Season 2010 has seen the St. Marys Greensborough Junior Football Club continue to develop and evolve to enhance its reputation as one of the best junior football clubs in the country. St. Marys prides itself on providing a great opportunity for young children to participate in football and enjoy the experience from Tackers through to Colts. The club has developed a strong culture over many years due to the wonderful traditions established by previous committees, coaches, children and parents. The club continues to encourage families to become actively involved and enjoy the experience with their children.
The Football Department has again excelled itself this year in regard to the support that has been provided to our coaches. From Tackers to Colts the club has implemented programs to provide coaches with the skills and other tools to assist them to do the job as best they can. The feedback in regard to the value of this support has been very positive and proven that the programs are worthwhile. I would like to acknowledge the hard work of all those who have contributed to these programs, in particular our Football Director, Greg Norden. At St. Marys we strive to ensure our coaches are the best they can be.
The role of the coach, team manager and all the match day support staff and the value they provide to our club is greatly appreciated. It takes significant sacrifice to perform these jobs on a volunteer basis often forcing time away from family, jobs and other personal interests. I thank the coaches for their efforts throughout the season and their commitment to improving skills and teaching the values of our club to the near 580 odd children that participate. Special thanks must go to all the team managers. They provide support not only on match day and training but they continue to step up as and when required, often going above and beyond the call of duty. I appreciate all their efforts in helping me ensure all information each week is provided to the league in an accurate and timely manner. This is no small task for a club with 25 sides. To all those parents who participate on match day and at training, I say well done. Never underestimate the impact that your involvement will have on your children. These are memories that live for a lifetime. It is great to be involved with your children to observe them develop, not only as footballers but also as people. At St Mary’s we pride ourselves on producing fine young adults and I believe our Colts 1 side this year is a perfect example of what can be achieved.
I acknowledge the great work of the relatively new committee. Many of the senior positions have been filled by new candidates this year and it is a credit to our culture that we have parents willing to contribute their time freely to help and continue to develop our great club. There are many issues to address when coordinating the participation of 25 teams every Sunday. I can assure you that healthy and robust discussion occurred throughout the year on many topics. To the credit of the committee, I think that the job continues to be done professionally and with dedication and commitment with a single minded focus always on what is best for our players. To those leaving the committee at the end of this year, a special thank-you. Your time and efforts have directly contributed to the continued success of the club and have definitely had a positive impact on many lives. I commend you on a job well done.
A special thanks must go to Sam Gioffre. In taking on a sometimes difficult and extremely time consuming role as President Sam has proven to be an excellent leader and his contribution to the success of the club in 2010 cannot be underestimated. His dedication and commitment to the club cannot be questioned. I would also like to pay special mention to Lynne Yeates whose knowledge of all that is St Marys has been invaluable. She has provided me with great assistance in the secretary’s position.
A club of our size also needs to ensure strong relationships exist with other outside organisations. I would like to thank and acknowledge some of these relationships that we have continued to develop throughout the year. These include the Yarra Junior Football League, Banyule City Council, Watsonia Football Club, Riverside Cricket Club and the many sponsors and other helpers that have provided support to our club. A special thanks also to our wonderful, always smiling, canteen staff who are often seen as the face of St.Marys by opposition sides. Each of these relationships is essential to the smooth running of the club and I thank each and everyone involved for their help and commitment during 2010.
The St. Marys Senior Football Club has provided a pathway for players wanting to continue playing under the St. Marys banner in a senior football environment. The future of this club is exciting and I congratulate the committee and players who performed so well in the Northern League this season. May continued success come their way.
The delayed re-development of the Whatmough Park clubrooms throughout 2010 has certainly had an impact on our season, from a football, financial and social aspect. The future however continues to be exciting for our club with the re-development to be completed in the very near future. The completion and opening of the new change rooms just prior to the end of the season has shown just how fantastic the entire project will be. This facility will be a wonderful boost for our club and will supplement the professional image and reputation that we have within the Yarra Junior Football League and beyond. I acknowledge the efforts of those that have been involved in the working party to ensure our dream comes to fruition, in particular Phil Catanazzi. His tireless efforts in ensuring we have the highest quality facility have been greatly appreciated by all on the committee.
I have thoroughly enjoyed my involvement in my first year as an official of this club. I believe the strength of any club is found in its people and I encourage those of you that are thinking of becoming involved to do so. I look forward to seeing you in 2011 for what promises to be another exciting year in the history of St. Marys Greensborough Junior Football Club.
Andrew Sacco
Secretary
St. Marys GJFC
