SMFNC

Seven stars earn league recognition

Congratulations to the seven amazing players from our club who have been invited to the NFNL Junior and Senior Presentation Nights this week and next!

This is a huge honour and a reflection of their hard work, talent, and dedication throughout the season.

Netball: Ciara Hanlon (St Mary’s 1), Matilda Blakey (St Mary’s 1), Clare Nicholls (St Mary’s 1) and Chloe Rennie (15&U).

Football: Huon MacGibbon (Senior Men), Meg Girolami (Senior Women) and Emmison Zealley (Senior Women).

We’re incredibly proud of you all. Best of luck on the night, and thank you for representing the club with pride!

Preparing for R U OK? Day 2025

This Thursday 11 September, we will again be supporting R U OK? Day.

This annual day of action encourages us to have genuine conversations about mental health and make a real difference in someone’s life. Often, the people we care about may not openly express their struggles, but small signs of change in their behaviour can indicate they’re not OK. If you suspect someone is struggling, initiating a conversation can be a vital first step.

Here’s some resources from R U OK? Day so you’re prepared to have mental health conversations:

More resources

A safer game for our women

We’re pleased to be recipients of a Telstra Footy Country Grant this year to support our senior women’s team.

Thanks to this funding, we’ve been able to purchase goal post padding for their home ground at Telfer Reserve, improving safety for our women’s football team and creating a safer playing environment for all.

It also means less weekly work for our amazing volunteers. No more transporting and setting up padding each week, so they can focus on other valuable contributions around the club.

Big thanks to Luke Paramanthan from the NFNL for all his help with the project!

Junior netballers shine in first winter season

Congratulations to our 15 & Under netball team on an outstanding first winter season!

Finishing as minor premiers and making it all the way to the Grand Final is an amazing accomplishment. Although the result didn’t fall our way on the day, reaching the Grand Final is a testament to the hard work, talent, and determination shown by every player.

A huge thank you goes out to Coach Mick Denton for his leadership, to Tony Ryan for his support as assistant coach, and to Kelly Rennie for her work as Team Manager.

We also extend a big thank you to the parents, who spent hours driving to and from training and games, and braved the winter cold each week to cheer from the sidelines.

And of course we need to thank the players. They gave 100% every single week, and that spirit is what made this season such a success.

We’re proud of everything you’ve achieved and can’t wait to see what the future holds!

Women’s Health Week 2025

At St Mary’s, women are a big part of our club, as players, coaches, volunteers, mums, supporters, and much more.

But while you show up for others, it’s just as important to show up for yourselves.

This Women’s Health Week, we’re encouraging all women in our community to “Say yes to you” by prioritising your health, because when women thrive, so do our teams, families and communities.

There’s a different focus each day of the week, but today, the focus is “Every Check Matters” — a call to keep up with your regular health checks.

Head to jeanhailes.org.au and try their new health check tool. Just answer a few questions and get a personalised list of the health checks you need and when to get them.

Learn more

St Mary’s keeping young people in sport

Our club has successfully secured a Volunteer Grant through the Department of Social Services, with the support of Federal MP Kate Thwaites.

A huge thank you to Kate and her office for backing local community sport and helping make this happen. We’d also like to thank our own Micaela Hanlon for her work in securing this funding.

These grants are designed to support volunteer-run activities that promote the development and wellbeing of children and young people (under 18).

That’s why we’ve used the funding to cover the cost of U19.5 guernseys for our players this year.

President Mark Stanley shared the positive impact of this grant.

“We know cost can be a barrier to participation for players, and for not-for-profit community clubs like ours, it’s tough to support our players financially and keep the club running.“

“Grants like this make a huge difference. They help us make sport more accessible and ensure we can keep delivering a great experience for young people in our community.”

We’re proud to be part of creating a community every young person has the chance to play, grow, and belong.

Seniors support junior Grand Final dreams

This week, the St Mary’s 1 senior netball team showed what true team spirit looks like by joining the 15&U team at training to help them gear up for their upcoming grand final.

It was a great opportunity for the younger players to practice their skills and gain extra confidence, with the seniors bringing plenty of encouragement. But, the session wasn’t just a boost for the 15&U team, it also gave St Mary’s 1 some extra court time ahead of their own big final on Friday.

Best of luck to both teams as they take on their finals!

We’re launching a second women’s football team

We’re excited to announce plans to launch a second women’s team at St Mary’s in 2026!

With a fantastic and growing group of players, we want to make sure no one misses out on game time and everyone has the opportunity to develop, play, and thrive.

This second team will help us cater to all levels and make sure every girl gets the chance to play the game they love.

This is a big step that will strengthen our women’s program while continuing the amazing culture we’ve already built together.

We’re currently assessing numbers to see if we can support a second team.

So, if you or someone you know is keen to join the footy family, get in touch!

You can reach out to one of the current players or email us at stmarysfc2009@gmail.com.

Reach out

Annual Presentation Night 2025

Join us for our Annual Presentation Night on Friday 10 October.

A night to celebrate the season, the people, and the moments that made it special.

We’ll be presenting the Best & Fairest Awards for our football and netball teams, recognising our newest Life Members, and awarding the Livio Basile Club Person of the Year.

What’s included?

Finger food and soft drinks
Live band
Alcohol is included with the $90 ticket only

A non-alcohol ticket is available for $65 and is perfect for under 18s and non-drinkers.

Tickets are limited and may sell out, so buy now!

Book now

Nominate a Life Member

Do you know someone who has gone above and beyond for our club? This is your chance to recognise a true legend of St Mary’s by nominating them for Life Membership.

Whether they’ve dedicated years of service, shown outstanding leadership, or made a lasting impact behind the scenes, we want to hear about them.

Nominations must be made by a current financial member and seconded by another unrelated current financial member.

Before nominating, please read the full criteria here.

Ready to nominate? Click the button below.

Nominate now