Scotch College

Rebuilding continues on & off field

The Old Scotch Football Club looks to a new leadership group and a new pavilion

Words: Tim Shearer • President, Old Scotch Football Club

There is much consternation at the start of the 2007 Victorian Amateur Football Association season. The crippling lack of rain over the past few years has severely affected winter contact sports and forced the VAFA to postpone the start of the 2007 season by two weeks, to Saturday 28 April.

The Old Scotch Football Club’s home ground, the Camberwell Sportsground, is, like many other grounds, struggling. We are fortunate that the City of Boroondara has been one of the most proactive councils in sourcing alternative water supplies for its sportsgrounds. Water tanks have been installed at many grounds and recycled water applied to ovals across the municipality.

After an extensive pre-season campaign, at the time of writing the players and coaches were justifiably chorusing ‘let the games begin!’

The club has welcomed a number of new faces in 2007. Former Collingwood footballer Mark Beers has joined the club as reserves coach, replacing Serge D’Angelo who is coaching the Marcellin reserves team this year; and Brendan Hart has come to the club from Western Australia to coach the Under 19s, who are hoping to atone for their disappointing season last year.

Record numbers at pre-season training forced the club’s hand, and an additional team has been fielded in the Club XVIII competition. This team (the 4th XVIII) will comprise players who miss out on a game in the Under 19s and the 3rd XVIII. Club stalwart Terry ‘Crackers’ Kendell is back on board to coach this team. Tim Pritchard (’94) replaces Andrew Millar (’89) as coach of the 3rd XVIII. The club is also fielding a Legends team in the masters competition, taking the total number of teams the club is fielding to seven – a record. Barry Price will again coach the senior team

The addition of these teams comes with obvious consequences – costs and resourcing, to name but two. All former OSFC players are encouraged to take out a membership this year (details are online at www.oldscotchfc.com.au) to ensure that the club can continue to provide opportunities for young people today and in the future.

I also encourage members of the Scotch Family to patronise the sponsors who support the club. Without their support the ongoing viability of the club would be questionable, to say the least.

The season is challenging, both on and off the field. The firsts will need to develop together as they endeavour to progress deeper into the finals series in 2007. A strenuous and testing pre-season camp was designed to challenge the playing group and develop their sense of team focus and leadership. By all accounts the camp met its initial objectives, but the true test will, of course, play out on the field.

Off the field, the redevelopment of the Camberwell Sportsground pavilion has started. The City of Boroondara, the Camberwell Magpies Cricket Club and the Old Scotch Football Club are together resourcing this exciting development, which this time next year will provide the club with the best off-field facilities in the competition. For further updates on this project, and the progress of the Old Scotch Football Club on the field, please keep a regular eye on the official club website,

www.oldscotchfc.com.au