The secret behind 100 years at Ammos

COMMUNITY and camaraderie are the secrets to a well-loved club, a Geelong Amateur life member believes.

Robert Foster first walked through the club’s doors as an under-15 player in 1964 and remains a familiar face more than six decades later.

The 1972 premiership player spent time away from the club before returning in 1993 to take on the presidency, a decision he said was made easy by the relationships he had built years earlier.

It’s an experience he says is not unique to him but felt across the club.

“It’s really the camaraderie of the club that keeps you coming back,” Foster said.

“On a Thursday night down at Ammos they make in excess of 300 meals – that’s a lot of lamb chops.

“It’s unbelievable, the juniors come in, the netballers, the seniors and so on.”

ABOVE: Moving into the Bellarine Football Netball League in the 1990s helped Geelong Amateur better align their netball before officially becoming a football-netball club. BELOW: Geelong Amateur welcomed women’s football into the club in 2018 for AFL Barwon’s inaugural women’s season. Photos: file.

As Geelong Amateur prepares to celebrate its 100th anniversary this weekend, Foster said the club’s greatest strength has always been the people who work behind the scenes.

“My time with the club – and it’s continued all the time I wasn’t at the club – is the camaraderie and the work of the volunteers has carried the club,” he said.

“The people who administer the netball, administer the football, work in the canteen, clean, cook, all that sort of thing, they haven’t got a captain, but they’re still a team.”

Foster has watched the club evolve through the introduction of netball and women’s football, as well as significant growth in its junior programs.

During his time as president, he played a key role in Geelong Amateur’s move from the Geelong & District Football League to the Bellarine Football Netball League, where the club continues to compete today.

The Ammos men last won a premiership in 2015, the last of a threepeat effort. Photo: file.

He believes the club’s willingness to welcome new players, families and volunteers has been central to its continued growth.

With more than 1,000 registered members in 2026, Foster said the club was stronger than ever.

“The growth has been phenomenal and the construction of the junior club has been second to none,” he said.

“It’s been an amazing experience.”

About 400 people are expected to attend Geelong Amateur’s centenary celebrations on Saturday 13 June, following the club’s round 13 clash with league newcomers Surf Coast Suns.

Without the dedication of volunteers, Foster said the milestone would never have been achieved.

He hopes the club will continue to thrive for another century.