Brunswick Zebras FC Annual Report 2018
Season 2018 President’s Report 2018
2018 has been another successful year. This is an election year and it is important that the members of the club renew the Club Committee so we can meet the challenges ahead.
I would like to thank our club sponsors: L’Unico coffee, Stomping Ground, and Ausnet have supported the club and ensured we had decent coffee and beer at club events. I would also like to thank Melbourne Victory and their support, which has given our kids a chance to taste and participate in the big games
We appreciate all the support that all our sponsors provide. We are always after more sponsors big and small to support our club.
Over the last few years as a Club, we have invested time and money into our facilities and grounds with the support of Moreland Council. As a result, we have continued to realise real improvements. We have renovated the change rooms at Balfe and built a new kitchen, new lights have been installed at Sumner Park funded by the State Government, and new goal posts and coaches’ boxes have installed.
These improvements should continue with the new committee. The next major endeavour we believe is necessary is the construction of new change rooms and an upgrade of our pavilion at Sumner Park. We are master planning the improved facility with the assistance of Isabel Legge, who is both an architect and one of our women team’s coaches.
We are going to try to fund the renovation with financial support from Local and State Government, our own resources and possibly a contribution from a private donor.
The Club Board is up for election this year. It is important that the new committee comprises a mixture of experienced and new members.
I also want to recognise the invaluable work done by the current committee. Running a volunteer club of this size is not easy. I would also like to thanks coaches, team managers and volunteers that make it possible to field our teams every weekend during the football season.
The Board believes that as a community club, Brunswick Zebras must continue to provide opportunities for all at modest costs. The club has invested in coach training and the coaching team is made up of both parents and a few non-parent coaches. This year we engaged with Giancarlo Belviso as a Technical Director to support the coaching effort.
Our club has a strong mission to provide sport and community building in this area. We continue to promote the game and support children and their families in club activities. Our teams are competitive, grounds are improving and any potential conflict we deal with quickly.
Our financial situation is strong, especially when we consider the improvements and investments.
Carlo Carli President Brunswick Zebras Football Club
Committee 2018
Office Bearers Carlo Carli, President Josh Oakley, Secretary Maria Berry, Treasurer
Ordinary members Sean Farrell Daniel Roca Kevin Thomas Rob Colla Mark Roca Robyn Thomas
Club Sponsors 2018 Many thanks to our Principal Club Sponsors: • Stomping Ground • Ausnet • Jane Garrett MP • A&D Li-Rosi • L’Unico Coffee • Pascoe Vale Sports
Club Profile 2018 (to 10 October 2018) • 536 registered players. • 134 Girls and women • 399 Boys and men • 170 Saturday Small SkillZ players (4—8 years) [with more enrolling for term 4] • 131 Sunday Mini Roos (7-11 years) • 48 Junior girls (12-18 years) • 81 Junior boys (12-18 years) • 55 Open Age women • 54 Open Age men • 25 Teams • 11 Sunday Mini Roos teams (7-11) • 5 junior boys teams U12-18 • 3 junior girls teams U12-18 • 3 open age men’s teams • 3 open age women’s teams
Our Under 18 Boys and Metro Men 5 teams both won their competitions for 2018. Our Senior Men’s Reserves and State League 4 Women East teams finished runners up for 2018. Coaches Team Managers and Volunteers The committee would like to thank everyone who have put in many long hours to making Brunswick Zebras such a successful community club, we would not be able to function without all the Coaches, Team Managers, Committee members and all the extra people who have helped us get to where we are. An approximate idea of time spent by those who volunteer are: coaches average 8 hours per week, team managers 6 hours per week and Committee members collectively average 60+ hours per week. These estimates are only for the ‘good’ or ‘ordinary’ week where nothing goes wrong and there is no special event to organise! Saturday SkillZ I am proud to present this report for the Brunswick Zebras Saturday SkillZ program which is designed for children of 4 to 8 years age and of all abilities. A great way for young people to enter the world of football and begin their journey into “the World Game”.
