Category: Sport

Women’s cricket team still recruiting

North Shore Cricket Club will enter a women’s team in the coming summer competition for the first time – and there’s still room for more players to join.

Committee member Annemaree Wills said the team will play in the Geelong Cricket Association, with games to be played on Sunday afternoons. 

Annemaree is among the group of committee members who re-established the cricket club in 2019. “I’ve gone from playing junior cricket and football at North Shore to becoming a volunteer for both cricket and football clubs, and seeing my kids grow up around the club.”

Training for the women’s team is Tuesdays at 5pm, at Windsor Park in Rose Avenue, with coach Anthony Ford welcoming players of all experience and skill level. 

Annemaree said the club can provide gear for anyone wanting to join the team. Players will need to buy their uniform, but membership is free for women this season.

North Shore will also field three men’s teams this year, as well as the only all-abilities team in Geelong to play in a league. 

“We have welcomed new members this year and continue to see the club grow with the women’s team this year,” Annemaree said. “We plan to tackle getting a junior team next year. 

“We are all about making a safe and all-inclusive environment for anyone in the northern suburbs to come along to. You don’t have to play cricket to get involved. You can come down and watch and attend any club functions. Everyone is welcome.” 

60 years of Corio Little Athletics

Corio Little Athletics is celebrating 60 years this summer and wants to hear from anyone keen to join the celebrations, share their memories and memorabilia.

In 1966, the Corio Centre became the seventh centre affiliated with the then-named Victorian Little Athletics Association. 

Publicity Officer Sharron Colls-McKenzie said a number of current parents and volunteers were Corio athletes themselves, and several volunteers have been active at the centre for many years.

“Two Life Members, Margaret Robertson and Barb Fairbrother, achieved more than 50 years of service. Life Member Graham Cole has been acknowledged for 30 years and several others are not far behind in their years of service.

“Why do some people stay so long?  It’s the fun and friendly environment, and they love seeing young athletes build confidence and achieve.”

Until the summer of 2025-26, the Corio centre consisted of several affiliated clubs with the remaining five – Bell Park, Corio South, Corio West, Lara and Golden Plains – merging last summer to now compete as the Corio Centre.

“Little Aths, as it is known, is a fun, social sport all the family can participate in together.” Sharron said. 

“Unlike many other sports where parents cheer from the sidelines or record the scores, athletics provides many opportunities to be involved and hands on. Athletes love having their family members out there with them, and adults enjoy being close to the action.”

The season starts Saturday, October 3 at Goldsworthy Reserve, with two free trial weeks available until the end of October.

Corio gym’s community offer

A privately-owned Norlane gym is offering a free weekly class to local residents of all fitness levels.

Max Effort Fitness owner Brad Lomas said he started the Saturday class because he believes people deserve a coached option in a gym, that doesn’t cost them anything.

“If you walk through our door on a Saturday, you get a coach who cares whether you train and whether you come back the next week,” he said.

Brad opened his gym in Walpole Parade in 2023 after working as personal trainer in other gyms. He offers group fitness classes, one-on-one personal training, nutrition coaching and massage therapy, as well as open gym access for members.

An accredited exercise physiologist, Liz, runs the Friday night Activate class and also works with members who have specific health or rehab needs.

Brad said his members are a broad mix, ranging from the Monday afternoon Kid’s Group through to men and women in their 60s and 70s. Fitness levels range from total beginners through to barbell lifters, plus several NDIS-funded participants supported through the gym’s community access programs. 

“We’re a long way from the intimidating gym stereotype,” Brad said. 

“The free Saturday sessions are for anyone. Total beginners, parents who haven’t trained since school, older locals wanting to stay mobile, teens looking for somewhere safe to train, people coming back from injury. No fitness level required.”

Session run for 60 minutes, starting at 9.30am sharp. They include a mix of strength and conditioning. 

“Everything is scaled to the person in front of us, so a complete beginner and someone who’s been training for years can both get a great session out of the same hour,” Brad said. “Coach Liz is on the floor too, so there’s extra support for anyone managing an injury or health condition.”

There are 20 free places for every Saturday session. To register online, use the link at maxeffortfitness.com.au/booking-calendar/free-community-class or message on Facebook or Instagram (@maxeffortfitness), or just turn up on the day if there’s a spot. 

Brad said the Saturday classes are not just a free trial that eventually ends. 

