of the TAC and AFL Victoria Club Rewards Program.
Grassroots football and netball clubs across the state have shared in $700,000 for their work championing positive driving behaviours. For St Mary’s, this marks the fifth consecutive year of receiving this important support, taking our total to $22,900 raised for our club.
This recognition highlights our ongoing and outstanding commitment to embedding a strong culture of road safety across our club, one that extends well beyond game day and into the everyday lives of our players, volunteers, parents, and supporters. By taking part in this program, clubs like ours directly support the TAC’s mission to eliminate deaths and serious injuries on Victorian roads.
President Mark Stanley shared the importance of the TAC Club Rewards program.
“Sport brings people together, and that gives us a powerful platform. If our club can help spread the road safety message and save even one life, then the work is worth it.”
“Receiving this support for the fifth year from TAC Victoria and AFL Victoria is a real honour, and I’m incredibly proud of our players, volunteers, and supporters who consistently champion road safety.”
We thank TAC Victoria and AFL Victoria for their ongoing support and acknowledge everyone in our community who continues to champion safer roads.
Our 2025 Road Safety Initiatives
This year, the focus was on tackling speeding and helping the community make safer choices behind the wheel. Our 2025 campaign included several initiatives:
“Busted” series on social media: Our completely original campaign this year was fortnightly posts on our social channels ‘busting’ common road safety myths and sharing advice from TAC on steps everyone can take for safer driving.
Participating in Road Safety Round: In the designated round in July, our players wore the TAC blue armbands, a visible reminder of our commitment to safer roads.
TAC Slo-Mo campaign: We featured key moments from football and netball games in slow-motion, reminding everyone that some things, like driving, are better slowed down.
Leadership video: Club leaders shared why they were wearing the blue armband in Road Safety Round, reinforcing the message with personal stories and leadership.
Message from the President: In Road Safety Round, our President directly encouraged everyone in his message to get involved as we all have a role to play in safer roads.
Regular promotion of key messages:Continually used TAC pre-made assets to share messages about speeding, distracted driving, learners and other topics, even using photos of our club to make the messages more impactful.
Thank you to Micaela Hanlon, Communications Manager, for creating and running these initiatives.
Lilyana joined St Mary’s as part of our inaugural 15&U netball team. Even coming into the team a few weeks late, she finished an impressive 3rd place in the Best & Fairest – an early sign of the player she would become.
With support from her family, coach and alongside teammate Jo Denton, Lilyana secured a spot in the NFNL representative team, proudly representing our league and our club. It was through this representative pathway that she was talent identified and invited to trial for the Netball Victoria Talent Academy in the Central West region.
Following a highly competitive selection process, Lilyana has now been named as one of just 39 players accepted into the Central West Talent Academy.
Micaela Hanlon, Netball Manager, shared: “Our junior program was created to give more girls the opportunity to succeed in sport and to provide a clear pathway into higher netball. Watching Lilyana progress from our inaugural 15&U team to the Netball Victoria Talent Academy highlights the importance of investing in grassroots development and creating environments where young women can build confidence, refine their skills and believe in their potential.”
We’re incredibly proud to support Lilyana’s journey to elite netball. Lilyana and her family will remain valued members of our club community, with her sister Sierra still competing in our 13&U netball team.
A huge thank you to Junior Head Coach Mick Denton as well for leading the junior program and being such a vital part of each player’s development and success.
We are pleased to share that we have secured $4,500 from First Peoples’ Assembly of Victoria for the creation of a First Nations guernsey for our women’s team.
Designed by Toneya Kennedy, a proud Barkindji woman, the guernseys will serve as a powerful visual representation celebrating First Nations culture, recognising the contributions of First Nations players, and strengthening cross-cultural connection and reconciliation within our club and broader community.
The jumper will also proudly display the Treaty for Victoria logo, reflecting our support of Australia’s first Treaty between First Peoples in Victoria and the Victorian Government.
A big thank you to Teegan Brown and Micaela Hanlon for their work in securing this important grant, and to Teegan, Jaydah and Shanyah for joining us at training last night to share this special news with our players.
Women’s Team Manager and Club Secretary Jessie Bickerton shared the significance of this grant.
“These guernseys represent so much more than a uniform. They reflect our commitment to inclusion, respect and genuine recognition of First Nations culture within our club. We’re incredibly proud to see this initiative come to life and to celebrate the strength and impact of our First Nations players in such a meaningful way.”
Today marks International Men’s Day. This year’s theme is ‘Supporting Men and Boys,’ a reminder to consider how you can support the men and boys in your life. It could be something as simple as checking in on a mate, reaching out to a family member, or lending a hand to a young person who needs guidance.
We encourage our members to use this opportunity to reach out to mate, start a conversation, and show support to someone you care about in whatever way feels meaningful.
Following the AGM on Friday 14 November, please welcome our 2026 committee:
Mark Stanley President
Trevor Little Vice President
Nicholas Dean Treasurer
Jessie Bickerton Secretary
Lauren Ind Social Events Coordinator
Bernie Girolami Football Operations Manager
Ian Halewood Sponsorship
Joanne Kitchell Administration Manager
Brad Chesser General Committee Member
Luke Pearson Sponsorship&Event support
Mark Read General Committee Member
Patrick Waldron Merchandise
Geoff Kitchell General Committee Member
Thank you to all who are continuing their service, and a warm welcome to the new faces joining us for the year ahead. It’s fantastic to have even more people supporting and strengthening our club community.
We also want to send a huge thank you to those who have stepped down from their roles: Rob Cotter, Greg Hanlon, Evan Butterworth, Glen and Deb Costello.
Club President Mark Stanley shared: “We are incredibly grateful for the dedication and passion each of them has brought to our club. Their hard work has helped shape St Mary’s into the strong, connected community it is today.”
We’re thrilled to announce the return of Matt Centofanti as Reserves Head Coach and Jake Rizzi as Reserves Assistant Coach for the 2026 season.
After a strong year of growth and momentum, we’re excited to see what this coaching duo can bring as we continue building towards an even bigger and better 2026. Bring it on!
A new milestone for the club tonight as we officially launched our first ever 17 & Under netball team!
The 17&U division is a more recent addition to the NFNL netball program, designed to bridge the gap between junior and senior competitions. It’s fantastic to see many of our talented former 15&U players progress into this next stage of their netball journey.
Seeing our first juniors now take the first step into senior netball is a proud moment that highlight why we launched our junior program; to create a clear pathway into senior netball and ensure women and girls can stay active, develop their skills, and keep playing the game they love with their friends as they grow. It’s amazing seeing this vision coming to life.
A huge thank you to Coach Mick Denton for leading this new chapter with passion and dedication. We can’t wait to see how this group grows throughout the season!
Please join us in welcoming Dean Arnel as our 2026 Under 19.5s Coach!
Dean is no stranger to the St Mary’s family. His kids have played through the junior club, and he’s been deeply involved over the years, even serving as President of the junior club.
We’re thrilled to have Dean stepping into this role and continuing his commitment to developing young talent at St Mary’s.
SMFNC 