Three years ago, dedicated committee member Keven Thomas and experienced coaching co-ordinator Robbie Peters had devised a plan to increase player participation within Brunswick and its surrounding suburbs. This plan included a structured program for experienced coaches to implement in the clinic. The meticulous plan and resolute effort produced by all the staff involved into allowing the program to continue has steadily increased from just under 25 participants to approximately 150 and still growing! We believed it was necessary to invest in top quality equipment, kits and signage as it provides our young players a standard of a professionalism within a football club aiding them through their discovery and skill acquisition phase.
This year we celebrated the 70th Anniversary of the Brunswick Zebras. We used this exciting opportunity to order new black and white striped junior kits for our players in the program. Our program regularly receives plenty of positive feedback from the parents as the children seem to love their experience on the Saturday mornings.
The program has been a great feeder for our club as at the age of eight and even earlier children decide on what sport they wish to choose to play competitively. We’ve had many girls and boys over the past years join our Mini Roos soccer competition where they get a taste of competitive football. This is a growing trend which gives us as a community football club much pride and joy to be part of this transition and we hope to see this for many more years to come.
We would like to thank Carlo Ganci and Monika Stojcevski for all their help during the year.
Stefan Lazarevic Brunswick Zebras Football Club Saturday SkillZ Program
Mini Roos Report 2018 The Brunswick Zebras Mini Roos program in 2018 was another very successful year. This year, we fielded 11 teams, comprising of 2 x Under 8 teams, 5 x Under 9 teams, 2 x Under 10 teams and 2 x Under 11 teams, all lead very capably by our wonderful coaches and team managers. This year, there were approximately 130 boys and girls participating in Mini Roos, a jump from the previous year. This area of our club is a wonderful starting point for the kids into team football. Home games were held at Balfe Park. It was great to be able to get a coffee from our café in the cold mornings. We have lots of players continuing to play from previous years, coming along from Saturday SkillZ or word of mouth with their friends. It’s great to see everyone having such a lot of fun. Coaches and Team Managers We would like to say a big thank you to the parents who undertook the roles of coaches and team managers, both new and experienced, we could not have got through this year without you. We always welcome new people to the club and look forward to continuing to work with everyone in Mini Roos. The Teams and the Season Whilst there is no ladder in the Mini Roos, all teams demonstrated their skill and potential. All teams successfully developed through the season, some starting the year off without many wins, and all teams finishing the year on a high. 2019 Outlook The current trajectory of growth in player registrations promises to continue in 20198. We will start off the year with a vision of growth and sustainability. Keep a look out for news on the start of the season!! Junior Girls As in 2017 there were three junior girls teams this 2018 season, with the variation being that we fielded an Under 12 team rather than two under 14 teams as in the previous year. Interestingly, all three teams finished 6th in their respective leagues.
The Under 16 team finished 6th out of 13 teams in the North West B division, with 6 wins, 2 draws and 8 losses and a negative goal difference of 14 with 20 goals scored. All players in this team have risen through the Zebras ranks, including two returnees -Zoe Lambert Rae Franco. Season highlights included the early match where the team defeated Spring Hills 5-2 and the final match of the season at Hosken Reserve against local rival Pascoe Vale with an exciting, last minute 3-2 win.
The team was very fortunate to have a solid group of star performers in Ella, Miranda, Julia, Lily and Maddie, but then also our unsung dependable heroes in defence in Lulu (who won most improved) Jess Milne, Zoe Lambert and Hope. It would be safe to say that all the players improved as the season went on, and our eventual top half of the ladder finish was testament to our improvement in all our team aspects.
The team’s top goal scorer was Ella Rodger with 10 goals followed by Lily Zavattiero with 5 goals.
