Presidents Update | Sep 2026
Dear All,
As another football season draws to a close, I wanted to take the opportunity to reflect on 2026 and, most importantly, thank the many people who continue to make Old Ignatians such a special football club.
One Club
Last year I spoke about our One Club philosophy.
For me, 2026 has demonstrated that this isn't simply something we put into a strategy document – increasingly, it is how our club operates.
One of the great examples was our Jansz Ladies Day, which was again an outstanding success and a wonderful celebration of the women of Old Ignatians – our players, partners, mothers, daughters, volunteers and supporters.
More broadly, throughout the year we have continued to see our men's and women's programs, past players, sponsors, families, volunteers and supporters increasingly connected as one Iggies community.
I would also like to acknowledge and sincerely thank all of our committee members who volunteer their time throughout the year. There is an enormous amount of work that happens behind the scenes to run a football club, much of which is never seen on game day. Their time, energy and commitment to Old Ignatians is greatly appreciated and is a big part of what allows our club to continue to grow and improve.
No one person or group makes a football club. It is the collective contribution of everyone involved that creates the culture and community we enjoy at Old Ignatians.
That is what One Club is about, and it is something we should all be proud of.
Women's Football
Our women's team narrowly missed finals this season, but the ladder doesn't tell the whole story.
Five of their losses were by a goal or less, and as the standard of women's football continues to improve, our team improved with it.
The competitiveness, belief and quality of football within the group took another step forward this year and there is a very strong foundation there for the future.
A huge thank you to coaches Jason Bailey and Ben McDonald, support staff Julie Winter and Nathan Cooper, physio Millie Wilkin, Lou Quinn for running the scoreboard and Taylor Beiseel for capturing the season through her photography.
Most importantly, congratulations and thank you to all of our women's players for the way they represented the club throughout the season.
Men's Football
While our men's teams won't feature in finals this year, there has still been plenty of progress across the football program.
Our A Grade had a strong season and incredibly missed finals by percentage. It is a tough way to finish, particularly given how competitive the team was throughout the year.
Thank you to our A Grade coaching group of Jarrad Parker, Tim Rice and Brian Leys, together with team manager Cliff Flower, for the enormous amount of work they put into the program.
Our B Grade produced some excellent football in the back half of the year and continued to fight right to the end. The improvement and resilience of the group was terrific.
Thank you to coaches Jared Centenara and Isaac Ryan, Brendan Daw for providing his experience on the bench, and team manager Ben Black.
Our C Grade also continued to develop and improve throughout the season. The results don't necessarily reflect the progress this young group has made. They stuck together, continued to compete and kept improving.
A big thank you to Patty Tymukas, Ben Thornton, Michael Thomas and Brady Monahan, together with team manager Michael McCarthy. Keeping a group positive, connected and improving when the wins aren't coming is no small achievement.
9,000 Hours – and a Handful of Moments
One of the things I reflected on recently was just how much work goes into a football season.
Across our coaches, medical staff and players, I estimate around 9,000 hours were dedicated to on-field development and improvement from pre-season through to the end of the year.
That is an enormous commitment.
Yet when you look back at our season, particularly our senior teams, it ultimately came down to a handful of moments in a handful of games.
When you think about it, 9,000 hours versus a handful of moments doesn't seem right – but that is the reality of Division 2 football.
It can be brutal.
But those 9,000 hours get us into the conversation.
What we do in those critical moments – whether we recognise them, capitalise on them and execute when it matters – determines the result.
That is the next step in our evolution.
We have a very young group and we have got a lot right. There is a strong foundation in place, and our challenge now is to turn that progress into results in 2027.
The People Behind the Club
None of it happens without volunteers.
Our coaches, team managers, medical staff, BBQ crews, event volunteers and the countless people who simply see something that needs doing and then get on with it.
I would particularly like to acknowledge our key medical staff Chris Page, Shane Ryan and Millie Wilkin, along with Arne and our team of trainers, who do an outstanding job looking after our players throughout the season.
Their professionalism, care and commitment to injury management and player welfare is an incredibly important part of our football program.
We have also welcomed back our high-performance guru, Kev Whitford, this season. It has been fantastic to have Kev back around the club, bringing his experience and expertise to our players and football program.
Community football clubs don't function because of one or two people.
They work because a lot of people make contributions – and collectively those contributions become something very significant.
Our Sponsors
To all of our sponsors, thank you once again for your tremendous support throughout 2026.
Our major sponsor, The Bath Hotel, and Tony Franzon and his family continue to be incredibly important partners of Old Ignatians.