“It’s free, full stop, forever. We are a business, so you might end up on our email list, but we don’t do hard sales pitches. The coaching and the community sell this place far better than I ever could.”

Max Effort Fitness is at 3/9 Walpole Parade, Norlane.

Season of growth for junior football

The Northern Stars junior football program is enjoying a season of growth thanks to the hard work of its volunteer organisers and funding from AFL Victoria.

Northern Stars is a combined project involving North Shore and Corio football netball clubs, creating one program that provides football opportunities for all juniors in the area. 

In 2026 the program is fielding teams in AFL Barwon’s under 10, under 12 and under 14 competitions. Junior co-ordinator Jessie Lee Hunter said numbers had grown to 73 this year, with another 40 children registered in the Auskick program.

Funding from AFL Victoria means that the Auskick program is free and junior competition players only pay $30 for their uniform – all other fees are covered. Some players have also received free boots.

North Shore Football Netball Club representative Rowley Bone said the funding resulted from practical support provided by former AFL Commission Chairman Richard Goyder, AFL CEO Andrew Dillon and Member for Corio Richard Marles. 

“Through their support we worked with AFL Victoria and AFL Barwon, who have development roles in our program,” Rowley said.

“We received $100 vouchers for each player registered, which means we can make football affordable for families. We also received equipment and funding to be able to offer Auskick free.

“With the success of the program and the same continued support we expect the numbers to keep increasing, which is a great result for football in north”.

Future plans are for Geelong Football Club to appoint an AFL and AFLW Ambassador to the program to make school visits, attend Auskick centres and help at junior training.

Jessie Lee, in her second year as co-ordinator, said the funding had been the difference between playing or not for some juniors.

“It’s made it a possibility for families for the kids the play,” she said. “We’ve had a great year.”

Jessie Lee said running the program is a lot of hard work, but worth it, and the growth this year has unearthed new volunteers who will be important to the club’s future.

She said it’s not too late for juniors to get involved. They can join training at Corio Football Netball Club, in Purnell Road, on Wednesday and Thursday from 4.20pm until 5.30pm. Games are played at various grounds around Geelong, on Friday nights and weekends.

For more information look for Northern Stars JFC on Facebook.

Hockey club looking for new players

Saints Hockey Club is looking for new players of all ages to learn, train and compete at Stead Park in Corio, and beyond.

Saints is one of Geelong’s oldest hockey clubs and over several decades has entered teams across multiple divisions in men’s, women’s and junior competitions from under 8 to under 17.

Club spokesperson Stacey Climpson said that as juniors developed and moved into senior teams, recruiting new players became a challenge. 

“This year we’ve been focused on rebuilding our junior teams and, for the first time since 2000, we have three junior teams – in under 8s, under 10s and under 12s,” Stacey said. 

“Our juniors are enthusiastic and dedicated, but we’re still actively seeking new players to join them. Earlier this year, we were fortunate to receive a City of Greater Geelong grant, which allowed us to run pre-season junior programs and welcome several new players.

“With the support of our volunteers, we brought hockey into schools in Corio, Lara, Little River and Anakie, leading into the Hockey Victoria’s Hookin2Hockey program. This helped junior players to engage in a five-week introduction program.”

The club is currently still involved in the winter competition, which runs until late August, but is also looking ahead to the 2026/27 summer season and 2027 winter season with hopes of having junior teams in all competitions from under 8s to under 16s.

Stacey said although the winter season is almost over, new players can still join in training now. Training is held at Stead Park in Corio on Wednesdays. Junior teams train from 5-6pm and senior teams from 6-7pm.

The club’s under 8 and under 10 teams play on Saturday mornings and under 12s play either Saturday or Sunday morning. The senior teams play across both days, generally after 12.30pm. 

Games are currently played at both Stead Park and Torquay hockey pitch while Stead Park is getting a new pitch installed and new clubrooms. 

Costs vary between teams with club fees starting at $65 for under 8s. There is an additional Hockey Victoria registration fee, which starts at $60. 

For more information about Saints junior teams, contact Greg at [email protected]. If you are interested senior teams, contact Chloe at [email protected].  

You can also stay in touch via the club’s socials: Saints Hockey on Facebook and Instagram. 

