Celebrating First Nations culture with new guernseys

We are pleased to share that we have secured $4,500 from First Peoples’ Assembly of Victoria for the creation of a First Nations guernsey for our women’s team.

Designed by Toneya Kennedy, a proud Barkindji woman, the guernseys will serve as a powerful visual representation celebrating First Nations culture, recognising the contributions of First Nations players, and strengthening cross-cultural connection and reconciliation within our club and broader community.

The jumper will also proudly display the Treaty for Victoria logo, reflecting our support of Australia’s first Treaty between First Peoples in Victoria and the Victorian Government.

A big thank you to Teegan Brown and Micaela Hanlon for their work in securing this important grant, and to Teegan, Jaydah and Shanyah for joining us at training last night to share this special news with our players.

Women’s Team Manager and Club Secretary Jessie Bickerton shared the significance of this grant.

“These guernseys represent so much more than a uniform. They reflect our commitment to inclusion, respect and genuine recognition of First Nations culture within our club. We’re incredibly proud to see this initiative come to life and to celebrate the strength and impact of our First Nations players in such a meaningful way.”

The jumper design

International Men’s Day 2025

Today marks International Men’s Day. This year’s theme is ‘Supporting Men and Boys,’ a reminder to consider how you can support the men and boys in your life. It could be something as simple as checking in on a mate, reaching out to a family member, or lending a hand to a young person who needs guidance.

We encourage our members to use this opportunity to reach out to mate, start a conversation, and show support to someone you care about in whatever way feels meaningful.

2026 Committee

Following the AGM on Friday 14 November, please welcome our 2026 committee:

Mark Stanley
President

Trevor Little
Vice President

Nicholas Dean
Treasurer

Jessie Bickerton
Secretary

Lauren Ind
Social Events Coordinator

Bernie Girolami
Football Operations Manager

Ian Halewood
Sponsorship

Joanne Kitchell
Administration Manager

Brad Chesser
General Committee Member

Luke Pearson
Sponsorship&Event support

Mark Read
General Committee Member

Patrick Waldron
Merchandise

Geoff Kitchell
General Committee Member

Thank you to all who are continuing their service, and a warm welcome to the new faces joining us for the year ahead. It’s fantastic to have even more people supporting and strengthening our club community.

We also want to send a huge thank you to those who have stepped down from their roles: Rob Cotter, Greg Hanlon, Evan Butterworth, Glen and Deb Costello.

Club President Mark Stanley shared: “We are incredibly grateful for the dedication and passion each of them has brought to our club. Their hard work has helped shape St Mary’s into the strong, connected community it is today.”

2025 Reserves coaching team

We’re thrilled to announce the return of Matt Centofanti as Reserves Head Coach and Jake Rizzi as Reserves Assistant Coach for the 2026 season.

After a strong year of growth and momentum, we’re excited to see what this coaching duo can bring as we continue building towards an even bigger and better 2026. Bring it on!

St Mary’s launches our first 17&Under netball team

A new milestone for the club tonight as we officially launched our first ever 17 & Under netball team!

The 17&U division is a more recent addition to the NFNL netball program, designed to bridge the gap between junior and senior competitions. It’s fantastic to see many of our talented former 15&U players progress into this next stage of their netball journey.

Seeing our first juniors now take the first step into senior netball is a proud moment that highlight why we launched our junior program; to create a clear pathway into senior netball and ensure women and girls can stay active, develop their skills, and keep playing the game they love with their friends as they grow. It’s amazing seeing this vision coming to life.

A huge thank you to Coach Mick Denton for leading this new chapter with passion and dedication. We can’t wait to see how this group grows throughout the season!

New Under 19.5 Coach: Welcome Dean Arnel

Please join us in welcoming Dean Arnel as our 2026 Under 19.5s Coach!

Dean is no stranger to the St Mary’s family. His kids have played through the junior club, and he’s been deeply involved over the years, even serving as President of the junior club.

We’re thrilled to have Dean stepping into this role and continuing his commitment to developing young talent at St Mary’s.

