Echuca Moama Border Raiders has had a successful season this year both on and off the pitch, holding events such as its Women’s Day. Photo: Aidan Briggs.
Photo by
Aidan Briggs
Echuca-Moama Border Raiders Football Club has had a record-breaking season, with more than half of its sides making finals while also developing a positive family culture.
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The club’s MiniRoos program for girls and boys aged five to 11 saw an all-time high in registrations, notching 250 kids in the program for 2024.
The MiniRoos season will close on August 31 with a presentation night full of fun activities and a pizza party.
Club president Ryan Quirk praised MiniRoos program co-ordinator Kris Kershaw’s work throughout the season.
“It has been a highly successful season with record numbers; it’s great to see the younger kids enjoying soccer and starting young,” he said.
“Kris Kershaw was the MiniRoos co-ordinator this year, and he was in charge of the 250 kids that were in that program; he did a fantastic job, and he should be very proud of the success of it this season.”
The Border Raiders junior teams have also had a promising season, with the two under-12 boys’ sides narrowly missing the Super Cup finals.
For the first time, the club entered an under-12 girls’ side, which sits third on the ladder and made the finals.
Quirk was thrilled with the under-12 girls’ success in their first season and attributed the result partly to the growing interest in women’s soccer in Australia.
“It is very exciting for the team because none of them have played soccer before, and they have made finals in their first year,” he said.
“Many of them have been inspired by the recent success of the Matildas, which is awesome to see for our sport.”
In addition to his role as president, Quirk also coaches the under-14 A side, which has remained undefeated throughout the season, winning the premiership and qualifying for the Super Cup.
The under-14 B Vikings team is currently second on the ladder and will go into the Super Cup as a contender, while the other under-14 B side, the Pirates, is awaiting further results to see if it qualifies.
The Echuca Moama Border Raiders women’s side finished the 2024 season on top of the ladder and will be promoted to Division One in 2025. Photo: Matthew Kappos.
Photo by
Matthew Kappos
Arguably, the crown jewel of the club is its dominant senior women’s side, which has claimed the premiership in its competition and will be promoted to Division One for the 2025 season.
Quirk highlighted the success of the senior women’s side, pointing out there were two new coaches this year and that the players had helped inspire the under-12 girls.
“Not only are the women’s side self-motivated, but they are all extremely close, so for those girls to have two first-time senior coaches in Paige Pinson and Amelia Richardson guiding them into Division One is a credit to them,” he said.
“They are one of our flagship sides for the club, and we put those girls on a pedestal. I think that is why the under-12 girls are in the Super Cup this year: because they look up to our women’s team.
“To have two successful women’s sides to play in the Super Cup means the world to our club; it is super exciting.”
The senior men’s side also made the Super Cup this season, finishing in fifth place.
The Border Raiders will host one of the Super Cup finals rounds on Sunday, September 1, when both the senior men’s and women’s sides will be in action.
Six clubs from across the leagues will visit Jack Eddy Oval for a big day of football.
Quirk said that while the club’s season has been successful on the pitch, with five out of eight sides making the Super Cup, the committee did not emphasise wins and losses, choosing to focus on culture and community.
“As a president and a committee, we don’t judge our club based on results because they will come. I believe we have built a fantastic culture this year,” he said.
“Things like the women’s day, record registrations in the MiniRoos and our increase in volunteers for the club indicate we are in a really good spot.
“To have happy families, players and members is what we are about, and I think that is what we have done in 2024.”
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