Over the weekend, our senior men’s and women’s players stepped up to help out at St Mary’s Junior Football Club Open Day. A massive shoutout to Huon McGibbon, Meg Girolami, Hayden Bickerton, Georgia Kitchell, Tane Cotter, Lily Cotter, and Patrick Carbis.
The Senior Club couldn’t be prouder of our players who took time out of their weekend to be a part of this event, inspiring the next generation of footy players.
As we bid farewell to another incredible year, let’s take a moment to reflect on the extraordinary achievements that have defined St Mary’s journey throughout 2023. From an impressive surge in participation to life-saving donations, our club has truly excelled in making a positive impact on and off the field.
Women win their first ever Premiership: This monumental achievement is not only a testament to their skill and dedication but also sets the stage for an exciting journey into Division 1 in 2024. The women have showcased resilience, teamwork, and determination, embodying the true spirit of our club.
Netball participation increased by 288%: 31 new netball players joined our ranks, marking an incredible 288% increase from the beginning of the year. This means that for the first time ever, we fielded more than one summer netball team, boasting a total of 4 teams and building a thriving netball community within our club. What’s even more exciting is many new players are from the Senior Women’s Football Team, bridging of the gap between women’s football and netball players.
Senior Men make their first Division 2 final: Meanwhile, our Senior Men’s Football Team achieved a groundbreaking feat by reaching their first-ever Division 2 final. This is a reflection of the team’s growth, talent and commitment. This accomplishment sets a new standard for success within our men’s football program.
Huge community impact: Our dedication to road safety initiatives earned us over $4000 in funding, we proudly contributed to saving 87 lives through blood and plasma donations part of our Lifeblood Team and our collective efforts across Movember and The Push Up Challenge raised over $3000 for mental health charities, reinforcing our Club’s commitment to making a difference.
As we bid farewell to 2023, we extend a thank you to every member of St Mary’s who contributed to these remarkable achievements. Here’s to another year of growth and success in 2024!
Today is International Volunteer Day, a chance to celebrate the volunteers in our community and the contributions they make to our Club.
The theme this year is #IfEveryoneDid. If everyone volunteered, the world would be a better place; our St Mary’s community would be a better place.
#IfEveryoneDid… imagine the possibilities! From improved facilities and better experiences. But here’s the thing: we need more hands on deck to make these dreams a reality.
Our small number of dedicated volunteers put their hearts into this community, juggling responsibilities to ensure your experiences at our Club are great. For example, they give up watching their kids play footy to run the canteen while you enjoy the game since it’s a huge income source for our Club.
Let’s lend a hand next year. Whether it’s an hour or a day, your contribution can make a monumental difference.
Let’s make #IfEveryoneDid more than just a hashtag and support the amazing people that keep our Club running in 2024.
Following our AGM yesterday, please welcome our Committee for 2024:
– President: Mark Stanley
– Vice President: Rob Cotter
– Secretary: Lauren Ind
– Treasurer: Evan Butterworth
– Director of Football: Greg Hanlon
– Football Manager: Jessie Bickerton
– Football Manager: Glenn Costello
– General Committee Member: Deb Costello
– General Committee Member: Pat Waldron
– General Committee Member: Mark Read
We’d also like to take this opportunity to thank Fiona Hocking who is stepping off the Committee next year after 6 years helping shape our Club in the roles of Vice President, Secretary and General Committee Member.
However, she will still be around running our Burra 45 membership program in 2024.
Club President Mark Stanley, personally expressed his thanks for everything Fiona has contributed.
“We’ve been so lucky to have Fiona dedicate her time and exceptional talent to organising events, managing the canteen, designing merchandise, running membership programs and much more.”
“While she will be missed on the Committee, we’re grateful for the positive impact she has had on our Club and look forward to seeing her around cheering on our netball and football teams.”
We look forward to seeing many of you at our AGM and can’t wait for your input on what St Mary’s will look like in 2024 and beyond.
AGM details
Date: Wednesday 29 November 2023
Location: Whatmough Park Club Rooms, 2 Kalparrin Avenue, Greensborough, 3088
Time: 7pm
The official AGM notice was sent to Members via email. If you did not receive a copy and believe you should have, contact us via email.
