Hello Hampton Rovers Junior Families,
I hope you all had a fantastic summer! Although the football season is still two months away (season kicks off on 14 April), the Hampton Rovers Junior Committee has also been hard at work, preparing for the 2024 season. Here is an important update for all of our Hampton Rovers Juniors families. Please read on.
Registrations closing very soon!
There are now less than 50 days until the start of the footy season, and while that seems like a way to go, teams need to be finalised as soon as possible.
All returning families are urged to register as soon as possible to ensure that we have suitable numbers in each age group to fill teams. Once teams have reached the preferred number of players, registrations for that age group will close. So don’t delay.
If you are aware of other families considering joining Hampton Rovers for the 2024 season, please also encourage them to register as soon as possible.
Registrations are now closed for both Under 16 Boys and Under 15 Boys.
A wait list will be established where required. Please register as quickly as possible.
Save the Date – Season Launch
Our Season Launch is back – although it will look a little different this year while the Boss James Clubhouse is under construction (see the update a little later).
The 2024 Season Launch will be:
Where: RJ Sillitoe Reserve (Hampton United Cricket Club, corner Olive & Lawson Streets, Hampton)
When: Friday 19 April, 5pm – 9pm
Please lock the date in now! It’s always guaranteed to be a super fun night for kids and parents alike. A massive thanks to the Hampton United Cricket Club and the Bayside City Council for allowing us to use these facilities for our launch.
Save the Date – Pop Up Merchandise Sale
The HRJ Merch Sale will again be held this year to help your kids (and the adults) look like a million bucks in their new footy gear.
Where: Castlefield Club Rooms (Ludstone Street, Hampton)
When: Sunday 24 March, 1pm – 4pm
Footy shorts and socks will be available for purchase. We also have limited hoodies and caps available for sale (but stock levels are low due to Lunar New Year shipping delays). We will have more stock in time for the Season Launch.
Note: if you are unable to make the sale, shorts and socks will also be available at Knight Sport, Unit 7, 56 Keys Road, Cheltenham (Monday – Friday) after the Pop Up Merch Sale has been held.
Measurement and fittings for mouthguards will again be available from our sponsor Your Dentistree at the Pop Up Sale.
Tom Smith’s Hampton Rovers Over Sized Hoodies will also be available for sale in child and adult sizes. Our resident entrepreneur, Tom from U11s, has done a great job designing, manufacturing and selling these items.
Families are encouraged to donate any second hand, good condition football boots, at the Pop Up Merch Sale. CLEAN second-hand footy boots will then be donated to Team Sports 4 All. TS4A will then provide these boots to kids whose families can’t financially afford footy boots. Please ensure the boots are washed and cleaned.
New Committee and Sub-Committee members
Welcome to our new Committee and Sub-Committee members who have joined to help us get ready for the season. James Diamond (Dad of Max in U9s) has taken on the role of Vice President and Communications Manager. Clare Muirhead (Mum of Dan in U13s) will also support James in the Communications role, to help keep our families and players updated throughout the season.
Kate Hatton (Mum of George (U12s) and Angus (15s)) has come on board as Operations Manager. This is a huge role for our Club, which, amongst other things, ensures that all team managers are prepared every week during the season to get all our kids out playing.
Chris Jekabsons (Dad of Finn in U14s) has taken on the role of Equipment Manager. Huge thanks to Chris, Justin Crough and Simon Glendenning for organising all the coaches’ kits.
We also have Kim Philips and Sally Sweeny taking on the roles of Social and Events Coordinators. While we currently don’t have our Boss James Clubhouse to use, we are still progressing ahead with a season launch on Friday 19 April – see details above.
We thank James, Kate, Clare, Kim, Sally and Chris for taking on these important roles and the valuable contribution they have already made to preparing for the season ahead.
My thanks again go to the previously serving Committee and Sub-Committee members who have given so much to the Club. Alisdair Smyth has retired from the Ops Manager role, but remains a General Committee member. After many years, Jeanette Boyd-Taylor has retired from Equipment Manager, but will remain an active member of our Club. Elizabeth Bardwell has passed over the baton for Communications and Events, and has been elected to the Board of the South Metro Junior Football League (SMJFL). We are also looking to fill the Head of Football vacancy to replace Steve Nelson who stepped down at the end of last year. This role can be filled by an individual or via a committee – we are flexible! If you are interested in this position, or any other committee roles (particularly parents from the younger age cohorts), please get in touch.
Boss James Clubhouse redevelopment
After many years of discussions with the Bayside City Council the Boss James redevelopment has begun – whoo-hoo! This is very exciting and hopefully by the 2025 season we will have a brand-new clubhouse. While the area around the ground is a complete construction zone, the work will be worth it once we have a new clubhouse to enjoy.
Go Rovers!
Rohan Bardwell
President
