Photo credit: Kilsyth Juniors
26 DAYS TO GO | Kilsyth junior president Cassie Brisbane spoke to EFNL Media ahead of the 2020 season, all thanks to Yarra Valley Water & Choose Tap.
Overall, were you satisfied with what the club achieved, both on and off the field, in 2019?
Cassie Brisbane: Always satisfied with our achievements at KJFC. The number of new and returning members in 2019 was excellent with our club registering its highest member base ever. We had teams in all girls and boys age groups, with our under-12 and 16 girls, under-11, 13 and 17 boys making finals.
Our greatest on-field achievement was our under-11 boys who won the premiership (pictured above). This side was a merged team with South Croydon FC and our coach Jason Stafford embraced all the boys regardless of registered club and treated them as one; hence their success. Looking forward to defending the premiership in this age group in 2020!
During 2019, there was a lot of behind the scenes planning to our home venue Pinks Reserve. This planning is now on show with our oval 2, commonly known as the ‘back oval’, having a new surface and lighting and we are looking forward to installing our new scoreboard on this oval in the next few weeks. Our main oval will have new netting behind the goal post at the main entrance and we are currently planning with Yarra Ranges Council the upgrade to our pavilion.
The greatest strength of the KJFC is our welcoming and inclusive environment. We pride ourselves on providing our members the best experience on and off the field and in 2019, I can confidently say we achieved this goal. We can’t wait for the upcoming 2020 season to do it all again.
Approximately how many teams do you think you will field in 2020?
CB: We will field teams in all age groups from under-9 boys to under-18 girls. All teams have coaches in place and are currently in pre-season training. Our teams welcome players in all age groups also.
What has the feeling been like around the club over the pre-season?
CB: It’s been a positive start to 2020 and the feeling around the club is great. We are excited about our excellent coaching staff, welcoming our first female coach to our coaching group, Kaitlyn Zeeck. Kaitlyn is coach for the under-18 girls and is also a member of our inaugural senior women’s team.
She has brought high energy to the club and we can’t wait to see this group in action.
We are excited about our new facilities and everyone is keen to get into footy. The numbers at our preseason training sessions have been good despite many of our players being involved in summer sports. Looking forward to bringing this positivity into fruition in a few weeks!
If you had to pick one, which team do you think is the club’s best chance of winning a premiership this season?
CB: Our under-14 girls are strong and fierce. They are 100 per cent committed to their footy and with new coach Hayden McLean they are hungry for success. As well as being talented footballers, they are great mates who will encourage, protect and support each other. No doubt, there is excitement around this group.
I am also looking forward to seeing our under-11s play in their first year of competitive footy. This team coached by Nick Brisbane are extremely well drilled and poised when on the field. Like our under-14 girls, they are also great mates who have a great amount of trust and respect for each other and their coaching staff. Having only lost two games in the past two years, we are looking forward to seeing how the season unfolds for them.
Is there a particular age group of players that you need as soon as possible to fill a team ahead of Round 1?
CB: Our under-12 and 16 girls need players. Chris Aveling and Ben Fisher, the respective coaches, welcome players to these groups. Both train on Tuesday and Thursday afternoons, 12s at 4.45pm and 16s at 6pm, both at Gladesville Primary School.
Our under-12 boys are standing alone in 2020 and also need players. Our premiership coach Jason is excited to defend his premiership, so players born in 2008, come and join the ride!
If any players are interested in playing for your club this season, what do they have to do?
CB: New players can email me at kilsythjuniors@gmail.com for information about all football questions. They can also follow us on Facebook, ‘Kilsyth Juniors’ or on Instagram ‘kilsyth_junior_football_club’.