The little club that could

Ash Reid and Peri, Abby and Elly Stewart in front of the new OFC scoreboard.

Olinda-Ferny Creek, one of the smallest clubs in AFL Yarra Ranges, sits on top of the football and A-grade netball ladders as teams prepare for the season’s final seven rounds.

The league’s first division took a week off for the Vic Championships on Saturday 14 July.

OFC won the football and netball senior premierships last season and president Ian Taylor said the club drew strength from a small, dedicated community and firmly embraced family values.

Taylor also acknowledged the strong support from local businesses, particularly the Monbulk Bowls Club.

The president said the bowls club recognised the strong work OFC did in the Olinda and Ferny Creek communities and recently made a significant donation for new gym equipment.

OFC, with help from the junior club, recently spent $40,000 on a new colour scoreboard.

Taylor said that two years ago the club raised another $40,000 to ensure the girls were playing netball on the best possible surface.

He said OFC was already working towards next season, when Berwick, Narre Warren, Pakenham and other fast-growing South-Eastern suburbs will join the competition.