An important development to come from the recent club Annual General Meeting involves Division One football for 2015.
Due
to the decision by Gridiron NSW to merge the Colts season to the same
time of year as the Division One season, the Sutherland Seahawks have
decided to not enter a team in the 2015 Division One competition. Alternatively, the club will organize some exhibition games for the end of 2015 and beginning of 2016.
It
was a decision made with great sadness as the club had just experienced
a very competitive 2014 season, making the semi finals for the first
time since 2010 and winning the most number of games (8) since 2001. The
change in season structure, laid on the clubs without any meeting by GNSW, will
push the scarce resources of the club to one time of the year instead
of the previous structure of Colts Football in the first half of the
year and Division One in the second half.
In order to maintain
the quality of the club's Colts program, which has won the last 2 State
Championships, and ensure that the Division One program was run to an
acceptable standard of coaching, playing, administration and
officiating; matching the Colts program, the club members have passed a motion to not enter a
Division One team for 2015.
This will be the first year since the
start of the club in 1987 (28 consecutive seasons) that this has
happened. The positives will be that the club will continue to work to
improve its Colts program and also further develop Junior football; and
initiative that is sorely under-developed in the sport in Australia and
the source of the lack of development in the 31 years of the sport in
Australia.
Preparations for the 2016 Division One season will
instead be spread now over the next 18 months, as the club will aim to
re-enter a team at that time. This will only happen if the standards set
in 2014 can be reached again and developed beyond. The starting point for this will be taking on rookie Division One players in October and veterans returning to practice at that time as well in preparation for a series of exhibition games. More news to follow.
Peter Upham
President
Sutherland Seahawks
24/03/2015
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