By Tara Murray
It’s a big couple of years coming up for Melton Hockey Club.
On the back of the club’s women’s team making the finals for the first time last season, the club is focusing on growing its junior program and improving its men’s division.
New president Ron Shadbolt says club members are excited by the challenges ahead, including the opening of a new centre early next year.
“The new facility means a lot to our club,” Shadbolt told
Star Weekly.
“A lot of people haven’t realised we are behind the old Mowbray school.
“The new owners have let us stay there otherwise we would have closed down. But we’re still out of sight and, to a degree, out of mind.”
Shadbolt, a co-coach of the women’s team with David Gorton, says the club is searching for new players.
“A lot of them in Melton play elsewhere. Figures tell us at least 60 players in Melton turn out for other clubs,” he said.
“Our junior program has healthy numbers and we’re planning to run a competition in Melton that means they don’t have to travel to play.
“This is the first time we’ll have done that. It will be a five-a-side internal competition.
“Hockey Victoria will also be running skills programs in Melton and Caroline Springs schools to get more children interested.”
Of the senior side of things, Shadbolt says the club is keen to build on the success of last season.
“We have a new men’s coach and we want to see it developed. There’s a lot of untapped talent and we want to go up into the higher league,” he said.
“With the women, we were one or two players short of being in the mix for promotion. We made finals for the first time and weren’t that far from being in the promotion mix.
“We’ve had a real explosion of numbers on the women’s side in the last few years, going from 12 women to 55.”
The men’s side will have a familiar face in charge this year: Glenn Lawrence.
“We decided we needed a change, with Scott McLaren having been in charge for nearly six years,” Shadbolt said.
“He had been enthusiastic and hard working but, like us, realised we needed a change. He will still be involved with the club.
“Glenn [Lawrence] has been a club member at least 10 years. He’s coached us before and has played 500 games of hockey so he has a lot of knowledge and experience.
“We’re still young and quite inexperienced, so he will be an asset.”