To our Diamond sponsors Distinctive Blinds & Curtains, Hayborough Investment Partners, William Buck Family Office and Silk TTP & Burnside, together with all of our Platinum, Gold and Silver sponsors – thank you.
We also welcomed several new sponsors into the Iggies family this year, including Centrone Finance, Choices Flooring and BMS Risk Solutions, and it has been terrific to have you involved.
We understand every business has choices about where it directs its sponsorship dollars and we never take for granted that you choose to support Old Ignatians.
Hayborough Investment Partners Business Lunch
Our recent Hayborough Investment Partners Old Ignatians Business Lunch was another terrific demonstration of the strength of our community.
A full room, a fantastic guest speaker in Craig Hutchison and tremendous support through ticket sales, raffles and the auction made the day another major success for the club.
Thank you to George Capozzi, Ben Rundle and Hayborough Investment Partners for their continued support as naming rights sponsor, Megan Leydon and JP Calabrese for the enormous amount of work behind the event, MC Tom Rehn, auctioneer Rick Ward, our wine partners, donors and everyone who contributed prizes, experiences, accommodation, wine or their time.
The generosity of the Iggies community continues to be extraordinary.
2026 Presentation Dinner – Saturday 10 October
Our final major event for the year will be the Old Ignatians Football Club Presentation Dinner on Saturday 10 October.
This is always one of the great nights on the Iggies calendar and an opportunity to bring the whole club together to celebrate the season – our men's and women's teams, award winners, coaches, volunteers and the many people who contribute to our club.
We would love to see a big Iggies crowd there to finish 2026 in style. Players, partners, parents, past players, sponsors and supporters are all encouraged to come along and be part of the night.
Get a group together, organize a table and don't leave your booking until the last minute. It promises to be a fantastic way to celebrate the people and moments that made up season 2026. Click on the link below to purchase tickets:Dear All,
As another football season draws to a close, I wanted to take the opportunity to reflect on 2026 and, most importantly, thank the many people who continue to make Old Ignatians such a special football club.
One Club
Last year I spoke about our One Club philosophy.
For me, 2026 has demonstrated that this isn't simply something we put into a strategy document – increasingly, it is how our club operates.
One of the great examples was our Jansz Ladies Day, which was again an outstanding success and a wonderful celebration of the women of Old Ignatians – our players, partners, mothers, daughters, volunteers and supporters.
More broadly, throughout the year we have continued to see our men's and women's programs, past players, sponsors, families, volunteers and supporters increasingly connected as one Iggies community.
I would also like to acknowledge and sincerely thank all of our committee members who volunteer their time throughout the year. There is an enormous amount of work that happens behind the scenes to run a football club, much of which is never seen on game day. Their time, energy and commitment to Old Ignatians is greatly appreciated and is a big part of what allows our club to continue to grow and improve.
No one person or group makes a football club. It is the collective contribution of everyone involved that creates the culture and community we enjoy at Old Ignatians.
That is what One Club is about, and it is something we should all be proud of.
Women's Football
Our women's team narrowly missed finals this season, but the ladder doesn't tell the whole story.
Five of their losses were by a goal or less, and as the standard of women's football continues to improve, our team improved with it.
The competitiveness, belief and quality of football within the group took another step forward this year and there is a very strong foundation there for the future.
A huge thank you to coaches Jason Bailey and Ben McDonald, support staff Julie Winter and Nathan Cooper, physio Millie Wilkin, Lou Quinn for running the scoreboard and Taylor Beiseel for capturing the season through her photography.
Most importantly, congratulations and thank you to all of our women's players for the way they represented the club throughout the season.
Men's Football
While our men's teams won't feature in finals this year, there has still been plenty of progress across the football program.
Our A Grade had a strong season and incredibly missed finals by percentage. It is a tough way to finish, particularly given how competitive the team was throughout the year.
Thank you to our A Grade coaching group of Jarrad Parker, Tim Rice and Brian Leys, together with team manager Cliff Flower, for the enormous amount of work they put into the program.
Our B Grade produced some excellent football in the back half of the year and continued to fight right to the end. The improvement and resilience of the group was terrific.
Thank you to coaches Jared Centenara and Isaac Ryan, Brendan Daw for providing his experience on the bench, and team manager Ben Black.
Our C Grade also continued to develop and improve throughout the season. The results don't necessarily reflect the progress this young group has made. They stuck together, continued to compete and kept improving.
A big thank you to Patty Tymukas, Ben Thornton, Michael Thomas and Brady Monahan, together with team manager Michael McCarthy. Keeping a group positive, connected and improving when the wins aren't coming is no small achievement.
