Finishing second last for three consecutive seasons wouldn’t be considered successful by most people but Monaro Panthers president Simon France disagrees.
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Although the Panthers have been starved of success in the men’s National Premier League, results at junior levels show plenty of promise.
“Over the last few years, the club has actually been highly successful,” France said. “Last year in the National Premier League we made the finals in every age group bar one.
“The club is not just premier league; the club is not just boys. We have teams from three-year-olds through to our state league women’s and men’s sides.
“The enjoyment and participation of players across our region in football are some of our key goals.”
Since France’s appointment at the club in late 2013, the Panthers have developed football programs for schools to boost the club’s participation base, and results at junior levels are proof that the decision to develop talent is paying dividends.
Jumping on board with the Monaro Panthers’ approach is the Queanbeyan-Palerang Regional Council after they approved the Panthers’ application for a $50,000 state government Stronger Communities Fund grant.
A Queanbeyan-Palerang council spokesman said the assessment panel for the grant funding was supportive of the goal of encouraging the wider community to be active and healthy.
With those goals in mind, France said the Panthers and the council are in negotiations about their partnership.
“The application was about granting opportunities to the broader region, about developing the depth of sporting involvement in schools and about building capacity within our community to use sport as a way of building what we do, and the way we do things,” France said.
The Panthers plan to use the money from the grant to help fund their school programs, providing opportunities for regional players and “developing connections into the businesses that use sport as a focus into the community.”
With the 2017 National Premier League season starting early next year, France is confident the club’s success will filter into the senior men’s side within the next two seasons.
“I think the club is well positioned to be competing in the finals on a regular basis. We’ve got the people, the talent, the coaches and the structures ready to go and I think that’s where we are going to be heading.”
