NEW Shellharbour City Suns senior club president Marcus Hollingsworth is confident the club is moving in the right direction for the 2014 AFL South Coast season.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
In his first year as club leader after retiring from coaching midway through last season, Hollingsworth has set himself a target of making sure the club is united, which he believes will lead to success on the field.
"We aim to have a family-friendly atmosphere and see the need to form a link between the senior club and the juniors as absolutely vital in the future of the club," Hollingsworth said.
"That link has been missing and as the youngest club in the senior competition, we really need to make sure we are supporting each other.
"This will have a flow-on effect and a healthy, active senior club is good for the community and will allow us to grow our depth, with the juniors benefiting from having the experienced players around.
"There are also clubs throughout Albion Park and Dapto who have juniors, so we would like to also provide some of those kids with a pathway to seniors also.
"We have already had the Shellharbour under-14s, 16s and 18s attending senior training, and judging by how the kids enjoyed it last year I think we are on a winner there."
The club, with the assistance of AFL South Coast, will also be setting up pathways for all juniors, including an indigenous program helping with both AFL and employment.
On the senior front, the club is hoping to attract some new players which will allow them to be more competitive, under coaches Andy Wilton and Chris Nyman, who took over from Hollingsworth midway through last season.
"The senior competition is very tough, with a big gap between the top four and the rest," Hollingsworth said. "However, with a couple of new players and a positive attitude we can become more competitive and with juniors coming through I think the club has a very bright future.
"We think that most of the players will be in the 25 to 30 age range, so that will mean lots of young families, which is good, and if we can get the youngsters on board, that also means lots of parents attending games and getting involved as well.
"We have had a fair bit of success getting extra sponsors. Our major sponsor Warilla Bowling Club has been a tremendous help, so we know we have strong community backing and that is vital in the direction we want to go."
There have been other welcome faces around the club in the form of past players and committee members who have pledged their support.
Hollingsworth welcomes all past players and members to the Suns.
Anyone wishing to contact the club can do so by logging on to shellharbourcitysuns.sportingpulse.net.