It was a pleasure to have the one and only Sam Newman with us today for our annual 5K Draw!
Everyone enjoyed hearing stories from Sam’s 300 game career and behind the scenes tales from his long-time media career.
A huge thank you to everyone involved in making this day a success!
St Mary’s Football and Netball Club (SMFNC) are supporting our First Nations women’s players in NAIDOC week with a celebration funded by the Change Our Game Community Activation Grant.
This is an opportunity for the players and supporters of our Club to learn about First Nations cultures and histories, and participate in celebrations for the oldest and continuous living cultures on earth with our very own Indigenous players and their families who have been integral to planning this event.
As part of the event our community will engage in traditional and cultural practices including a welcome to country and smoking ceremony, followed by a blockbuster match from our women’s team against Whittlesea showcasing the amazing AFL skills of women, while wearing their custom-designed First Nations guernseys.
Our First Nations guernseys have been designed by Alicia Arden, in collaboration with her sister Cheryle Arden and Judhil Canendo who play at St Mary’s. The three women worked together to create a unique design that reflects the Club’s local area and their own cultures.
After the game, we invite everyone to join AFL legend Nicky Winmar as he talks about his football journey as an Indigenous person.
We are incredibly excited to have Nicky Winmar on board who played for St Kilda and the Western Bulldogs and has a host of accolades including being part of St Kilda’s Team of the Century, being inducted into the AFL Hall of Fame and much, much more.
Importantly, Nicky is well-known for his stance against racism and discrimination toward First Nations people.
The event will be held on Sunday 10 July at Whatmough Park, 2 Kalparrin Avenue, Greesborough. The day starts at 2:30pm, with Nicky Winmar speaking from 5:30pm.
St Mary’s are encouraging local First Nation people and local women and girls with an interest in football to come along, and have kept the event free to ensure everyone can access this event. However, we hope to see all our players and supporters there regardless of gender.
Thanks,
Mark Stanley
Club President
Pride Month is about celebrating the LGBT+ community, listening to their voices, and sharing their stories, so this week we spoke with senior women’s player Ruby Walker about her pride journey.
“To me, Pride Month is a time to educate, reflect and celebrate the current world we all live in, which includes LGBT+ people.”
“It is about celebrating ‘pride’ as a concept, and to me it means having the strength and ability to present to the world as your most authentic self, whether gay, straight or other. Finding personal strength is so powerful.”
Growing up, Ruby tried a host of sports from gymnastics, to cheerleading, to soccer, but finally found her passion when she started football at 15 years old. She has now been part of the St Mary’s family for 5 seasons and counting!
“I still remember my first game. I was so nervous and shy as I had never played before.”
“A few minutes into the first quarter the ball landed in my hands and I kicked a goal!”
“My new teammates ran up and congratulated me, one of them, who is still my great mate today, wrapped her arm around my shoulders and told me how proud she was.”
“That was the first time I felt like I could achieve anything with my team by my side.”
“I’ve never looked back since that first game.”
LGBT+ inclusion in sport still has a long way to go, but one of the ways we can start to improve is sharing LGBT+ voices and stories, and luckily Ruby has shared her journey with us in the hopes it will help others do the same.
“I identify as female and use the she/her pronouns. As for my sexuality I describe myself as being attracted to anyone; I don’t stop myself from being with someone based on their gender.”
While Ruby is open now, it wasn’t always this way and it still isn’t for many people, particularly in sports.
“It was pretty hard getting to the point I am at today where I can easily state my sexuality.”
“I did face some bullying after coming out while I was in school, and there is still a lot of stigma and stereotype at play based on sexuality, especially for women’s footy players.”
“I am feminine presenting, and often have people tell me they wouldn’t have guessed based on my appearance that I am attracted to women.”
“What people need to understand is that identifying a certain way doesn’t change who you are overall.”
While Ruby has a great supportive family and team here at St Mary’s, she recognises that not everyone is as privileged and hopes this changes in the future.
“I am very grateful to have a supporting family, friends, and wider network of people. It is important for us all to recognise the privilege we hold in our freedoms as Australian citizens.”
“I know that I’m also incredibly fortunate that my football team is so accepting, and I have not had to face discrimination but unfortunately not all LGBT+ people are so lucky.”
“Improving LGBT+ inclusion in sport will come with time, but we all need to contribute, and it starts by listening to LGBT+ voices and speaking up when something is wrong.”
Ruby is also very passionate about helping others who may be facing challenges related to their sexuality. If you ever need to talk, reach out and she is happy to help.
If you need professional support, contact QLife on 1800 184 527 or Queerspace on 03 9663 6733 or via web chat.
Get excited for our NAIDOC Week event with AFL Legend Nicky Winmar on Sunday 10 July 2022.
Nicky will be speaking at 5:30 but our event will start at 2:30pm with a Welcome to Country and smoking ceremony, followed by the Women’s game at 3pm.
This is a free event so no excuses to miss out on a fantastic day!
This event is focused on encouraging women to play sport, particularly First Nations women, so we encourage all women and girls to come along for the whole event and see our very own women’s team show off their AFL skills.