9,000 Hours – and a Handful of Moments
One of the things I reflected on recently was just how much work goes into a football season.
Across our coaches, medical staff and players, I estimate around 9,000 hours were dedicated to on-field development and improvement from pre-season through to the end of the year.
That is an enormous commitment.
Yet when you look back at our season, particularly our senior teams, it ultimately came down to a handful of moments in a handful of games.
When you think about it, 9,000 hours versus a handful of moments doesn't seem right – but that is the reality of Division 2 football.
It can be brutal.
But those 9,000 hours get us into the conversation.
What we do in those critical moments – whether we recognise them, capitalise on them and execute when it matters – determines the result.
That is the next step in our evolution.
We have a very young group and we have got a lot right. There is a strong foundation in place, and our challenge now is to turn that progress into results in 2027.
The People Behind the Club
None of it happens without volunteers.
Our coaches, team managers, medical staff, BBQ crews, event volunteers and the countless people who simply see something that needs doing and then get on with it.
I would particularly like to acknowledge our key medical staff Chris Page, Shane Ryan and Millie Wilkin, along with Arne and our team of trainers, who do an outstanding job looking after our players throughout the season.
Their professionalism, care and commitment to injury management and player welfare is an incredibly important part of our football program.
We have also welcomed back our high-performance guru, Kev Whitford, this season. It has been fantastic to have Kev back around the club, bringing his experience and expertise to our players and football program.
Community football clubs don't function because of one or two people.
They work because a lot of people make contributions – and collectively those contributions become something very significant.
Our Sponsors
To all of our sponsors, thank you once again for your tremendous support throughout 2026.
Our major sponsor, The Bath Hotel, and Tony Franzon and his family continue to be incredibly important partners of Old Ignatians.
To our Diamond sponsors Distinctive Blinds & Curtains, Hayborough Investment Partners, William Buck Family Office and Silk TTP & Burnside, together with all of our Platinum, Gold and Silver sponsors – thank you.
We also welcomed several new sponsors into the Iggies family this year, including Centrone Finance, Choices Flooring and BMS Risk Solutions, and it has been terrific to have you involved.
We understand every business has choices about where it directs its sponsorship dollars and we never take for granted that you choose to support Old Ignatians.
Hayborough Investment Partners Business Lunch
Our recent Hayborough Investment Partners Old Ignatians Business Lunch was another terrific demonstration of the strength of our community.
A full room, a fantastic guest speaker in Craig Hutchison and tremendous support through ticket sales, raffles and the auction made the day another major success for the club.
Thank you to George Capozzi, Ben Rundle and Hayborough Investment Partners for their continued support as naming rights sponsor, Megan Leydon and JP Calabrese for the enormous amount of work behind the event, MC Tom Rehn, auctioneer Rick Ward, our wine partners, donors and everyone who contributed prizes, experiences, accommodation, wine or their time.
The generosity of the Iggies community continues to be extraordinary.
2026 Presentation Dinner – Saturday 10 October
Our final major event for the year will be the Old Ignatians Football Club Presentation Dinner on Saturday 10 October.
This is always one of the great nights on the Iggies calendar and an opportunity to bring the whole club together to celebrate the season – our men's and women's teams, award winners, coaches, volunteers and the many people who contribute to our club.
We would love to see a big Iggies crowd there to finish 2026 in style. Players, partners, parents, past players, sponsors and supporters are all encouraged to come along and be part of the night.
Get a group together, organize a table and don't leave your booking until the last minute. It promises to be a fantastic way to celebrate the people and moments that made up season 2026. Click on the link below to purchase tickets:
Looking Ahead
Whether you are a current player, past player, parent, sponsor, volunteer, old scholar or simply a friend of the club, you are part of the Old Ignatians community.
And as we finish another season, I believe that community is in very good shape.
There is plenty for us to continue working on, particularly on field, but there is also plenty to be optimistic about as we look towards 2027.
One area where everyone can help is recruiting.
The best recruiters for our football club have always been our current players. If you know someone who is looking for a game of footy next year, no matter what level they play or which team they may suit, we are always keen to welcome new players to Iggies.
Now is the time to start those conversations. Talk the club up to your mates, bring them along, tell them what Iggies is about and encourage them to be part of it in 2027.
Building strong playing groups across our men's and women's programs is everyone's responsibility, and sometimes all it takes is a conversation with a mate to bring another good person into our club.
Thank you to everyone who contributed to Old Ignatians Football Club in 2026.
Enjoy the off-season, stay connected to the club and let's continue building on the foundations we have established as we head into 2027.
Go Iggies!
Bevan Ferrari
President
Old Ignatians Football Club
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