The ordinary business of the Annual General Meeting shall be to:
Officers of the Association to be elected
Ordinary Members of the Committee to be elected
Members who wish to nominate for any of these positions, should make a written nomination of a Candidate for either an Officer of the Association position, or an Ordinary Member position, must email a written Nomination Form to the Secretary of the Association at stmarysfc2009@gmail.com by no later than 27th November 2023.
Verbal Nominations will also be accepted at the Annual General Meeting.
Proxies
A Member entitled to attend and vote at the Annual General Meeting may appoint a person to attend and vote at the meeting as he Member’s proxy. A proxy must be a member of St Mary’s Senior Football Club Inc. A proxy may be appointed by emailing the completed Proxy Form to the Secretary of the Association at stmarysfc2009@gmail.com at least 24 hours before the commencement of the meeting.
We’re pleased to share that we’ve been named #63 in the Herald Sun Leader’s Top 75 Melbourne Local Footy Clubs.
This is a fantastic achievement, and we’re proud to be one of only nine of the 29 NFNL Clubs recognised !
Club President Mark Stanley shared what a proud moment this is for our fairly young Club.
“Each player, supporter, and volunteer has played a vital role in making our Club great, and this recognition is a testament to their dedication and passion. Let’s continue to make our mark in the local footy scene as a strong community in 2024.”
We’re also currently holding the #49 spot in the reader’s vote, and we need YOUR help to climb even higher. Show your support for St Mary’s by voting “underrated.”
With not one, not two, but four incredible teams, our summer netball players are all set to bring the heat to the court from Friday 10 November.
What’s even more thrilling is the ever expanding group of players joining in, including players’ siblings, partners and many of our premiership-winning women’s football players.
Of course this wouldn’t be possible without the hard work and dedication of some key individuals. Football players Caitlin Kreuzberger and Jess Hardy have been instrumental in rallying players to get involved in netball. Their commitment to the sport and their enthusiasm have played a pivotal role in making this a history-making season for the Club.
We also want to extend a thank you to volunteers who stepped up to be coaches and team managers: Sinéad Hanlon, Micaela Hanlon, Deb Costello, Mathilde Meagher, Sharyn Martell, Jacinta Geary and Maree Breese.
A massive shoutout goes to Lauren Ind for coordinating everything with the league. This involves a multitude of tasks, often overlooked behind the scenes, but thank you for helping us get on the court.
We hope to see many supporters at the court to cheer us on.
This year Senior Co-Captain Nick Gedge is again taking part in Movember to raise money for men’s health.
Movember has funded more than 1,250 men’s health projects. And with our support, it will continue to break new ground across mental health and suicide prevention, prostate cancer and testicular cancer.
That’s why Nick will be growing a mo and swimming 1km a day this month.
Together, we can create greater impact. So please help kick start his fundraising campaign and let’s change the face of men’s health.
We’re excited to share that for the third consecutive year we’ve secured funding from TAC Victoria and AFL Victoria Club Rewards Program.
This year we have received $4,300 to put toward improving our Club. Whether we’re players, supporters, or simply individuals traveling around Victoria, the safety of our roads affects us all. Thanks to everyone in our community for ‘playing your role’ to promote road safety.
Football Director Greg Hanlon, shared how grateful the Club is for this funding.
“Receiving this funding again is a testament to our dedication to road safety and a vital resource for a not-for-profit Club like ours.”
“As we head into another exciting year, we look forward to continuing to grow and succeed and make our community a safer place for all.”
We’re pleased to introduce you to our new Senior Women’s Assistant Coaches – Scott ‘Soxy’ McLaughlin and Tomeeka Neil!
Tomeeka was a Premiership Captain this year and unfortunately sufferred an injury during the game. While she’s taking time off playing to recover, she couldn’t stay away completely so she will put her backline knowledge to use as an Assistant Coach!
This year, Soxy lead our U19s to a preliminary final and stepped up to help Troy and Hayden in the Women’s Grand Final, which is when he realised women’s footy is where it’s at.
Soxy has Mens Division One Senior coaching experience and will bring a wealth of knowledge to our team, specifically focusing on our forward line.
We’ve very excited to have you both on board for 2024!
This also means Hayden Bickerton has decided to step down as Assistant Coach to focus on his own senior football career. Hayden has been coaching alongside his dad since 2020 and played a huge role in shaping the team today. We look forward to seeing him on the field next season.
SMFNC