Dean Arnel

Annual General Meeting

Our Annual General Meeting (AGM) is scheduled for 6:30pm on Friday 14 November 2025 at Whatmough Park Club Rooms, 2 Kalparrin Avenue, Greensborough. This is an important event for all our members, and we encourage everyone to attend.

Formal notice and additional details will be sent to all members via email, so keep an eye on your inbox!

During the AGM, we’ll review our accomplishments over the past year, discuss future goals, and provide a platform for your voices and ideas. It’s a great opportunity to stay engaged with our community.

All committee positions are open. The nomination form and proxy form are available for download below.

Please return forms to Club Secretary Jessie Bickerton prior to the meeting at stmarys2009@gmail.com.

Trevor Little steps down as Under 19.5 Coach

We’d like to extend our sincere thanks to Trevor Little, who is stepping down as Head Coach of our Under 19.5s team.

Trevor’s time leading the group has been marked by hard work and a deep commitment to developing young players. Last season, the team achieved something remarkable — going through undefeated, winning the premiership, and earning promotion to Division 1. That success is a reflection of the effort Trevor put in, both on the field and behind the scenes.

While he’s finishing up in the U19.5 role, Trevor isn’t leaving the club. He’ll still be on the sidelines supporting his son Brodie and continuing as assistant coach with our senior men’s team.

Making sport more accessible: Get Active Kids

We’re now a registered provider for the Get Active Kids Victoria Voucher Program!

The Get Active Kids Voucher Program is an initiative from the Victorian Government that supports children and teens to get involved in sport, active recreation, and community activities. By easing the financial burden on families, the program aims to help more young people experience the physical, social, and mental health benefits of staying active.

This means eligible families can receive up to $200 per child to help cover the cost of participating in our netball and football programs. That means more support for local families and more opportunities for young people to reach their full potential through sport. It’s part of our ongoing commitment to supporting our local community by making sport more accessible and inclusive.

Round 9 applications are open now and will close on 13 November 2025, or earlier if the funding allocation is exhausted. These vouchers expire on 31 December 2025 so can be used for summer sports or term-based activities.

Eligibility
To qualify for a voucher, your child must:

  • Be a Victorian resident
  • Be aged between 0 and 18 years
  • Be listed on either: a Health Care Card AND a Medicare Card, or a Pensioner Concession Care AND a Medicare Card

If you’re looking ahead to winter sport in 2026, Round 10 of the Get Active Kids Program will open in February 2026.

How to apply
1. Visit the Get Active Victoria website to check your eligibility and start your application.

2. When prompted, enter the correct provider number for our club:

  • Netball: 3532475
  • Football: 3532482

3. Submit your application and receive your voucher code.

4. Email your voucher to Micaela Hanlon at micaela.r.hanlon@outlook.com.

2025 Award Winners

Last night, we came together to celebrate a fantastic year at our 2025 Annual Presentation Night. It was a great opportunity for everyone to relax, reflect, and enjoy this season’s achievements.

One of the highlights of the evening was recognising the outstanding individuals who made a real impact in our club this season. We’re thrilled to share out 2025 award winners:

Senior Women’s Football
Winner: Emmison Zealley
2nd: Elyssa Rees
3rd: Georgia Kitchell
Coaches Award: Mikayla Plunkett
Best Team Player: Charlotte Karafilis

Senior Men’s Football
Winner: Ty Kitchell
2nd: Huon MacGibbon
3rd: Tane Cotter
Rising Star: Will Dean
Best Finals Player: Ty Kitchell

Reserves Football
Winner: Jarrod Carty
2nd: Noah Stanley
3rd: Liam Neil
Coaches Award: Cal Dye

Under 19.5 Football
Winner: Ethan Arnel
2nd: Will Ryan
3rd: Vaughn Clamp


Netball 3
Winner: Susie Patsouras
3rd: Molly Kissane
Coaches Award: Matilda Butterfield

Netball 1
Winner: Matilda Blakey
2nd: Georgie O’Sullivan
3rd: Ciara Hanlon & Clare Nicholls

Best Club Person
Winner: Livio Basile

Netball 2
Winner: Sarah Williams
2nd: Jess Hardy
3rd: Cassie Pickett
Coach’s Award: Georgia Rizza