Xander breaks coach’s 28-year record

Breaking a record that has stood for 28 years is an amazing achievement. When the record
had been held by your coach, it’s a pretty awesome feeling for both.
That’s what happened in December at the Corio Little Athletics Centre, when Under 15
athlete Xander Mitchell triple jumped 12.26m to break his coach’s 1997 record of 12.23m.
Xander has been competing at Corio since 2019 and coach Justin Pitcher, who was also a
young athlete at the Corio Centre, has been coaching Xander in triple jump and long jump
for three seasons.
Xander also trains and competes in discus and javelin events with great results. When he
broke Justin’s record, Xander said it felt “relieving and great to see what has come after
years of training.”
Justin could see Xander’s potential and with Xander now consistently medalling at State
level in Little Athletics Vic, Athletics Vic (seniors) and School Sport Vic competitions, Justin
said he is excited to see what lies ahead.
Xander went on to jump 12.40m at the Athletics Vic State Championships in February.
Unfortunately he was injured during the Little Athletics Vic State Championships in March
and was unable to jump, but won bronze in javelin.
Xander also set a new javelin Corio Centre record, throwing 46.26m and breaking the 2020
record of 45.91m. In April he will compete in the Australian Athletics Junior Championships
in Brisbane in triple jump and javelin. This will be his fourth time competing at national level.
Xander was first attracted to athletics because his parents encouraged him and his older
brother to go to a Come & Try Day. Coach Justin recommends Little Athletics as a great first
sport for young children. Many skills learned will also transfer to other sports.
To find out about Little Athletics go to [email protected]. The Corio Centre is also active on
Facebook and Instagram.

Sport is teaching life skills too

Northern Bay College is celebrating the success of its SEED (Sports, Empowerment,
Education, Development) program which now has almost every student at the school
participating in some way.
SEED manager Steve ‘Stoofa’ Lewry said the program is about teaching students the skills
that they can use in every part of their life and when they leave the college.
“They are the skills that they can take with them,” he said. “We teach them about
accountability, resilience, respect, and we teach them with sport. We have specialised
coaches that come in and train the kids and get the best out of themselves.SEED provides
access to baseball, softball, netball, volleyball, badminton, hockey, AFL, netball.
“At the moment is we’re working on a working on specialist academy for volleyball and
badminton. So that would be an extended program for students who are good at those
sports.
“We have some very talented students. We’ll have professional coaches and will run after
school. Our Sports Co-ordinator Ben Lowery is doing a lot of work on growing the specialist
program opportunities.”
In addition to SEED, a SEEDLINGS program has been created for Year 5 and 6 students
under the guidance of Gordana Krsul to experience a ‘taste’ of all the sports they’ll
participate in when they get to senior school.
“Every Friday, all the junior campuses come together for a transition program,” Stoofa said.
“The rules have same concept as ABC – attendance, behaviour, character. It’s been great for
students know what the SEED program is as early as Year 5 and 6 and has increased
students attending SEED in senior years.”
Northern Bay College has achieved some outstanding results in volleyball, badminton,
soccer while interest in cricket and golf is growing. A new golf complex was recently
completed and is used by up to 50 students each lunch time.
On an individual level, SEED is also achieving and has employed about 13 former students
to work as coaches in the program. Jessie Blackney, a former student, worked as a trainee
after finishing school and is now studying teaching. Another is Jack Hall who has done well
in football and Lauren Kelly, who is excelling in cricket. 

Stoofa is confident the future of the program is bright. “I hope that when I’m finished at the
college there will be a succession plan. Someone will sit in this seat, and they’ll be able to
continue what I do and what Ben does.”
Term 4 events for SEED participants include a soccer friendly, and resumption of the track
club and fit club, including about 23 students competing in the Essendon Gift.

Two long-standing records tumble

Corio Little Athletics Centre was excited to have two young athletes break long-standing Centre records over the summer season, as well as achieving great results at higher levels of competition. 

Spencer McKenna broke the Corio Centre U10 1100m race walk record of 41years, then broke his own record, taking a total of 23.36 seconds off the original record. He then capped off the season winning gold at the Little Athletics State Championships

Over the season, Spencer walked under the original record time five times; four times at Corio, and at the State Championships.  

It took some considerable effort, but the original record holder Matt Bottrell was tracked down and was excited to attend presentation day as a surprise guest, to meet Spencer. Matt also wrote Spencer a letter of congratulations. 

Spencer has been competing in Little Athletics for five seasons and said he loves athletics because “I get to hang out with my mates and do different events”. The Corio Centre is looking forward to seeing where Spencer’s athletics career leads him. 

