By Tim Doutré
THE times they are a-changing at Dempster Park. The North Sunshine Football Club under the watch of new president Mark Neiocho is ushering in a new era and it is starting at the bottom.
“We are going back to basics and looking after the community and not worrying about just the senior team and getting money into the club, paying players and all that sort of stuff,” he said.
Neiocho and his new board are planning on ramping up their support for the Auskick program in an effort to reach out to the community.
“Our area is quite a poor area. Auskick costs $55 a pack for each kid that wants to do it.
“A lot of the families are unemployed and new refugees. What we wanted to do was try and raise some funds so kids could play without having to pay.”
The North Sunshine Football club will subsidise the Auskick fees by $30 in a bid to make it more accessible but Neiocho said the club needed help.
“It’s only going to cost the kids $25 at the moment to play so we are trying to find some sponsors out there to cover the other $25 if they can,” he said.
“We have put it down to about 100 kids that we can cover ourselves. Anything over that and we will be in trouble.
“So we are hoping that with sponsorship that comes on board whatever number of kids we get we have it covered.”
Neiocho, a long-time clubman in his first year as president, is aware the club has gone through some rough times in recent years but it is part and parcel of the location of the club.
“You have got about seven or eight clubs within a kilometre of each other, if not more, and you are just trying to dip into the market all around that area.
“Unfortunately the way football is going at the moment it’s all about money and if you don’t have the money you don’t get the players.”
With a new coach Patrick Angelino on board as the new senior coach and Neiocho taking over as president, 2010 is shaping to be an important year in the history of the North Sunshine Football Club.
North Sunshine will have a stall at the Brimbank Festival on 13 March for people to sign up or businesses interested in contributing to the Auskick.
Neiocho also said they would be having a Back to North Sunshine day on 28 March with all past players invited to play in the feature match.
For details call Mark Neiocho on 0427 013 799.
