PEGS SC Receives $5,000 Community Grant from Bendigo Bank

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Image Credit: One Nil Media

In a powerful show of support for local sport and women’s participation, Community Bank Keilor East – Bendigo Bank has awarded a $5,000 Community Grant to PEGS Soccer Club, allowing their senior women’s team to play for free in 2025.

The grant marks a revived partnership between PEGS SC and Bendigo Bank, following a long-standing relationship with the Strathmore branch that was paused during the pandemic.

“Originally, we had a partnership with them through their Strathmore branch in 2015 and 2016 for a few years, and then it disbanded over COVID,” explained PEGS SC President Chris Orlich. “This is the first year we’ve started back up with the Keilor East branch.”

Chris Orlich (Left) and Richard Lawrence (Right) from Community Bank Keilor East proudly announces the $5,000 community grant alongside PEGS SC, presenting the new senior women’s team jersey supported by Community Bank Keilor East. A big boost for grassroots sport and women’s football in 2025 Photo Credit: One Nil Media

The renewed collaboration reflects a shared commitment to fostering community, inclusion, and opportunity through grassroots sport.

“It was a massive help for our senior women’s team,” Orlich added. “We were able to get them to play for free, basically covered by Bendigo Bank. It’s a huge boost and shows how supporting the community and local business really makes a difference.”

At Community Bank Keilor East, giving back is a core value. As a community-owned bank, they return up to 50% of profits into local initiatives, including sport, education, and grassroots programs.

“Supporting women’s teams is not only aligned with our values of equity and inclusion, it’s an investment in the strength and future of our community,” said Zaina Kattan, Community Engagement Officer at Bendigo Bank Keilor East. “We’re especially passionate about backing local sporting clubs and are proud advocates of women in sport.”

The Keilor East branch recently marked a major milestone with the purchase of their long-time premises at 53 Wyong Street, where they’ve proudly operated for over 23 years. Backed by a dedicated team, including Business Development Manager Aggie Polifico and a committed board, the branch’s support goes beyond financial contributions.

The PEGS SC senior women’s team celebrates with Richard Lawrence from Community Bank Keilor East – Bendigo Bank after receiving a $5,000 grant to cover 2025 player fees, supporting inclusion and growth in grassroots football. Image Credit: One Nil Media

PEGS SC and other local groups also benefit from Bendigo Bank’s free Community Bus, which helps reduce travel costs and encourages broader participation in competitions and events.

With the grant now in place, PEGS SC’s senior women will take the field in 2025 free of player fees – helping remove barriers and build a stronger, more inclusive future for the sport.

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Boroondara Eagles Secure Landmark Victory as Macleay Park Set to Become NPLW Home

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Image Credits: Boroondara Eagles

A long-awaited breakthrough for the Boroondara Eagles Football Club has brought the vision of a permanent home for women’s football one step closer, with Boroondara City Council endorsing plans for an NPLW-compliant pitch at Macleay Park.

For the Eagles, the ambition to provide women with deserving facilities took a significant step forward this week after the Boroondara City Council committed to upgrading the pitch as part of the Macleay Park Masterplan.

This masterplan involved new sports lights on Macleay Park Oval 3 but failed to see any further development to the soccer facilities or the Boroondara Eagles until Monday night.

The decision marks a defining moment in the club’s history and provides a platform for sustained growth, particularly for its thriving women’s and girls’ football programs.

While the resolution represents an important planning milestone, its significance extends well beyond the construction of a new playing surface. It signals a commitment to ensuring female footballers have access to facilities capable of supporting elite development pathways while remaining connected to their local community.

Purpose-built facilities remain one of the biggest challenges facing women’s football across Australia. As participation continues to surge, many clubs have outgrown venues originally designed around significantly smaller player bases.

For a club that has experienced rapid growth in recent years, the announcement provides the opportunity to establish a permanent home capable of meeting the demands of National Premier Leagues Women’s football.

The investment also reflects a broader shift within local government and football stakeholders towards recognising the infrastructure required to support the continued growth of the women’s game.

The Council’s decision was underpinned by strong community support, with players, families, coaches, volunteers and supporters filling the Council Chamber in a powerful display of unity.

The overwhelming attendance demonstrated the depth of connection between the club and the local community, highlighting how football facilities can become important social and sporting assets beyond matchday.

Although the inclusion of the NPLW-compliant pitch within the Macleay Park Masterplan represents a significant victory, the project remains at the beginning of its journey.

Funding, planning and delivery will now become the focus as the Boroondara Eagles works alongside Council, partners and the wider community to bring the Macleay Masterplan to life.

The club has already called on local businesses, sponsors and community members to become involved in the next phase, recognising that delivering modern sporting infrastructure is a collaborative effort.

Should the project progress as envisioned, Macleay Park has the potential to become more than simply the club’s home ground. It could emerge as a center point for women’s football in the local Boroondara community, supporting participation, talent development and community engagement for years to come.

For the Boroondara Eagles, the Council resolution is not the destination—it is the foundation upon which the club can build its next chapter.

Tottenham Hotspur deliver player development workshop for Football NSW

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Image credit: Football NSW

The workshop focused on sharing knowledge and insights regarding player development, bringing together more than 120 coaches from across NSW with those from Tottenham Hotspur.

 

Experience, insight and education

Valentine Sports Park hosted the Continuing Professional Development (CPD) workshop, uniting Football NSW coaches and members of Tottenham Hotspur’s coaching staff to encourage discussion and learning opportunities about player development.

Tottenham’s player development pathway – from the academy to the first team – has produced some of the most respected names in Premier League history, including Harry Kane and Ledley King.

Under the leadership and guidance of Tottenham Hotspur Player & Coach Pathway Co-ordinator (and UEFA A Licence Coach), Jimmy Martin, as well as members of Tottenham’s coaching staff, Shannon Maloney, Kevin Moffatt and Tyler Blackwood, the workshop was a unique opportunity to learn from some of the most experienced coaches in the game.

“Coach education is a vital part of developing football across NSW, and having more than 120 coaches attend this workshop highlights the appetite within our football community to continue learning and improving,” explained Football NSW Head of Football, Edward Ferguson.

Ferguson continued to outline the value of learning from an organisation like Tottenham Hotspur, a team who have helped grow some of the game’s most exceptional talents. The lessons taken will consequently help to inform future approaches to coaching in NSW.

“The focus remains on creating better learning environments for players, encouraging decision-making, creativity and long-term development.”

What the workshop involved

The workshop encouraged coaches to dive into all aspects of player development: the technical, tactical, physical and mental aspects which contribute to the English academy setup.

Furthermore, Maloney, Moffatt and Blackwood – all of whom helped deliver a practical session for attendees – showed how a club’s playing identity can work alongside challenging training environments for players.

Game understanding, creative problem-solving and technical proficiency underpinned the main themes driving the workshop. In an age where individual expression on the pitch appears a dying art, Tottenham Hotspur coaches remain committed to encouraging players to feel confident adapating to a range of in-game scenarios.

Football NSW coaches were also able to attend a Q&A session with King, who spoke about his playing experiences for both club and country.

 

Final thoughts

As Australia continues to nurture the current and upcming generations of talented footballers, workshops such as this are a vital, fundamental part of the journey.

The fastest way to be among the best is to learn from them. The aim now is for Football NSW coaches to take the lessons learned, and apply them to football development in their own academies and teams across the state.

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