The Under 14B team finished 6th out of 10 teams in the North West B division, with 6 wins, 4 draws and 8 losses and a negative goal difference of 4 with 34 goals scored. Overall the team performed well but could have finished higher with a little more consistency. The team had the advantage of a strong team spirit even in adversity which is something all of the team should be proud of. Highlights for the season were the two matches against eventual champions Clifton Hill when the players lifted to the quality of the opposition and also the night match at Sumner Park where we won against Pascoe Vale in a tense and exciting match. Sunday Clare’s goal aroused a great shout from the many spectators and the girls enjoyed playing a night game. (And by the way, thank you to Under 16 player Ella Rodger who used her recent referee qualification to officiate this match in excellent fashion.) Improvement was shown by a number of players, including Flora Bellemo who became a very reliable defender but in particular the two players new to the game Georgia Proctor Parkin and Lila Turner who begin in the Under 12s courtesy of the FFV exemption policy but who developed over time to be capable players in the Under 14 team and who both have potential to improve further at older age groups.
The Under 12 Metro Wallabies team finished 6th out of 10 teams in the league, with 8 wins, 4 draw and 6 losses and a positive goal difference of 8 with 29 goals scored. At the beginning of the season the team was coached by English visitors Ben Clarkson and Nathan Senth who made training fun for the girls and after their departure from Australia parent Fraser Short took over to continue the good work.
In the Metro division this team played far and wide across Melbourne from Langwarrin in the south to Point Cook in the west and had a very varied set of opponents. Coach Fraser said that the U12 girls had a very positive year and he was really happy with their commitment and team work. “We had several new girls who had never played football before as well a few experienced players and they all supported each other. A feature of the season was that we would often go behind but fight back.”
One of the highlights of the season was the night match away to Point Cook the league’s top team. As the match report from Fraser said: “It was a pleasure to be there. what a game -) Who would have thought a nil - nil draw could be so entertaining?” Other exciting matches included the away match against a very well organised FC Birrarung where a win was secured with Indi Rodger scoring magnificent goals to lead the team to a win against a top opponent and the come from behind win against Essendon Royals.
Overall the season has ended with continued enthusiasm from all three teams and three teams entered in Summer Sevens where over 30 players will enjoy some additional football and learn from their further experience. Thank you to all coaches and, in particular, the team managers Michael, Lise, Joanna and Meredith whose commitment, organisation skills and care for the girls make such a contribution to the success of their teams.
In addition, congratulation to the girls who undertook coaching and referee courses and who have taken on roles at the club as coach helpers for our Saturday morning introductory program Saturday SkillZ (Ella Rodger, Miranda Cooney-Hunt, Polly Stokes, Audrey Kennedy) and have commenced their refereeing career - Polly Stokes.
Junior Boys This season we fielded an under 12, under 16, under 18 and 2 under 14 teams. Due to non-retention of players we did not field teams in under 17, under 13 and under 15. Particularly disappointing was the loss of all of our 2 under 16 teams (about 36 registered players) from 2017 due to work and study commitments, to AFL or other local clubs. Some of the under 12 from 2017 stayed on and moved up to help form the 2nd under 14 team.
Stefan moved over from his stint as coach of the under 16 girls to manage the under 12 boys, Luis continued to coach the u14 A, Faisal started his inaugural season in charge of the under 14 B, Arpad took charge of the under 16s and Josh moved up to under 18 with his squad from 2017. There was also lots of help provided by our 2 visiting English coaches Ben and Nathan who were present every Thursday night for the first half of the season.
It should be noted that due to the demise of our under 17 teams Dom Luci did not coach this season. Dom has been a wonderful servant of the Zebras over many years, first as a player prior to his move to professional football in Italy and then as a coach for his son Antony in teams from under 10s up to under 16. All of Dom’s teams over the years were in Kangaroos or A grade and produced many long serving and talented players that frequently challenged for titles. Also sadly missed in the coaching ranks this season were Fiore and Victor Georgopoulos.
The under 12s were placed in the Wallabies grade and this proved to be a challenge as this was the first season of football for some of the boys. However, thanks to the passionate and dedicated tutelage of Stefan the team’s morale grew throughout the years as did their teamwork and skills. It was a year for learning the game and how to play and fittingly the last 3 games saw a stirring last gasp draw with Strathmore and a 2-1 win over Clifton Hill. Despite finishing at the bottom of the table the boys enjoyed the teaching of Stefan and will have a solid schooling in the game to take them forward. MVP was Edward.
