By Oliver Lees
Through two years of empty stands, match cancellations and at-home training, the East Sunbury has announced it will not field any senior teams in the Essendon District Football League this season due to player shortages.
The announcement to withdraw its seniors, reserves and under-18s teams was first made public on the club’s Facebook page on February 10, and was met with an outpouring of support from the community.
The Northern Saints Football Club, who also compete in the EDFL, described the news as “very sad” in a reply to the social media post.
“Always a great opponent, the competition won’t be the same without your club in 2022, but we hope you come back stronger in 2023,” the reply read.
In his first year in the role, East Sunbury club president Ronnie Paoly has a challenging 12 months ahead of him.
But with the support of his committee behind him and a wealth of financial management experience under his belt, Paoly is optimistic the club will be back stronger than ever before.
“The word we’re using is: excited. I’m not going to lie to you, it’s going to be a challenge, but I know we’ll pull through,” he said.
“Like I keep saying, financially the club is doing so fantastic, it’s not funny.
“We’re in a unique situation. We have some of the best facilities in Sunbury, we’re about to get a new scoreboard, it’s just a matter of retaining players.”
Paoly’s personal involvement in the club began eight years ago when his kids started AusKick.
Gradually his share of responsibility grew, from coaching, to committee, to last year serving as vice-president, to taking over the mantle for 2022.
Prior to the pandemic, he said, the Thunder’s seniors were in a strong position. East Sunbury was just one straight kick away from taking home the division 2 EDFL premiership in 2018.
But that season also brought changes, with Rupertswood and the Sunbury Kangaroos joining the competition for the first time.
Paoly said this removed the club’s draw card as the only team in town in the EDFL.
Throw in the unpredictability of community sport during the pandemic, and the club was suddenly facing a situation where they could not confidently assume they would have the numbers to fill out their senior sides.
“To field a senior arm of a club you need at least 60 players,” he said.
“Last year we averaged about 15 injuries at a time. Add in COVID-19, you could lose 25-30 players.”
But with the strong financial position of the club, Paoly is looking forward to the year of planning.
He said his committee was already on the hunt for a senior coach for 2023.
“I grew a business from two blokes to 25 blokes. If I can do it with a business, I can do it with a football club,” he said.
“This club in my eyes, the next five years, with all the development opportunities, is set up for a really exciting future.
“I love the club. I bleed blue and green and my boys love the club too. And that’s why I’m here.”
