Proposed Start Dates for 2022
Category Archives: Women’s Footy
SENIOR TRAINING RESUMES
Our Senior Men’s and Senior Women’s Football Squads are set to resume training next week in strict compliance with COVID-19 protocols for community sport.
All Men’s Under 19’s and Under 17’s are invited to training and ANY NEW PLAYERS for Men and Women’s Footy are VERY WELCOME to join us for a run!
All players are strongly encouraged to register with the EFNL to ensure insurance coverage. Current players should check with the Men’s Hub and the Women’s FB Group for further details.
Sessions will follow the club’s COVID Safe Plan and adhere to guidelines mapped out by AFL Victoria’s Return to Train Protocols.
Please direct any enquiries by email to boronia@efnl.org.au or via message to this FB page. Further details of COVID compliance will be shared in a few days. https://efnl.org.au/football-registration/
Community Bank Wantirna October Newsletter – featuring our Women’s Team!
Boronia Hawks have entered in to a great new partnership with our long-time bankers at Community Bank Wantirna, associated with Bendigo Bank. As part of this partnership, we are very proud that the Bank will be the jumper sponsors for our two Women’s Teams in 2021.
It is terrific to see this support for community sport and recreation and particularly in the booming growth of women’s footy. Thanks again to John and the team at Community Bank Wantirna!
Check out the full newsletter here!
Community-Bank-Wantirna-Oct-NewsletterDevelopment of Gender Equity Plan
A working group of sixteen Club members got together last night via Zoom to launch the development of the Club’s Gender Equity Action Plan. The people involved represented all aspects of the Club’s operations and each recognised the benefits that flow on from the effective and equitable participation and integration of girls and women across the Club.
Many thanks to Karen Little and Scott Nicholas for their work in drafting the action plan.
Thank you also to the members of our working group, including Amanda Cellante, Ash Johnson, Bec Allen, Ben Robertson, Candyce Wright, Carly Dymond, David Nicholas, Greg Hannon, Julia Bortoli, Kat McMahon, Kristan Wood, Nathan Allen, Rhianna Little, Samantha Dunkinson, Wayne Preston and Ye Jeffries.
New Grant for Women’s Football
The Club’s Grants Program has had another successful application. We have just been granted funding of $2,960 for a program to support Leadership for Young Women in Football.
The Victorian Department of Jobs, Precincts and Regions offered this grant opportunity under the 2019/20 Community Activation Grants Program. We are very grateful for the government’s continued encouragement of community sport, particularly by backing clubs with the booming popularity of football for women and girls. Special thanks go to Claire Dyson from the Office for Women in Sport & Recreation and to Jackson Taylor MP.
As we grow our Women’s Football Program we have identified a number of young players who will benefit enormously from this opportunity to develop their leadership skills through this structured learning aimed specifically at their age group.
Although the leadership development program has been delayed for this season due to the COVID-19 lockdown, funding has been provided so that we can proceed with the training in 2021.
Once again the Club can thank Kerryn Westcott, our Grants Co-ordinator, and Karen Little, Director of Community and Inclusion, for their work in submitting a successful application for the grant. The Club’s Grants Program continues to provide an outstanding benefit in the enhancement of our facilities and membership support programs. Recent grants include:
- Millers Scoreboard;
- Tormore Scoreboard;
- Uniforms for U17’s team;
- Tormore Lights;
- Millers Kitchen Upgrade;
- Female Coaching and Development;
- Mental Health Support for senior players;
- COVID survival package;
- Leadership for Young Women in Football.
New Partnership with Bendigo Bank – Community Branch Wantirna.
Boronia Hawks are very excited to announce that we have entered in to a new partnership agreement with our banker of many years, Community Bank Wantirna, part of the Bendigo Bank group.
For those new to the Community Bank model, it is a concept unique from the other big banks. The majority of profits derived from customers that bank at our branch are invested back into the community in a range of ways. This means that our customers are investing back into their own community, into local schools, not for profit organisations, clubs, societies, youth development programs, community centres and the like.
The Club’s finance team have always been impressed by the very friendly and helpful team at Wantirna Mall and have appreciated their assistance as we upgraded our banking processes in recent years.
We are now taking this great relationship a step further as we proudly announce that Community Bank Wantirna will be the jumper sponsor for our two senior women’s football teams from 2020 to 2022.
“As Australia’s fifth largest retail bank, we provide our 1.7 million customers with competitive products, innovative service, and the ability to bank with confidence wherever they are in the world. We give back to communities, and hold true to our values. We’re Bendigo Bank. The better big bank.”
All members of the Boronia Hawks community are strongly encouraged to check out the full range of banking services offered by Bendigo Bank by visiting their website. Alternately, contact the branch for a discussion on personal and business banking with branch manager, John Tiganis.
Club Statement on the 2020 Season
As a club, and Boronia community, we’re all feeling disappointed with the decision to cancel the 2020 season for senior men and women.
The club plays such a huge part of the lives and wellbeing of so many people, and to know that we will need to go without it for the foreseeable future, in a time when perhaps we need it most, is hard to swallow. With so many sad and tragic events in Australia and around the world, we must keep our footy in perspective but we all could do with the support of our footy family that comes from sharing a laugh at training and on game day.
