Sports club prepares to celebrate centenary

A SMALL country football and netball club is gearing up to celebrate its 100th anniversary.

The Anakie Football and Netball Club will mark the milestone with a special anniversary game on May 10.

President Heath Menhennet said the club is putting the call out to anyone that was associated with it to attend the day and catch up with some old faces.

“Over my time of 14 years as the president, I’ve run into a lot of people that have either played, had a brother or sister that played for us or dated someone that played for us,” he said.

“Over the years we have had a lot that have passed through the doors and we would love to see them return.

“That [May 10] will be culminating in having a place for everyone to get together and recognise that we’ve got to this stage where some never thought it would eventuate.”

The club started its playing days in paddocks around the Anakie area before it officially purchased the land in DeMotts Road in 1925 and went on to win the Mathieson Cup premiership in 1929.

While many clubs in surrounding towns have folded or culminated in the past century, Anakie has defied the odds.

The club has undergone several renovations throughout the years, the first of which in 1929 included construction of the tennis courts and change rooms, with showers and toilets not included.

A cricket pitch, social rooms, light towers, the Len Moore pavilion, netball courts and more have since been added.

The club has also received funding in recent years for its facilities including for the construction of change rooms, completed in 2018, a milestone Mr Menhennet says kick-started the progress.

“We had a number of issues that were forcing us from developing or getting any bigger from what we were, so when funding was announced for the first change room upgrade, that was the start of it, and we haven’t looked back since,” he said.

“Thanks to the City of Greater Geelong and their funding, we are now in a state where we are doing more meals, we’re doing more social events now for the town and we’re able to do that comfortably.”

For the full history of the club, head to anakiefnc.com.au .