The mornings are getting chilly, cricket bags are being stored away and bright-coloured boots are being bought.
Football is back.
The start of the local football season is upon us, a time of great excitement for players, coaches, fans, volunteers and sports journalists alike.
But for Shepparton East Football Club’s under-15 side, it is a period filled with trepidation as it is forced to wait and see if it can field a team.
Justin Davies is a junior development officer at Shepparton East and has been running football clinics at local schools in an attempt to encourage young potential footballers to come down and give the sport a crack.
“For the under-15s at training, we currently have about nine or 10 junior players,” Davies said.
“We are chasing 16 minimum. We probably need another seven, and another 14 would be perfect, but seven would get us across the line to get a team up before the season.
“In about two to three weeks, we will make a call on whether we have a side or not.”
Although Davies believes the clinics at Shepparton East Primary School and Orrvale Primary School are helping the club, they don’t seem to be saving the Eagles’ under-15 side. Instead, the club hopes the clinics can boost numbers for future years.
Junior football teams can be volatile in terms of their numbers, with Davies saying there are a number of potential reasons for the lack of players, including a low number of boys in the year, less interest in sports or more interest in other sports.
Having started at the club as a junior, Davies is passionate in his pleas for children of all footballing abilities to come down for a training session at Shepparton East.
“We are happy to have superstars and we are happy to have kids that have never played football before,” he said.
“There are a variety of players out there already and if some kids are a bit apprehensive about their talent or whatever, we welcome everyone.
“The boys that are there just want to have a team. If anyone wants to come and have a try and if they come and try and it’s not for them, that is fine as well.
“But just come and give it a go and you will find it is quite a welcoming place.”
Davies believes it is essential that the community and football associations continue to support teams on the outskirts of town.
“I think it’s very important and it’s kind of mirrored by the farming around the region,” he said.
“All the smaller ones, and I spent some time in Swan Hill and a lot of the smaller clubs are dying off as the farms are getting bigger.
“It’s not so bad in the Goulburn Valley, but there are a lot of outer leagues that are starting to struggle with numbers, so we need the inner leagues and the AFL to make sure they are looking after the smaller leagues around the region because they actually do a lot for those in town.
“A lot of the AFL products that come out of the Goulburn Valley have actually started in the lower leagues and, as they get better, they go into town and then on to bigger things.”
The Eagles invite boys turning 13, 14 or 15 in 2024 to contact the club or visit their Facebook page, Shepparton East Football Netball Club, to learn more.