2023 U19s Coaching Team

We’re pleased to introduce Scott McLaughlin as the U19s Head Coach and Ben Wilson as the Assistant Coach for 2023! ⁠
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Scott has played with St Mary’s before, but spent his career up until 21 at Westmeadows, making his mark as a skilled player winning a league B&F and a club B&F. ⁠
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He went on to play at Tullamarine for the next 13 years, playing in four senior grand finals, before moving to Lower Plenty, and winning a Reserves grand final and the league goal kicking award three times⁠
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It was at Lower Plenty that he picked up coaching as well, helping reserves teams get to finals and most recently coaching the Div 1 Seniors. ⁠
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Ben played his junior career up until U19s at St Mary’s and is excited to be taking up his first coaching role back home at St Mary’s!⁠
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He is currently studying sports and exercise science and working as a performance analyst for Melbourne Rebels Rugby Team. ⁠
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We can’t wait to see what these two bring to the club!⁠

The Bickerton’s are back for 2023!

After an incredibly successful 2022 season, we are pleased to announce that Troy Bickerton will return as Head Coach, with Hayden Bickerton as Assistant Coach of our senior women’s team in 2023!⁠
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Troy and Hayden, as well as Jess Bickerton, have been instrumental in the growth and success of our women’s team which culminated in playing our first ever women’s grand final this year.⁠
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We are so excited to see what they do next season!

International Volunteer Day: Celebrating the power of giving back

Today is International Volunteer Day and we want to take the opportunity to thank everyone who offered their skills, time, and enthusiasm to support St Mary’s not just this year, but every year.⁠
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Whether they are behind the bar or canteen, an umpire escort, runner, trainer or anything else, every role is critical and running our club would not be possible without volunteers.⁠
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The continued time and efforts of volunteers play a huge role in keeping our club alive and shaping the future for St Mary’s, and we would love to see more people involved next year.⁠
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Thank you for your support and we look forward to an incredible 2023!⁠
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Celebrating International Men’s Day

Today is International Men’s Day and we are ‘Celebrating Mateship’ to inspire more men to #MakeTime4Mates

Mateship is a key feature of Australian national identity and research shows that close friendships and social connections can promote good health and help men live longer and healthier lives.

Mark Stanley, Club President, shared how important the culture of mateship is at the Club.

“Mateship, along with courage and teamwork, are all fundamental parts of the St Mary’s community, and we are proud to be a club that is representative of the Australian spirit of mateship.”

“Today, we encourage you to reach out to an old mate, a mate doing it tough, or find time to make a new mate.”

Visit https://www.internationalmensday.info/ for more information and events.

SMFNC help save 21 lives!

The Lifeblood Football and Netball Club Challenge is officially over, and we are pleased to share that we helped save 21 lives!

Overall, this means we placed equal 13th out of about 109 clubs across Victoria. View the full leaderboard here.

Donating blood or plasma is one of the most generous things you can do, and these valuable donations will help people living with serious conditions including cancer, kidney diseases, anaemia and more.

Thanks to everyone that donated as part of the St Mary’s team!

The challenge may be over but you can still keep donating as part of the team. Call 13 14 95 or book online at lifeblood.com.au.

Recognising World Mental Health Day

Today is World Mental Health Day.⁠
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While playing sports and exercising, especially in a team, is known have positive mental health benefits, none of us are⁠ immune to mental health challenges⁠
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It is important to address your everyday wellness rather than wait for a situation to reach crisis point and then intervene.⁠
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That’s why we encourage everyone to start practicing the 26 mindful habits and look after your mental health developed by @aumentalhealth⁠
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You can even register your health habits campaign online and participate as a group.⁠
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Visit lookafteryourmentalhealthaustralia.org.au for registration, resources and information.

Recognising LGBT History Month

To mark LGBT History Month, we are reflecting on some of the challenges LGBT+ people have faced in sport, and the progress made towards strengthening the representation of LGBTQ+ community in sports. ⁠
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While many athletes and activists have successfully challenged restrictive notions of sport to create a safe space for the LGBT+ community, there is still a long way to go.⁠
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We hope that everyone at St Mary’s takes the time to educate themselves on LGBT+ History in sports, and that our club can be part of improving acceptance and participation of LGBT+ in the sporting community.⁠
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LGBT+ support resources are available below.
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St Mary’s scores big: $5k for promoting road safety!

We are excited to announce that once again we have secured funding from TAC Victoria and AFL Victoria as part of the Club Rewards Program.⁠
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We know our players and supporters spend a lot of time on the road attending games and training, and we hope our campaign this year has helped make their journey’s more safe.⁠
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Fiona Hocking, Club Vice President, shared how grateful the Club is for this vital support.⁠
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“We are so pleased that our Club’s commitment to improving road safety has been recognised again by TAC Victoria this year.”⁠
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“Local sporting clubs play a huge role in the community but require dedicated support and funding to keep going, and it’s organisations who understand this like TAC Victoria that give us the support we need through the Club Rewards Program.”⁠
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“This $5,000 will be very helpful in assisting us to reach our 2023 goals, and we wish to pass on our sincere thanks to TAC Victoria, AFL Victoria, and all our players and supporters who have been part of the journey toward safer roads in our community.”⁠

Read the full media statement and view the list of recipients here.