Welcome back our Senior coaching team for 2023!
St Mary’s is pleased to announce that Fab Carelli will stay on as Head Coach, with Ben Joyce and Trevor Little remaining as Assistant Coaches.
We’re looking forward to another fantastic year!
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!
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.
We are so excited to see what they do next season!
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.
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.
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.
Thank you for your support and we look forward to an incredible 2023!
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.
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.
Our Annual General Meeting (AGM) will be held on Friday 18 November at 7pm, Whatmough Park Club Rooms.
We look forward to seeing you there!
Today is World Mental Health Day.
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
It is important to address your everyday wellness rather than wait for a situation to reach crisis point and then intervene.
That’s why we encourage everyone to start practicing the 26 mindful habits and look after your mental health developed by @aumentalhealth
You can even register your health habits campaign online and participate as a group.
Visit lookafteryourmentalhealthaustralia.org.au for registration, resources and information.
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.
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.
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.
LGBT+ support resources are available below.
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.
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.
Fiona Hocking, Club Vice President, shared how grateful the Club is for this vital support.
“We are so pleased that our Club’s commitment to improving road safety has been recognised again by TAC Victoria this year.”
“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.”
“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.
It was fantastic to celebrate the 2022 season with all our players and supporters!
Please join us in congratulating our 2022 Best & Fairest Winners!
The top 10 from each section can be found on our Instagram and Facebook.
Netball
1st: Ciara Hanlon
2nd: Claire Nicholls
3rd: Josie Desmond
Women’s Football
1st: Jess Hardy
2nd: Sarah Johnston
3rd: Elyssa Rees
Coaches Award: Tomeeka Neil
Rising Star: Caitlin Kreuzeberger
Men’s Senior Football
1st: Nick Gedge
2nd: Tane Cotter
3rd: Bailey Leonard
Coaches Award: Huon MacGibbon
Rising Star: Lachy Read
Men’s Reserve Football
1st: Jake Halewood
2nd: Raygan Tate
3rd: Brad Danaher
Coaches Award: Marcus Taranto
U19s Football
1st: Ben Halewood
2nd: Patrick Tobin
3rd: James Poursanidis
Coaches Award: Parker Burns
Livio Basile Award (for club contribution): Jess & Troy Bickerton
SMFNC