We will also be awarding a Best on Ground to two women on the day to recognise their outstanding efforts in women’s sport.
Bar will be open and dinner will be available for purchase on site from local cafe Cinnamon Grove.
Congratulations to the Burra push-up challenge team who raised $1,265 for Movember and Lifeline!
Over 24 days, the 17 players completed a combined 35,160 push-ups which is an amazing effort 👏
Well done to everyone who participated: Jack Dean, Raygan Tate, Liam Fyffe, Huon Macgibbon, Nick Gedge, Mitch Lee, Marcus Taranto, Adam Lucci, Daniel Castagnini, Samuel Pretner, Dempsey Mills, Tom Hardy, Sam Mitrovski, Lockie Potter, Cooper Bruce, Milan Todorovic, and Nick Dean.
Special shout out to Jack Dean for organising the Burra team!
It’s the news we have all been waiting for….MR ST MARY’S IS BACK!
Saturday 16 July at 7:30pm, be at Whatmough Park for a great night!
The auction will start at 8pm, followed by what are sure to be unmissable performances by our very own players Then, finish off the night on the dance floor!!
The bar will be open all night but please note that food will not be provided.
Tickets are just $30 and can be bought here.
Who will be crowned Mr St Mary’s this year?
Meet Peter, Ollie, Marcus, and Josh!
Peter and Ollie run water to our Senior and Reserve’s team every week, with Marcus joining them for the Senior game, and Josh is our Senior team runner.
Rob Cotter, Club Treasurer, shared our appreciation for the boy’s efforts.
“We really appreciate the efforts of these boys and their parents for bringing them to our games each week.”
“Rain, hail, or shine, the boys are always there, and are a big part of our Club!”
THE $5K DRAW IS BACK WITH THE ONE AND ONLY SAM NEWMAN!
Join us on Sunday 3 July at Whatmough Park Club Rooms for a fantastic day!
For just $50, you can come along to hear AFL legend Sam Newman speak about his storied career on the field as a 300-game player, and off the field as one of the most well-known Aussie media personalities.
Photo and signing opportunities, and exclusive memorabilia will also be available.
There will also be a spit roast available and $3 beer and wine 🍷🍺
Plus, you may just win $5,000 dollars 💰💰
You can buy a ticket from one of our players, or contact Mark Stanley on 0417 2822 47.
To celebrate Pride Month, we spoke to women’s player Serena ‘Reenie’ Franke about her football journey as someone part of the LGBT+ community.
Pride month is celebrated in June across the globe. It can mean many different things to different people, and for Reenie it is about celebrating the LGBT+ community and paving a welcoming path forward for LGBT+ people.
“Pride month to me is a time to look back on LGBT+ history, celebrate LGBT+ achievements, and an opportunity to look to the future and consider how we can improve LGBT+ inclusion.”
After playing basketball for a long time, Reenie decided to take up footy and started with the VU Spurs about 7 years ago. It was a natural fit and no surprise she was part of the NFNL Women’s Division 2 Team of the Year, and a key part of the Premiership team in her first season.
Unfortunately Reenie suffered an injury and decided she would end her footy career to avoid another injury and missing work. She had no intention to ever play again, but that all changed when her friend convinced her to fill in for the St Mary’s women’s team. Now it’s four years later and she is still here!
“I was only meant be a one-week fill in, but I had such a great time, and before I knew it I was officially part of the first St Mary’s women’s team.”
“Despite the club being far from where I live, I just keep coming because of the great culture and even better people.”
Reenie’s passion for our club is particularly touching, as recent research highlighted that LGBT+ people find sports environments unwelcoming. However, there is still along way to go for full LGBT+ inclusion across our club and many others, but luckily women like Reenie are leading the way!
“To improve LGBT+ inclusion in sport we need to embrace pride.”
“This means making LGBT+ visible to show acceptance and love. This normalises the LGBT+ community and is knocking down the walls of a heteronormative society and showing everyone that sexuality is fluid, and it’s okay to just be you.”
“I think we are achieving this within women’s sport, but we could do more for our male counterparts, which is clear as there is no male AFL player that is openly gay.”
“As a society, we also need to look at how we can support male athletes who may identify as LGBT+.”
For more information on LGBT+ inclusion, visit Minus18.
Today marks the start of Men’s Health Week.
With so many men part of our Club, it is an important opportunity to highlight the health challenges faced by males and promote the wellbeing of men and boys in our SMFNC community.
This year’s theme is Building Healthy Environments for Men and Boys, encouraging us all to focus on creating physically, mentally, and emotionally healthy spaces at home and at work.
Here’s how everyone can be involved in this week:
- Share a story or post a positive message about men in your life on social media.
– Start a conversation amongst your mates about men’s health.
– Get active with your mates or by yourself to reduce your risk of disease.
– Seek help if you need it. MensLine is available 24/7 via online chat or on 1300 78 99 78.
VISIT INSTAGRAM FOR DETAILS ON OUR GIVEAWAY TO BE ANNOUNCED TOMORROW!!
SMFNC