YARRAVILLE-SEDDON is hailing its merger an unmitigated success.
The Eagles have realised their five-year ambition of returning to the Western Region Football League’s top flight.
Six years after the amalgamation of the Yarraville, Seddon and Kingsville Juniors football clubs, the Eagles are back among the big boys with a stable club, a thriving junior set-up and anticipating further growth through the Bradmill Precinct development in West Yarraville.
Asked if validation has arrived for the merger, Eagles president Karen Bermingham said: “Yes, it has. Coming down from division 1, we had to rebuild as a club.
“With the merger, so many players left. It’s been a massive job, a five-year plan to get back up and we got there.”
The Eagles did it in style, too, going through the whole season without a blemish.
David Connell, who came from last year’s runners-up Albanvale to coach the Eagles, brought instant results.
He sold a new game plan, targeted players with a harder edge to complement the smooth movers already at the club and generated a buzz of excitement with his enthusiasm.
Asked what Connell means to the club, Bermingham fired back: “After today, gold! He had his vision, brought some new players into the club and they all just gelled.”
This premiership success is one to be celebrated for Eagles young and old.
The merged club has embraced its rich history of eight division 1 [Seddon 5, Kingsville 2, Yarraville 1] and now five division 2 [Seddon 2, Kingsville 1, Yarraville 1, Yarraville-Seddon 1] premierships.
“The culture at Yarraville is fantastic,” Bermingham said. “That’s why I stayed.
“Our supporters, some of them are 80-years-old, and they still come down and write their notes and just love the club.”
The Eagles want to be seen as a progressive club, which is why the merger came about in the first place.
