2021 gave us some sort of relief from a year due to Covid but it didn’t go as we hoped it would have. It was an extremely frustrating season for our players, coaches, committee and I’m sure our supporters and members.
In saying that our sponsors and members have been terrific over the last 2 years and without their support the club would be in a completely different position than we one we find ourselves in today. When I think about how frustrating it must have been for all of us, I can only imagine how hard it must have been for our local businesses that were shut down for extended periods of time with the worst threat of all…. the unknown. That being said these businesses continued to support our club all the way through and for that we are forever grateful. It is extremely important that our club and our supporter base return the favour wherever humanly possible, especially over the Christmas Period.
It would be remiss of me not to mention the hard work of our sponsorship and merchandise co-ordinator Gavin Ward on the job he has done over many years but in particular the recent period of uncertainty for some of our local partners. Gavin has managed to keep the club ticking along with his sponsorship arrangements and has gone the extra mile to keep extra income coming into the club via online raffles etc throughout the lockdown periods. This area of the club was so much more important in 2021 due to the inability to hold our regular functions and obviously EFL finals which normally make up a huge amount of our revenue. We are now #1 in the league for social media and website hits and our brand is one of the strongest in the EFNL. It takes a lot of people to run a successful club but Gav is an asset to our club in more ways than one so I thank him for his input during difficult times. I’d also like to acknowledge the support from Al Wilson and Darren Skinner for their contribution in helping us brand the club throughout the year with signage etc both on the ground and in our change rooms and social rooms. The feedback from our players, supporters and members from other clubs has been consistently positive.
Our transition back to Division 1 got off to a great start but with some significant injuries to some of our better players and the stop start interruptions of yet another Covid year, it made it hard to get a solid indication of where we sit in the division. Our list is young and enthusiastic and have all recommitted for season 2022 which is a great result for our club due to the hard work of our footy department including Darren Skinner, Paul Dennis and our coaching staff. In the many meetings I had with Skins and our current players it was extremely satisfying to see them re-commit straight away…Something we can be extremely proud of with our club’s brand which is “Proud To Be Mitcham”.
I want to thank Mark Brindley, Steve Jordan, Neil Winterton and their assistants and match day staff for their commitment through an extremely tough year. Not once did I have to deal with any negativity even when things were not going our way. The results of all three sides showed the club were competitive when we were able to take the field with all three teams making the finals under revised conditions of the EFNL based on an interrupted season. I’m happy to announce that all three coaches will remain involved in the club in their current positions with the only change Mark Brindley stepping up to the senior side as an assistant coach and Neil Winterton signing on to be a non-playing coach. Senior Vice captain Jesse Uren will take on the Under 19’s job for 2022.
The off season has been extremely busy for the football department. Not only have we had our 2021 list recommit to the club, we have been lucky enough to recruit some great potential to the senior list. Having secured our current list early, we had the opportunity to target some talent to add to those areas or positions we identified we need to improve on. The addition of these new players along with some talented players coming up from our Under 19’s and the gradual improvement from our 2019 premiership side gives the club great depth. 2021 has been one of our most successful recruiting periods and something we can all look forward to in 2022.
The club will also have a senior women’s side for the first time in our long history. We currently have around 25 girls committed to the side so we look forward to that kicking off again after the Xmas break. Reece Thomas will be the inaugural coach and has already got off to a great start. A big thank you to Craig Giles, Will Goulding, Luke Smith & Ruby Schneider who have put in a lot of time to get the new side together over the last few months.
I would like to thank the ongoing services of my current committee most of who have been with me for the last 13 years. We have one of the hardest working committees and volunteer groups in the league which keeps me motivated to run this great club. Without the loyalty and commitment of this group our club definitely wouldn’t be in the position we are now. In particular I’d like to thank my executive Luke Smith, Craig Giles and Brooke Witherow for their support through an extremely difficult couple of years. I would also like to acknowledge the work behind the scenes of Martine Giles who has worked with our treasurer Craig over the last few years with very little recognition. Martine’s efforts are highly valued by the committee. These guys are available for council 24/7 and for that I’m extremely grateful.
It is extremely important that the club has a strong and stable committee but just as important are our volunteers. These people who turn up day in day out every week are the fabric of what makes us a great family club. Our match days and functions run seamlessly because of your hard work and we could not do it without your continued support.
On behalf of my committee, players and staff I want to wish you and your families a very Merry Christmas and a safe and successful New Year in 2022. I know I can’t wait to get back into a normal season again in 2022 and I hope you are all back and supporting the Mitcham Football Club in full voice again come the new year.
Matt McCubbin Senior President
Last Modified on 24/12/2021 09:03