“Our 150th committee has been doing amazing work behind the scenes and it’s going to be a very special night.”
– PAUL RIX, PRESIDENT
THE buzz word at Lancefield ahead of the 2023 Riddell District Football Netball League season is ‘pride’.
The Tigers will celebrate their 150th anniversary this season – ranking them among the oldest country football clubs in Australia – and president Paul Rix said the entire Lancefield community was delighted to mark the milestone.
The club will launch its season with a reunion night at Lancefield Mechanics Institute on Saturday, with between 300 and 400 people expected to attend.
Rix said many past players and members would relieve the long and storied history of the Tigers, and encouraged as many people as possible to attend.
“We’ll look back on the decades, and people who have been involved with the club will get up and speak about their era,” he said.
“Our 150th committee has been doing amazing work behind the scenes and it’s going to be a very special night.”
Also planned for Lancefield’s sesquicentennial celebrations are a book launch and special heritage jumpers to be worn during the club’s home game against traditional rival Romsey on May 27.
“The heritage jumper is a replica of our 1888 premiership jumper. It’s got the names of the 24 players who played on that day on the jumper,” Rix said.
“There was a fair bit of work from our historical society to track down the names of everyone. It’s probably the first game where we have a full record of the people who played for Lancefield.
“It’s different colours to our yellow and black. We’re going to make it a bit of a surprise for everyone.
“Our senior side will run out with that and we’ll auction those jumpers off after the game.”
On the football field, the Tigers’ senior team has lost midfielders Harrison Taylor and Joe Slattery to Charlton and Kinglake respectively, but retained the bulk of their playing list under new coach Tim Bannan.
Rix said Lancefield would continue to build around its young core after a two-win season in 2022, promoting several junior players and signing promising prospects such as Jack Radford, who won the league under 19.5 goal kicking last season playing for the Riddell Bombers.
Riley O’Meara, a former Lancefield junior, also returns to the club after playing for Essendon Doutta Stars in the Essendon District Football League.
On the netball court a youth-led movement is also in full swing, with A Grade coach Michelle Rix excited for another year of growth for her young team.
With Lancefield’s oldest A Grade netballer only 24 years of age, Ms Rix said the group had plenty of time to develop together.
“It’s a very young team, and I’d imagine we’ll be one of the youngest teams in the league, as we have been for the last few years. But for the majority of the girls this will be the third year they’ve played together,” she said.
“It’s exciting having speedy young girls striving to learn and grow together. It’s an exciting place to be as a club.”
Most of Lancefield’s A Grade side will remain intact, with Elke Henson and Stephanie Hammond joining to split time between midcourt and goals and Larissa Rix returning after an injury layoff.
The netballers will also wear heritage uniforms against Romsey to celebrate Lancefield’s anniversary, inspired by the self-made uniforms the club’s inaugural netball side of the 1960s created.
“The beautiful part of it is that a lot of those ladies still live in the community, so they’ll be present on the day to watch the girls run out in their memory,” Paul Rix said.
“It’s a nice touch to remember where we’ve come from. We want to show appreciation for the generations of families who have been part of our club to this point.
“We’re just the custodians of what has come before us through the trials and tribulations of past club members.
“Hopefully we can honour their memory this season.”
CONTINUE READING THE 2023 LOCAL FOOTBALL & NETBALL SEASON PREVIEW
