Dear Members,
We have certainly been reminded that football is a winter sport over the last two weeks with plenty of cold & muddy kids walking off the ground & many parents seeking any cover they can find. Let’s hope for some more spectator friendly conditions this weekend. When we get days like last Sunday, we remind members that the upstairs clubrooms at Whatmough Park will be open all day for you to escape the conditions and watch the games from behind glass. All we ask is that everyone respects the facilities, supervise small children and definitely no footballs or football boots upstairs.
Next Tuesday sees what we hope will be an exciting new partnership for our club as we present the first of our Sport & Life Training (SALT) nights for our older age groups. SALT is a not for profit organisation which is focussed on helping create healthy cultures inside football clubs as well as preparing young men & women for more than just football. Their presentations are designed to be not only educational, but interactive and enjoyable and they are able to use the experience of football as an analogy for real life experiences. Members are invited to check out their websitewww.sportandlifetraining.com.au for further information. Next week there will be presentations for our Under 15 boys & top age Under 15 girls on Understanding & Respecting Alcohol and for our Colts & Youth Girls on Drug Education – How to protect your mates both on and off the field. A second night will follow in June where topics on Social Media & Bullying & Vilification will be discussed. The committee hopes that all families are able to support these nights as the club attempts to play a very small part in the development of our boys & girls to become solid young men & women in the community.
At St Marys we like to highlight and celebrate the achievements of our members outside the official activities of our club:
Hayden Bolzon (U14 Gold) – was the winner of the Boys Stawell Gift 100m on EasterMonday. A belated congratulations Hayden – maybe an Olympic medal awaits.
And on an incredibly self indulgent note, Eli Butterworth (U13 Black) makes his debut in green this Sunday and umpires his first game. Good luck mate, a nervous dad will be monitoring the crowd behaviour very closely !
If you know of any member that deserves their achievements highlighted please send me an email or give me a call and I will be happy to include in future newsletters.
This Sunday night – focuses on our Under 12 (boys & girls) & Under 13 age groups, however all members are reminded that everyone is more than welcome every week.
Speeches – 6PM sharp – our 12’s & 13’s coaches will be invited to say a few words & invite their teams on stage.
Kids Pizza – served free of charge for all players & siblings, after the speeches approx 6:30
Adult Meals –served after the kids, not sure what it will be but rest assured it will be delicious and budget priced at $10.
Raffles – Drawn 7 PM: a magnificent seafood platter donated by Fishi Business at Greensborough Plaza and the opportunity to win $250 cash in our joker jackpot.
Lucky balls – a number will be drawn out of the box and one player in attendance who wears that guernsey number this year will walk away with a $25 Rebel Sport voucher.
Next Sunday Night 10th May the club will be closed for Mothers Day, the week after,17th May will be feature our Colts & Youth Girls.
If you were at Whatmough Park last Sunday you couldn’t help but notice our fantastic new sponsors welcome banner. A big thankyou goes out to Karen Shaw & Danni Gioffre for all their time and effort making sure the banner looks as great as it does. The banner highlights our platinum sponsors, Stuart Broadley & Associates, The Blind Spot & Banyule Dental as well as our club sponsors, M & M Printworks, Cannon Toyota, Karve it Up Greensborough Plaza, Citiwide Signs, Bendigo Bank Community Branches, Sportsafe Mouthguards, Melbourne Trophy Centre & Jag Imaging. If you interested in getting your business on the banner for next year please contact Karen Shaw.
Every week we will also highlight a few of our team sponsors, this week we draw your attention to :
Capital Discount Tyres (U12 Black) are located in South Morang and are a true independent supplier of quality tyres & automative servicing & repairs at competitive prices. Ange & his team have been long term supporters of the club and I encourage all members to support their business.
Redbar Excavations (15 – 1) are experts in demolition, excavation & earth moving. The Barker & Dawson families are also long term sponsors, are well known around the club and we thank them for their efforts.
Sinners Family Restaurant South Morang – are located in Plenty Road and have generously donated the pizza, pasta & lasagna for our first 2 Sunday nights as well as offering ongoing discounts. If you looking for a great family meal out (other than aSunday!) or quality takeaway please support their business and let Tony & Maria know you are St Marys members.
All of our sponsors are incredibly important to our club and without their financial support we would be unable to provide the added extras at our club, including the SALT nights, the VIDA football program (more detail to follow in coming weeks) & free pizza for the kids on a Sunday night. It is important to remember that our registration fees only cover approximately 60% of the actual running costs of the club – the balance is made up through our sponsors, our fundraising & raffles and your support on Sunday nights & at our social functions.
Best of luck to all teams this weekend,
Regards,
Evan Butterworth
President
