Wednesday, 2 April 2025

 Nick STAIKOS (Bentleigh – Minister for Consumer Affairs, Minister for Local Government) (10:07): Happy 60th birthday, Bentleigh Football Netball Club. It started in 1965 as Bentleigh Methodists and competed in the Eastern Suburbs Protestant Churches Football Association. In 1978 the club changed its name to Bentleigh Uniting and 10 years later moved to its present home at Arthur Street. In 1993 Bentleigh became part of the newly created Southern Football League before crossing to the Victorian Amateur Football Association from 2000 to 2010. It had a landmark year in 2009 when both the seniors and reserves sides won premierships. Returning to the Southern league in 2011, Bentleigh took a great step when it fielded a women’s netball team and then in 2017 added a women’s football side. I have had a proud association with this club in the years that I have been the local member. It has been a pleasure to secure funding for important infrastructure, including lights and an electronic scoreboard, and soon work will commence on a full-size netball court so that netball and football can both be played at Arthur Street.

With over 150 male and female playing members, Bentleigh footy netball club is a thriving and diverse club, largely thanks to Demons stalwarts such as Garry Matlock and Paul Dimattina, who have served as players and presidents and continue to serve on the committee to this day. I want to acknowledge another club stalwart Russell Holmesby, and I particularly thank him for assisting me with the historical information in this statement. Happy 60th birthday, Bentleigh Football Netball Club.