Sienna Bilinski broke the Corio Centre U15 triple jump record of 30 years, by 16cms. The original record holder, Alison Sezonov, was also located and congratulated Sienna in a phone chat. 

Alison was excited to talk to Sienna, saying “I congratulate her on breaking my record. It is great to see talented juniors are still up and coming. I was very encouraged by her maturity and am confident Sienna will excel in any sport or career she chooses.”

Sienna said she enjoyed hearing about Little Athletics from Alison’s perspective.

The Corio Centre U15 300m hurdle record was also broken by Sienna not once, but three times over summer. Sienna also went on to compete in the Little Athletics State Championships winning gold in long jump and 400m, and silver in triple jump.

Sienna also competes with the Corio Athletic Club (seniors) with Athletics Victoria and competed in their State Championships winning gold in long jump and 400m, as well as travelling to Perth in April to compete in the Australian Athletics Championships placing fourth in 400m (PB), sixth in long jump (PB) and seventh in triple jump. 

Sienna has been competing in athletics for 10 seasons and enjoys it “because of the variety of people and how supportive everyone is and I love the new experiences I get”. 

The Corio Centre has been proudly watching these two athletes achieve. President Marty Sanders said: “Little Athletics is all about having fun and athletes achieving their personal best, but it certainly is exciting when we have athletes breaking records and doing so well at higher levels of competition.” For information about joining little athletics, email [email protected]

Come and try hockey in 2025

Have you ever wanted to try hockey? Or return to the game after a long absence? Hockey Geelong (Geelong Hockey Association) would like to hear from you.

Geelong Hockey Association, based at Stead Park in Norlane, has embarked on a plan to boost its number of players to 1200. It is planning to implement a number of ideas to attract players of all ages.

President Graeme Dent said the association had 1200 players in 2016, but numbers have dipped to around 765. “We want to get our playing numbers back up to 1200 again to make sure hockey is again thriving in Geelong,” he said.

The association put out a call to members to come up with a list of ideas that will help with recruiting new or returning players. They include contacting former players, come-and-try clinics, a come-back-to-hockey campaign, school events at Stead Park and expanding its summer and Monday night competitions.

The association has seven clubs – Corio, Geelong, Golden Plains, Geelong Saints, Hockey Geelong Sharks, Kardinia International College, Newtown and Torquay.  They enter teams in local and Victorian competitions, from juniors to Masters.

Geelong Hockey Association provides a pathway to participate at higher levels for players and officials, with the Hockey Geelong Sharks teams participating in the Hockey Victoria metropolitan competitions. 

The association’s junior development pathway allows players to play in higher level competitions and still play with their local club. This pathway also brings the opportunity for selection in Regional, State and National representative teams.

“Hockey has had a great history in Geelong and we’re proud of our facilities,” Graeme said. “We have a hard-working committee who want to see as many hockey enthusiasts as possible play our great game.”

For more information, contact 0419-590-057 or email [email protected]

Little Aths is sport for all

Corio Little Athletics Centre has partnered with Sport4All through the City of Greater Geelong and has welcomed Travis Zimmer in the role of inclusion coach.

The Corio centre is committed to providing an inclusive environment and is confident the support provided by Sport4All will help enhance what it provides. Travis is guiding the centre to make the sport and facilities more inclusive and accessible for athletes, families, visitors and volunteers with disabilities to actively participate.

Committee members recently had their first inclusion training session, facilitated by Travis, and coaches and officials will also be trained to help the centre provide a supportive experience for everyone. Travis is also developing a targeted plan for Corio Little Athletics Centre to achieve its goals.

Corio Little Athletics Centre Publicity Officer Sharron Colls-McKenzie said Little Athletics is an individual sport, so is able to integrate all-abilities athletes into the program at Centre level, with personal adjustments as needed. 

“The Centre’s All Abilities Co-ordinator works with families to identify the best way to support their athletes,” Sharron said. “This might be adjusting weights and heights of equipment, allowing a support person to run or walk alongside the track etc.” 

Kirrilie, mum of all-abilities athlete Florence, said: “Corio Centre is inclusive and encouraging and provides a safe space for Florence to develop confidence in her abilities both on and off the track.”

Athletes with disabilities wanting to compete at Region and State events need to be assessed and classified by Little Athletics Vic to compete as multi-class athletes.

Another initiative by the Centre last season was creation of a quiet sensory space inside the clubrooms, for athletes to take a break if needed.  

For more information about Corio Little Athletics Centre, contact Meridith, 0412-166-760.