By Ethan Benedicto
As the fringes of Clyde and Clyde North grow, so too does its population, and with people always comes the love of sport, especially footy.
The local Clyde Cougars Junior Football Club was established in 2020, and after four years catering to the young ones’ aspirations, have recently announced their first official seniors’ division, with a women’s team also set for the 2025 season.
Amel Mrkanovic, the club’s treasurer, said that considering that it has only been relatively recently that women have kicked off in the football space, “being able to provide a community place for women to come in, be comfortable and the facilities to train is amazing”.
“Being able to have such an amazing facility here is fundamental, and of course, being able to funnel up with the juniors is going to be great,” he said.
Anthony Tassone, former Tooradin Ward candidate and Co-Proprietor of TerryWhite Chemmart has been announced as one of the sponsors for the club, and the women’s team.
“We know health and wellbeing isn’t just about physical health, but also mental health and belonging,” he said.
“Creating more opportunities for women to participate in competitive sport is a cause worth getting behind.
“This is our neighbourhood, and as neighbours, it’s good to look out for each other and look after one another.”
Tassone added that considering that many of these people who enjoy the sport are frequent visitors of the chemist, the least that they could do is show the same kind of support.
The women’s team is still in the process of recruiting, with already 14 members on board, they’re looking to have their pre-season debut just after the Australia Day weekend.
Mrkanovic said that the club has been active in their recruiting process, popping down to Bunnings at Clyde North to spur the excitement of the sport and of course, encouraging women to join the team.
“Without the backing of the community, we can’t have these clubs you know?” he said.
“We’re not a big snazzy or fancy club, everyone comes and volunteers, but having that support from people like Anthony is key to us.”
Despite being one of the fresher teams in the region, Mrkanovic is confident that with their coaches and leadership team, alongside their eagerness to prove themselves, they’re more than ready for the stage.
“At the start, we’re going to have some challenges, but we’re happy to face them and we’ll continue to do, we’re confident that it’s going to be a good season,” he said.