The under 14 A were again in the top grade this season and Luis and conditioning coach Peter had the team fit and organised. During preseason, there was the loss of stalwarts Declan and Rueben but these were offset by the recruiting of Dominic, Omer, Salman, Abdirahman and Ahmed amongst others. After a slow start against 2nd placed Preston the team grew better and stronger as the season progressed gaining some real momentum so that by season end they finished in 4th position with 10 wins and 1 draw. An excellent result in a tough competition. Luis once more proved a dedicated manager, always present at training and always prepared to start on time. Lazarus was leading goal scorer with 14.
The under 14 C team had a large turnover of players with some moving up to the A team and lots of new faces arriving such as Damian, David, Jeanbosco and Eren. After the initial grading period the team landed in C grade in which they proved to be very competitive. Faisal began 2018 as coach, his first year in charge of a team, but with his own NPL career and family commitments was unable to complete the season and parents Con and Brian very kindly took over. Coincidentally the first win came the first game that Con was in charge, a nail biting 2-1 win over Essendon Royals. The feeling generally over the year was one of wasted opportunities, the team would play its best against the top teams but lacked the killer instinct against the teams it was expected to beat. In the end 5 wins and 3rd from bottom seemed to be an underachievement. Noah was the rock of Gibraltar as GK and JB was the top goal scorer in his first season with the Zebras, another one of our special Fitzroy crew. Special mention for this team goes to Eren’s Mum, Nella who was the tireless and generous taxi service all year to training and games for a number of boys from Fitzroy.
The under 16 boys were a combination of under 15 and 16. Arpad continued on as coach of the u16 albeit with a new squad as last year’s 16s had moved elsewhere. Beginning pre-season on hot nights in February it was not always clear what combinations of teams would be fielded, sometimes there seemed to more u15 boys and other nights it seemed that an under 17 team would be most likely. In the end the final team had half u15 and half u16 to form one under 16 squad. New players were Samuel, Ben, Reyhan, Jye, Abdi, Omar and David, while Max and Daniel had left to go to Coonan’s Hill. The team were allocated to C grade but with old North and West groups merging into one it meant that there were more strong teams and the league turned out to be of a quite high standard. Arpad was an ever present presence bringing his usual dedication, professionalism and knowledge to make sure the boys always had a positive experience at training and game days. Arpad, one of the founders of Melbourne’s fringe festival and who knows a thing or 2 about theatre, delivered the stand out speech at this year’s trophy day, where he managed to say some insightful and original things about every boy on his team. A team highlight of the year was the first win away to Barnestoneworth via goals to Adam and Reyhan followed by a backs to wall finish that saw us prevail 2-1. Ben was outstanding in his first year of soccer after crossing from AFL and was duly awarded most improved. Reyhan showed a lot of talent in bagging his 9 goals especially as he was bottom age 16 and Zachary, a Zebras veteran was his usual industrious, tenacious and hard to beat self. Special mention to Mariella, Mum of Mathew who did a wonderful job as team manager.
For next season we will welcome the under 11 boys into under 12. The challenge will be to field under 14, under 16 and under 17 teams.
The under 18 boys had a fantastic year, retaining Josh as coach and most of the talented list from the year before. After being top of the ladder for most of the year it the race for top honours hotted up and our team were neck and neck with Glenroy Lions. In the end a tense down to the wire 3-2 win over Preston sealed the title and a mighty roar went up from the Zebras parent as the final whistle went in that game. In the metro finals the Zebras beat Malvern on penalties but went down to eventual premiers Mornington. Senior Women The women’s state teams maintained their numbers from 3 teams for the 2018 season; one State 3 and two State 4 teams.
All three teams finished strongly in the second half of the season, with the State 4 East team finishing second, presenting the club with an opportunity for promotion and a second State 3 team. The State 3 North team finished 5th and the State 4 North team finished 9th out of 14 teams.
