'Started from the ground' - New generation at Johnville FC
Johnville FC junior footballers, Saturday, August 22.
On Saturday August 22, young footballers gathered at Johnville Football Club at Williamstown to play a few friendlies together.
The pitch was a healthy green after a notoriously warm and dry summer. The grounds are in tip-top shape with the newly installed LED lights and adult goalposts.
For coach Graham, the quality of the team and grounds come after years and years of community work. He said: "Compared to where we were four, five years ago, then gates were nearly being shut up here.
"A new committee came in, a load of us got together and took over as a new committee and we're doing very well now I have to say."
"We started from the ground up and we're after working back up again and getting back to, hopefully, where we were 15, 20 years ago."
The pitch was recently sanded with over 90 tonnes of sand. As Graham described: "The astro-pitch was in bits up there, that's been resurfaced as well."
The team of 12-year-olds were the first players to go through the academy training. Their level of discipline and determination was clear from the jump, as they gathered into a circle to do their warm-ups before the match.
Graham said: "When they started they would have all been around 7 or 8. They're after graduating the whole way through. "
The team were playing their third match of the week against their neighbours St. Joseph's. Today's match was a friendly before the new season begins.
Most of the boys come from St John's Park. On the pitch they are expected to conduct themselves like athletes. As Graham said: "I remember when I was playing U14 football, you were treated as adults. You have your messing in the dressing room, you come out here and you get ready."
"We've come a long way. It is something to be proud of here as a club."
