By Parker McKenzie
Sporting teams in Belgrave are reporting strong numbers of participants and club members, particularly with a growing amount of women’s teams, as local clubs bounce back strongly from the Covid-19 pandemic.
Belgrave Cricket Club President Sean Connolly said members of the club are well up from pre-Covid-19 levels.
“A lot of our increases come through new avenues. We added an all-girls team into our juniors this year and our other junior sides have grown across the last four years,” he said.
“Our men’s sides have been at a solid four sides for a long time, we sort of tapered off a little bit but it has been more solid this year.”
He while it has been difficult to get people to commit to an entire summer of cricket, the club is “as strong as we’ve been in probably a decade.”
“There are a lot of people that missed a lot of time with family and a lot of time getting away,” he said.
“We’re in a strong spot because of the people that have come back and rallied around the club.”
South Belgrave Football Netball Club Chris Huglin said the first season after pandemic restrictions were difficult, but numbers have since bounced back.
“Female participation in football is just incredible at the moment, this year we’ve introduced a women’s veterans’ team,” he said.
“Fitting them in with ground time can be an issue, there are a few other challenges that come with it, but there is no negative and it is a net positive overall.”
South Belgrave Football Netball Club has seven football teams and one netball team and can find it difficult to cater to all its players.
Mr Huglin said he would like to see further planning from local and state governments to ensure there are enough facilities for the growing number of players.
“Society is at a point where recreation is one of the most important things for mental health,” he said.
“It’s important to be surrounded by better people and role models as a junior and young player.”