The retention rate of players from the previous season was high, with all but 2 players returning from State 3 and 60% of players returning for the State 4 teams. During pre-season the Sate 4 East team selected to train separately. This resulted in some confusion with new players, not understanding why and also not knowing which group they should be training with. That being said the North teams received a large number of enquiries, with approximately 50% attending training and we gained new players to replace those we lost. There was a lot of movement of players which made it difficult to run a structured pre-season. However, the pre-season trainings addressed our playing style, formation and some tactics. We were able to create a good basis of play for the season, which we were able to build on through-out the season.
The appointment of Rob Colla as coach of the State 4 North team created confidence in the playing group, they had a coach for the season, and encouraged more participating in trainings for the North Squad. The ability for the coaches to work as a team strengthened the comradery between the two north teams and helped with the integration/movement of players across the two teams through-out the season. This is always difficult with the FFV ruling of maximum number of games played. With 6 players overseas in the middle of the year, for the world cup and other holiday plans, it was integral to the club achieving good results for the two teams to support each other. The ability for the coaches to work together, and demonstrate complete support in one and other was key to the success of both teams through-out the season and this was reflected in the on field performance of the players and the results. Both teams performed significantly better in the second half of the season.
During the season, attendance at training remained steady for the North squad, with numbers dropping off in the middle of the season when players were away. Monday trainings were run as a recovery session, focusing on muscle movement and skill based activities, with Wednesday training focusing on game play, problem solving, formation and tactics. This session often saw the two North teams work individually on specific problems observed in the previous game and solutions for the next game.
Most of the players from the North Squad attended the end of season presentation afternoon with most players expressed their pleasure with playing at Brunswick and many have indicated their intention of returning in 2019. Senior Men We are pleased to confirm the reappointment of Chris Smith as Senior Coach for Season 2019. We are currently working through the process for the appointment of other coaches and assistants for the Senior Teams, and our further advices on this will follow after the AGM. Performance on Field The Zebras fielded 3 Senior Teams in 2018 with 54 registered players
After a poor start to the season where we had no points in the first 5 rounds, our State League Senior team got better and better. We finished an extremely encouraging 5th position with 10 wins and 3 draws which was, by some way, our best result for a number of seasons.
Our State League Reserves had another very good year, for the third consecutive season, finishing second in their division backing up an identical position from Season 2017. We believe that this demonstrates the ongoing depth that we are developing within our Senior group, and is a testament to our policy of encouraging the club’s junior players ongoing participation with the club. This contrasts quite significantly with the vast majority of our opposition clubs who seem to put little or no emphasis on transitioning their junior players to the Senior set up.
Our Metro Men had another stand out season, completing back to back Premierships on their way to securing promotion from Division 5. Unfortunately, they were not able to achieve a back to back win in the Divisional Cup Final with South Yarra reversing our result against them last year. Contribution • The Annual Trivia Night fundraiser • Minor Cub Sponsors: The Royal Derby Hotel and A&D Li-Rosi • Major Club Sponsor: Stomping Ground Brewery • Coach Volunteers: Senior Men’s teams provided voluntary assistance during the pre-season • Match Day Volunteers: The Senior Men’s teams continue to provide volunteers for Canteen duty and match days and on Saturday Mornings with the barbecue. In addition, a weekly line-marking of our pitches is carried out - special thanks to Dylan Dalla Via for his tireless efforts. Season 2019 We will continue to develop players from within the junior ranks of the club, whilst consolidating and building on our improved showing in the State League. The Senior Men will be looking to establish 4 teams: 2 x State League and 2 x Metro League Community Engagement - Junior players from Refugee and CALD backgrounds program The Brunswick Zebras seeks to support the role that sport can play in promoting cohesion in our community by making it easier for juniors from refugee and CALD backgrounds to join our club. Typically, the main way we can assist these juniors is by providing subsidised membership fees, assisting with the registration process, raising awareness of playing opportunities and in other practical ways such as helping with transport to training and games. The Zebras also seeks to be as culturally safe as we can be, by being mindful of cultural and language sensitivities.
