Under the Sun: Suns and Stingrays formally announce merger

THE official merger of two clubs under one collective banner is set to shift football, netball and cricket not only on the Surf Coast, but also the Barwon region.

Surf Coast Suns Football Netball Club and the Surf Coast Stingrays have officially joined forces under the banner of the Suns moniker moving forward.

Suns president Jay Williams said the two clubs would both operate under one name but remain as two separate committees – the preferred structural option for clubs around the region.

“This is new ground for the Suns because no one had really thought too much about cricket within our club.

“When I sat down with Ben, we caught up and talked about a shared facility and how he was picking my brain about getting some things from Council, and that’s where we came up with the idea of joining forces as the Suns.

“It’s strength in numbers and it helps align our values, which is beneficial for applying for funding and building a membership base.

“It also opens the door for our kids playing at the Suns who can look at playing cricket.”

The Suns, fresh off announcing its move into senior football and netball at AFL Barwon from 2026, and the Stingrays, fresh off two successful seasons since the club’s revival, are both looking forward to prosperous futures as Suns family.

The Stingrays, revealed by this publication, announced in April it would be changing its name and colours.

Suns cricket president Ben Tekin said the club would field three senior men’s teams, with the committee also investigating the potential addition of a women’s side, junior teams and a Blasters program.

“It’s been great to pool ideas and share goals and trajectory with respect to upgrading and building upon the facilities at Banyul Warri Fields, specifically Grant Pavilion.

“The merger gives us absolute confidence in our future. Joining forces with the Suns also forwards us the best platform to build a prosperous junior and female program to add to our senior ranks.

“Giving our members the option to play sport within the confines of a now much larger family/community is an amazing step forward for us.”

Anyone eager to join up at the Suns across all three sports can do so by reaching out via [email protected]