2014 EFL Pre-Season Wiki | Tomorrow: Croydon
VERMONT Junior Football Club president Steve Bain speaks to Victoria Halkias as his club prepares for the 2014 season.
Victoria Halkias: Overall, were you satisfied with what the club achieved, both on and off the field, in 2013?
Steve Bain: Seven out of 11 sides played finals, with Under 12’s and Under 15’s winning Grand Finals last year. The Under 15’s went back-to-back, so clearly positive on the field. Off the field, our numbers were really good around the club and there was a really good vibe around the place.
Approximately how many teams do you think you will field in 2014?
We are looking at similar numbers to last year, with approximately 17 or 18 teams across all the age groups. We try and do some different things with the teams, keeping teams to minimal numbers so that kids get more of an opportunity to engage. It’s a really good place to be at the moment.
What has the feeling been like around the club over the pre-season?
It’s been really positive. We’ve welcomed a lot of new families to the club. It’s good to see a lot of new faces and kids coming to the club.
We’ve held a few coaching workshops as well, teaching the importance of kicking for the coaches to give them the tools to help the kids with their kicking. Everyone is itching for the season to come around.
If you had to pick one, which team do you think is the club’s best chance of winning a premiership this season?
One – that’s difficult! We’ve got a couple of good chances, probably Under 13’s. The Under 12’s won the Grand Final last year, they looked really strong and only lost a couple of games and they look really strong again this year, so I’ll probably put my money on them.
Is there a particular age group of players that you need as soon as possible to fill a team ahead of Round 1?
Yeah, our Under 10’s numbers are quite low, sort of got minimal numbers there to have a couple of sides. We could always do with some more Under 10’s which would be fantastic.
If any players are interested in playing for Vermont Junior Football Club this season, what do they have to do?
Best to get in contact with myself [Steve Bain] or log onto our website and get contacts there for our secretary. You can also call me on my mobile (0428 713 298).