Wood closes chapter at Tigers after five-year tenure

THE Torquay Football Club is farewelling its leader of five years after the club’s president officially announced her departure from the Tigers.

Jenny Wood had little to no idea she would become president of the Torquay Tigers when she first took on a team manager role 13 years ago for her son’s Under 14s side.

More than decade later, Ms Wood leaves the club with a strong female program, a new headquarters for the Tigers faithful to call home and a senior playing list prepared to compete at the top of Bellarine Football League (BFL) for the next decade despite the devastation caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

“It’s actually a bit sad for me personally,” Ms Wood said.

“We had our presentation day last Saturday and I said to a committee member that I wasn’t doing a speech because I’ll lose it.

“But, after Dom Gleeson did his speech on the day, he invited me up on stage to say a few words and before I knew it treasurer Conn Mios appeared with a big bunch of flowers.

“So, I got kind of emotional knowing it would be the final time I’d address the club.”

Following a year as team manager, Ms Wood assumed her place on the committee in 2011 poised to assist the club in any way she could.

Ms Wood then served three years as club secretary under the then-junior president Steve Stonehouse.

The club’s two committees at the junior and senior levels then merged providing a pathway for Ms Wood to be named junior operations manager in 2014, where she gained an abundance of experience in presidential obligations.

Ms Wood assumed the club president mantle off Steve Cooper in 2018 fresh off of Torquay’s 2017 Premiership.

“Torquay is massive now, but it still has that small town feeling to it and that’s the same from where I came from in Hamilton, that’s why I moved to Torquay,” Ms Wood added.

“I understood when I started as president, I would have to make some tough decisions, not everyone was going to be happy with them, but I was happy to take on that responsibility with a super supportive committee behind me.

“I feel like I’ve given as much as I could have to this club over the past five years, and being thrown the curveballs I’ve had thrown at me has been great in some regard, it allowed me to contribute in ways outside of football.”

Ms Wood said she had little regrets while serving as president, except one, not having a club senior premiership during her tenure.

“I suppose from a president’s perspective if I had gotten that senior premiership this season knowing it was my final year at the club, it would have been the ultimate exit,” Ms Wood added.

“The guys were flat when we got back to the club that day, but the ‘ressies’ were unreal and everyone just came together.

“It was still a great celebration and full credit to Barwon Heads as well.”

Ms Wood and husband David will make the official move up to the warmer weather of Peregian Springs in Queensland’s Sunshine Coast at the end of the year, giving the outgoing president some time to assist in deciding a new Torquay president.

She has also promised to make the trip down south the next time Torquay secure a BFL Grand Final spot.