In saying this, we appreciate and acknowledge the leadership of the EFNL in navigating through an unprecedented situation. We recognise that this has been a difficult decision with a number of factors in play, and ultimately the decision has been based on the health and safety of all of our members, and the future viability of club’s within the league. In a tough time, we can’t do anything but respect this decision and appreciate the work that’s occurred and will continue to occur, behind the scenes for the betterment of football and netball in the east.
As a Club we are in strong position, and we have an amazing group of volunteers and supporters. We’ve created some serious momentum and our Board and Committees will keep pushing to ensure we are in an even stronger position when senior football and netball returns in 2021.
Thank you to all of our club members for their positivity and resilience over the past few months. I couldn’t be more proud of the club and know we will face the next period in the same way.
While we’re thrilled our junior footballers will be able to participate in a modified season, and look forward to supporting our little Hawka’s in 2020, we still face a number of challenges, but will meet them with thorough planning and optimism.
We will continue to build our Club off the field with renewed enthusiasm to ensure that we continue the momentum we’ve created over the past few years. We will come back stronger.
Our focuses are clear for the remainder of 2020:
- The health and wellbeing of our senior players and members – the consequential impacts on the health, wellbeing and social connection of club members can not be underestimated. Continuing engagement and support will be the overwhelming priority over the coming months.
- Building our momentum off-field – we will continue our work off the field to strengthen our strategic and operational efforts.
- Our Juniors – what a fantastic opportunity for the Club to throw its full support behind our junior teams for the coming months and help foster the next generation of Boronia men and women.
We understand this news has been devastating for our members and encourage everyone to look at the wellbeing hub on our website, and continue to connect and support each other in a difficult time.
We also our encourage our members to be respectful with any commentary made on social media, as we understand that many may be feeling frustrated and disappointed with the decision.
For our Juniors, we’re excited to support you with all of the Club behind you. Coaches will begin to communicate with each group in the coming days.
If anyone has questions or concerns, please feel free to reach out to Scott on 0403 238 494. Thanks again to everyone in the HAWKA community. You’re all amazing, and YOU are the reason this Club is what it is today.
GO HAWKA.
Scott Nicholas
Chairman, Boronia Hawks Football Netball Club Inc.
CLUB COMMUNICATIONS REGARDING COVID-19
The Club will provide additional advice regarding the suspension of EFNL activities across the competition as soon as possible.
- All communications to Senior Men will be through Matt Clark, Ash Johnston and Lachie McKernan via HQ.
- All communications to Senior Women will be through Scott Nicholas on the FB Group.
- All communications to Netballers will be through Kat McMahon on the FB Group.
- All communications to Veterans will be through Greg Joseph and Jason Davis on the FB Group.
- All communications to Juniors will be through the Junior Committee on the Junior Facebook page and direct e-mail.
All general communications from the Club will be available via our website and Senior and Junior Facebook pages.
Senior men’s practice matches scheduled for 22 and 28 March are now CANCELLED.
The Club’s Board is currently discussing our own Club social events. Please be patient as we have the appropriate discussions to make informed decisions. Information will be provided at the earliest opportunity.
David Nicholas, for the Board of BHFNC
Boronia Hawks at the Knox Festival
Boronia Hawks have secured a site at the Knox Festival being held at Wally Tew Reserve, Glenfern Rd, Ferntree Gully on Saturday 29th February and Sunday 1st March. It’s an opportunity to showcase our fantastic club to the Knox community and to attract new Junior (boys and girls) and Women’s team players. We will have activities for the kids, with Hawka brand caps and mini stress footballs as giveaways.
If you’re available to help at our stall over that weekend, please add your name to the roster via this Volunteer Link.
Over the two days of the festival, between 10 am and 5 pm, we would like a minimum of three volunteers for each time slot but it would be great to see more. The more people we have at our stall and the more activity we generate, the more interesting it will be to festival attendees.
Xmas Message from Senior President
On behalf of our senior committee, I’d like to wish everyone a safe and happy Christmas period. This time of the year is always an opportune time to reflect on the year past and search for what we have to look forward to in the year ahead. I would argue strongly that the role of a community football/netball club has never been more important.
The digital world has offered us so much but with it comes greater levels of anxiety, mental health issues and disconnection from society. What does a club like Boronia Hawks offer? We offer a community of friends that actually talk to each other, that offer support to each other and that offers a ‘home’ away from home for people to ‘escape’ the pressures of day to day life and to be with people that have a similar aspiration – to make our community club be as good as it can be.
Our club is very much a community. We have people from a variety of backgrounds and on the whole, we treat each other with great respect and care. I know this because new people that join our club tell me how welcoming we are and how much they value our club ‘culture.’
No club is perfect, but if we all work together with a solution focussed mindset, great things can be achieved!
This season saw our teams play finals; we invested in technology to support our coaching/playing group; we invested in player well-being programs and we invested in capital works ( new ground lighting ). We were able to do this and still be vigilant in managing our expenditures and ensuring that we can offer our players a ‘high performance’ environment to play in.
Every year players leave and players join our club. For those who have decided to leave ‘The Hawka,’ we wish you nothing but great success and enjoyment at your new homes. Clearly understand, you are always welcome back at Tormore. Do not be strangers! To those that have joined us, we look forward to welcoming you to our club. For those like Harry and Andy who are returning, it’s great to have you back boys!
Thank you to everyone that has supported me in my first year as Club President and I hope you all have a great summer break with your families.
Greg “Flash” Hannon
SENIOR PRESIDENT