As well as adding to the multicultural profile of our club, greater inclusion helps to grow the catchment area of our junior teams and brings in skilful players who might otherwise be lost to the game.
This year the Zebras has welcomed 14 players from refugee and CALD backgrounds a similar number to last season. The majority of players are new to the club, in the 14 to 16 year age group, male, reside in the City of Yarra and have birthplaces in the horn of Africa.
Highlights and achievements for this year’s supported group include u14c boys golden boot, u12 girls Best Team Player, u16 boys Golden Boot. In addition, the City of Yarra soccer program thanked us for our assistance at their season ending function in October. We were also part of a scholarship initiative between Yarra Housing Program soccer group and Fitzroy rotary that resulted in an u11 boy and under 12 girl being sponsored by Fitzroy Rotary to join the Zebras.
The Zebras parents continued to be reliably reliable in helping transport kids to training and games all over Melbourne’s north. None more so then Nella Yalimyil, a mum from the u14s who drove boys from Fitzroy to training and games from February to September. Special mention also to Arpad who collected players for training and games all season. Luis was also a tremendous resource for kids from refugee backgrounds in Yarra seeking to play football.
Our challenges for next year include encouraging more girls from CALD backgrounds to play football, engaging with more juniors from the immediate Moreland area, increasing parental involvement, improving transport procedures and ensuring financial viability. Coaches Training Courses It was good to see so many coaches attend our coaches training course held this year. This is a great way to learn what is involved in coaching a soccer team, all coaches are welcome to attend the next course to be held in 2019. This is designed to help any parents who would love to take on a coaching role for 2019. New Child Safety Officer at Zebras Emma Hunt has taken on the role of the club’s Child Safety Officer. Emma is a lawyer with many years’ experience in legal practice, policy and projects in not for profit organisations, government and law firms in multiple jurisdictions Presentation Day Our Presentation Day held in the middle of September. It was great to see all the excited kids and their families attending.
Brunswick Zebras Fundraising Trivia Night We would like to thank Emily Eieke, Amy Arnett, Matthew Thomas and the Senior Men’s and Women’s teams and partners who organised a wonderful, fun filled Trivia night during the year. It was a great night, one to look forward to next year!
Ground Maintenance and Improvements Both Sumner Park and Balfe Park will shortly undertake maintenance work on the grounds. This included removal of unsafe trees at Sumner. It has been great to see the new facilities at both grounds over the last few years, this year resulting in new LED Lights, new goalposts and dugouts at Sumner. We look forward to new developments for 2019.
Melbourne Victory @ Brunswick Zebras Melbourne Victory's Lia Privitelli was a hit with the junior girls at Sumner Park during February, sharing her experiences of being a player in the W-League and watching over the girls going through their paces at training, talking about overcoming injuries, her time as a junior player prior to playing in the premier league for Bulleen, what it's like to play with international level players such as Laura Alleway (Australia) and Natasha Dowie (England). This event was presented by Melbourne Victory FC as part of its community program. Brunswick Zebras FC is a Club Victory member which provides us with access to opportunities to join with Melbourne Victory FC's A-League and W-League programs in promoting the game and developing our club.
Club Award Winners 2018
Citation Name
Bruno Saico Award (Best and Fairest Senior Donna Staples/Stephen Skinner Player U18-Seniors) Pierre Venditti Golden Boot Award (Highest Ella Rodger Female Goal Scorer) Pierre Venditti Golden Boot Award (Highest Leo Johnson Male Goal Scorer) Melissa Barbieri Medal (Goalkeeper of the Kelly Trudgen Year)
Best and Fairest Junior Female Player Ella Rodger
Best and Fairest Junior Male Player Clancy O’Brien
Coach of the Year (Female Teams) Adrian Schembri
Coach of the Year (Male Teams) Josh Oakley
Team Manager of the Year (Female Teams) Lise Elvins
Team Manager of the Year (Male Teams) Jacki Ford
D’Intino Award (Best Club Person) Robyn Thomas