On what will go down as one of the biggest days in the club’s history, Melton Centrals ensured their first ever match at Arnolds Creek Reserve would be remembered for all the right reasons.
Melton defeated local rival Rockbank in Riddell District Football League senior division to get its 2016 campaign off to the perfect start.
Played as a stand-alone match on Saturday night, Centrals won 18.26 (134) – 4.1 (25).
It wasn’t just the footballers who marked the special occasion with a win.
The Melton netballers also got their season off to a great start, securing the points against Rockbank.
But the day was always about more than just the four points for Centrals.
It has taken months of hard work to get the club relocated from McPherson Park into its new home in the heart of Melton.
Centrals president Paul Sinclair said the move had made a big impact on the club.
“It has been massive,” he said. “The facilities are state-of-the-art, as are the playing areas and the lights. We are so excited.
“Our junior playing numbers, for both football and netball, have increased markedly, as well. There is a lot of interest in our club from all over the community, which is really exciting.”
Although there are plenty of positives attached to the relocation, it didn’t make it any easier for the Centrals to say goodbye to their former home at McPherson Park.
The Centrals were first formed in 1995 and initially trained at Melton South Rugby Club before moving to McPherson Park in 1998.
“It was a little bittersweet to leave,” Sinclair said. “That will always be our spiritual home – we will always have positive feelings about McPherson Park.
“As was shown at our season launch, McPherson Park held fond memories for a lot of people and always will. Unfortunately, due to its location and age, it was time to move on. This is a new start. It is exciting and people are looking forward to creating history at Arnolds Creek.”
Following the success of Saturday’s match under lights, the Centrals are planning to host more marquee games.
Sinclair said the Centrals wanted to showcase themselves to the entire Melton community.
“We would be silly not to,” he said. “We have a lot of exciting plans in place for stand-alone fixtures in the future. We hope to be able to create traditions and long-standing fixtures to increase the exposure and the awareness of Centrals’ football and netball.”
