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Hi everyone,
Dear Morley Bulldogs Family
Firstly, welcome to the 2021 year and I want to take this opportunity to thank all of our returning players and families and to also welcome all the new families for season 2021.
My name is Todd Zani and I am a local business owner, Club Sponsor, the Head Coach of the year 11/12 boys and the President of the Morley Bulldogs Junior Football Club. It is a great honour to represent the club in this Position.
This is my first year as President of the Morley Bulldogs Junior Football Club after taking the reins from Ross Condo, who has dedicated the past three years to the role of President, having been a Vice President, Treasurer, Auskick Program Coordinator, Assistant Coach and member of the Club for eight years and he is continuing to be an active member of the Committee and Club as our Merchandise Manager this year.
Ross has done an amazing job for the Club and his shoes will be very difficult to fill but the remainder of the Committee have returned for 2021 and with the addition of a few new faces, we look forward to another strong year this year.
The entire Morley Bulldogs Junior Football Club needs to be congratulated for doing such a brilliant job last year, through what was a particularly bizarre year of football in 2020. A number of community football clubs did not survive COVID-19 but the Bulldogs emerged stronger, with increased membership and participation levels.
This is testament to the outgoing President, Committee and members of this great Club.
Season highlights for the 2020 season included:
323 players registered to play across all years from pre-primary to year 12 (compared to 307 in 2019);
Two girls teams in action for the first time in the Club’s history (Year 5/6 and Year 7/8);
Strong social media presence through the Club’s Facebook (@morleybulldogsjfc) and Instagram (@morleybulldogsjfc) pages;
Securing club sponsors, Harcourts Ross Realty (Shane Ross). Ezetax and Troy’s Auto Finishing for season 2020 through until the end of season 2022;
Ross Condo as voted the East Perth District Volunteer of the Year;
Latrell Morgan was the Fairest and Best Player in the Central Conference Year 9s’
We won the East Perth District Modified Club of the Year (Years 3 – 6) following on from the same award for Auskick the year before;
We launched our first ever Indigenous jersey, whish was designed by 10 year old player Paige Pearce;
The Year 5-6 girls won the award for WA Football Return to Play photo competition; and
The Year 7-8 Girls were also recognized for their outstanding contribution to sportsmanship, with signed balls being presented to the opposition players that played in the best spirit of the game.
Our current Committee has been working hard in the off season and we have already launched a new website, inclusive of an online uniform ordering system and a Morley Bulldogs Team App.
In 2021 we are fielding 16 teams (as compared to 14 teams last year) plus our Auskick program and our participation levels appear to have also increased again this year. We are continuing to welcome new members to the Club, even in the last few days leading up to Round 1 and are also more recently, still restricted with COVID guidelines for the start of the year.
When preparing for a season like this with as many teams and participants as we have, it can not happen without our dedicated volunteers working tirelessly in the background. I want to put out a massive thank you to all of you, from the Committee, Coaches, Team Managers and other volunteers that have helped to get us ready for Round 1 this weekend.
Whilst last year presented numerous challenges there was some absolutely fantastic moments and it was a bizarre season and a year that saw an unprecedented community spirit shine through.
Over the last few years, the Committee has been working really hard to create an inclusive environment for all of our members and their families to enjoy the game of football and we will continue to strive to uphold our reputation as a family friendly club.
In 2021 we will be actively looking for new volunteers to take on roles that are currently occupied by some of the current committee members as part of a succession plan to ensure the continued success of this great club. If you are interested in volunteering please let us know and we can help you meet with some of our great people and to help you give back to our community in a fun, positive and friendly environment.
At Morley we value providing a safe and supportive environment where players have fun learning the skills and values of Australian Rules Football. The most important measure of success at a football club is not measured by our win/loss ratios or premierships but on the influence we have on our children and the positive experiences that they have each weekend, both on and off the field.
We can all continue to support this methodology by continuing to:
Play Fair – Play by the rules and uphold the spirit of this great game – both on and off the field;
Show Respect – Treat others how you would like to be treated and respect everyone (officials, coaches and opponents) and their contribution to the game;
Have Fun – It is a game. Enjoy it! Celebrate being a part of our great game.
I personally want to wish all Doggies good luck for season 2021. Enjoy the games and friendships you will make in 2021.
If you have any queries in relation to the above do not hesitate to contact me on president@mbjfc.com.au.