2022 Presidents Report
Michael Thomas
From returning from 2 interrupted COVID years of sport, 2022 proved to be a very successful period for the Surf Coast Suns. In addition to the continued growth across all of Football, Netball, AusKick and NetSetGo, we were successful on the fields and courts with our first two Football premierships, our first Winter Netball premiership, plus 6 of our 8 competitive Netball teams participating in the Finals.
Apart from the silverware, what was most pleasing about the finals period, was the support the whole club provided to all teams. At all games the Suns had a presence, showing that we have moved beyond being the team someone plays for, to be the club which we all belong to.
We saw the addition of more teams in 2022. Our Under 9 and Under 12 Football teams expanded into 4 teams in both age groups. We entered 5 Under 13 Netball Teams, plus the Suns had new teams in the U10 and U15 Female Football Space.
One of our most proud achievements is the creation of our All Abilities Netball team. We were close to entering a team in 2021 however ended up combining our team with the Geelong West Giants. This season we had 10 active and motivated individuals, all new to our club, step forward to take the court in our inaugural All Abilities Netball side. A huge thanks goes out to Isela Bridges for making this happen.
Financially the club remains strong. We were able to keep our registration fees frozen at pre COVID rates and provide all members with a registration pack of Suns merchandise. We did experience greater expenses however via increased umpire fees and additional equipment purchases, but with the support of our Sponsors we still have funds to reinvest back into our members in 2023.
Sponsorship increased from previous seasons, with local businesses recognising that we are a brand to be associated with. This support allows the club to continue to provide the best environment at the best value for money. Specifically, I would like to thank Lynne Hayden at Links Property for again partnering with the club as our Major Sponsor, also Town and Country Pizza North Torquay and Aaron Sinclair of Sinclair Homes, both Gold Sponsors.
Looking forward we have opportunities to work with new partners such as the Surf Coast Stingrays Cricket Club and the Anglesea Football Netball Club. The Stingrays share our ovals and facilities over the summer months, as such we are looking at how we can join forces to benefit both clubs as the area expands. We have been working with Anglesea to explore a Memorandum of Understanding to ensure our kids have an avenue into U18 Football (Male and Female), U19 Netball and Senior Sport (Football and Netball), while we continue to build our junior platform before moving into the senior space.
One of the key items which we are continuing to lobby for is the upgrade to our facilities, specifically change rooms, storage and social rooms. Our grounds and courts are the envy of the competition, as we grow however, we have found the Grant Pavilion to fall below our needs. The Committee is in constant discussions with council, with plans drawn and supported, what we need now is the funding. Unfortunately, we fell short of receiving any commitment from the Federal candidates in May, however 2022 is a unique year which gives us a second opportunity to work with State candidates.
Everyone who is involved at the Suns is a volunteer. I’d again like to thank our committee, our coaches, team managers and all our parent helpers who keep the club ticking along. I have said several times, it may take a village to raise a child, but it takes our whole community to run our club. As we grow, we will need more people to get involved in whatever capacity they may, so you have a skill set or like getting out in the fresh air, get your Working with Children’s Check and step forward.
2022 was my 4th year as president and I will be standing down at the Annual General Meeting to be held on Wednesday 9th November. It will be great to get new ideas and faces involved, so please consider if you would like to contribute as now is a great time to get involved.
Thank You, Go Suns!
Mike Thomas