Mitchell Rangers Soccer Club is gearing up for another big season this year and is hoping to build on the momentum gained over the past few years.
Fielding multiple senior teams including men’s, reserves, and women’s, the Rangers have gone from strength to strength in recent years as participation numbers continue to grow.
Results have also started to come the way of the Broadford-based club in recent years, and with the first rounds of the 2024 season approaching it’s all hands on deck to be in fighting form.
Continued improvement the focus
The Rangers’ men put on a ‘massive step up’ in 2023 according to coach Stuart Clothier.
Playing in the Football Victoria Men’s State League Five North, where they remain for this year, the Rangers finished 2023 in ninth on the 11-team ladder with two wins, three ties and 14 losses.
Clothier, who is now entering his third season as men’s coach, said the result was a ‘massive improvement’ from 2022 – during which the Rangers lost all 20 matches for the season.
“We’re looking to kick on this year and get a few more wins under our belt,” he said.
“I try my hardest to not place too many targets on things because it’s hard to know who you’re going to be going up against.
“But I think I want to win more games than we lose, we go into every game with the intention of winning so that would be a great achievement for this season. If we can get halfway through the season and aim even higher, then it’d be even better.”
Supporting the Rangers’ ranks this year are several new and familiar faces, including Zach Kennedy who will be playing his first full senior season after moving up from the under 18s.
Returning for this year are Luke Summerville and Michael Williams, both of whom were sidelined last year due to ACL injuries.
“Having [Summerville and Williams] back in the mix, it’s almost like having new players,” Clothier said.
New for this year is also a third team alongside the men’s and reserves that will play on Sundays, created due to an increase in player numbers at the club.
The first match of the season is a Rangers home game at Broadford Secondary College on March 23, which will kick off at 3pm for the reserves and 5pm for the seniors.
Women’s program on the up
2024 will be a follow-up to the senior women’s team’s encouraging 2023 season – with a year under its belt, the team will be hoping to hit the ground running once the season starts.
The club expressed an interest in bolstering its women’s program early last year and recruited Cameron Leffley as team coach, however only one player turned up to the team’s first training session in February.
Thanks to the efforts of team manager Mikayla Gibbons, however, a team was formed ahead of the season’s beginning in mid-April.
Despite starting with a completely fresh base, the Rangers’ women played a solid 2023 season to finish fifth on the Women’s State League Five North-West ladder with four wins, two ties and 10 losses.
Leffley said the team would be looking to continue to push forward from 2023 and was already showing strong signs in practice matches so far this year.
“The girls came a long way [last season] … the great thing about Mitchell Rangers is we welcome anyone that wants to play the sport, whether you’ve kicked a ball before or not, or if you’ve played for years and years, we’ll find a spot for you,” Leffley said.
“Wins or losses aren’t really my concern currently in the practice stages, it’s about building the foundation of good football and enjoyable football for the girls to have a good and successful season.”
With three practice matches under its belt, the team is incorporating multiple new players that are expected to make a solid impact once the season gets underway.
The team did, however, suffer a blow in this year’s first practice match against Castlemaine Goldfields early last month, with goalkeeper Bridgette Davies sidelined for the season with an ACL injury.
“Sport’s a wonderful thing, you can never predict it and we’ve had a couple of injuries with Bridgette and a couple of other little things that we’re just managing,” Leffley said.
“But we’ve had a good influx of girls, all ready to take their spot and are of equal ability, and that are keen too.”
Leffley also credited the growth of the women’s side to the ‘Matildas effect’, with Australia’s national women’s team inspiring many players to get involved in soccer.
There are now more than 20 women’s players keen to get on the field with the Rangers, with an under 18s team also on the cards.
The first match for the women’s season is currently planned for April 21, with fixtures to be released in the coming weeks.
