President’s Message

As we review Season 2024, I think we are all reminded of the challenges this past winter presented with constant wet weather providing so many disruptions. Most Sunday mornings managers were franticly relaying messages to their team, game is on, games been moved, game time has changed or game is cancelled. Let us spare a thought to those parents that had the delightful task of removing mud from the playing gear ready for the following week! Quite a mammoth effort!
What a season for the Cougars, fielding 17 teams which included our first ever Girls only tackle team. From U6 to Open Mens tackle, U10 to U18 TAG & U14 Girls Tackle. Getting the girls team up and running took a lot of hard work from so many people and it was only 12 months ago that we set this challenge. It was a credit to these girls as we watched them improve each week. We were lucky this year with hosting a number of Saturday games, first the U14 girls took the field, finishing with our Open Mens. These games were well supported, the car park was always full! It was pure joy watching the U6s kick off a day of footy at Sir Thomas Mitchell Reserve (STM) on a Sunday morning. Hearing the excitement of each game culminating with a rendition of the Cougars song, it doesn’t get much better!
With the introduction of the Deep Fryer to the canteen we were able to offer, hot chips, nuggets and the very popular Snitty Roll for the first time. These additions to our menu were very popular both on training nights and game day!
This year the U12s made it through to the Grand Final at Leichardt Oval and what a game it was.
The sportsmanship displayed on the field and hearing the Cougars chant at Leichardt Oval was unbelievable, everyone knew the Cougars had arrived. After a valiant effort the U12s unfortunately went down 18-10. The most impressive aspect was their determination and fight, they left nothing in the tank or on the field. I know all the parents, extended families and friends were so impressed with their performance and we look forward to seeing what you can do in 2025.
The Cougars are so lucky to have an amazing committee! Each year I say with pride that we are an amazing family club and again in 2024 we were that club. This season STM saw action both Saturday and Sunday. It is a testament to our committee that both these days run successfully. From Ground set up, cooking on the BBQ, working in the canteen, ground managing to packing up the fields, our committee along with our volunteers work tirelessly to ensure these days run smoothly.
There is so much more that happens behind the scenes, such as making sure the gear is correct, recruitment, securing sponsors, organising pre-season training, player welfare, attending meetings, distributing multiple draws each week and of course making sure all of the kids are enjoying themselves, the list is endless. I encourage anyone who want to come along to a meeting, provide input or have a skill that can enhance our club to come along, we would love to hear from you.
We are blessed in having so many amazing sponsors, as a club we thank you all. Special thanks goes to Ryde Eastwood Leagues Club for their continued support of the Cougars and Junior Sport. If it wasn’t for their support and all of our awesome sponsors, we wouldn’t be able to give so much back to the kids and registration fees would be a lot higher.
Our teams don’t just run themselves. Thank you to all our Coaches, Managers and Trainers for your hard work during the season. It may seem like a thankless job but you are loved and appreciated, teaching our players skills to become a better footballer or just teaching them some life skills. Thank you for giving up your time.
To all of the Volunteer’s who contributed on a Sunday morning in winter when it’s cold and dark, the ground is wet, and you can’t see the other end of STM for the fog. Same can be said for Saturday afternoons, the process is the same, there are so many tasks that go into making game days successful. Thank you to all for lending that extra pair of hands.
The Cougar Café operated every training night from Tuesday through to Friday. It’s a great place where parents come together to chat about their week while the kids trained or ran around with their mates. It provided a great opportunity to start preparing things for the weekend’s games. On display was another example of our great volunteers with so many parents jumping in the canteen to help out.
We held some awesome activities this year the Balmain District Women in League Round, the I4Give Cup game against the Shamrocks and of course our very successful Cougars Trivia Night and a huge thank you to everyone who attended and contributed in any way across these events.
At the end of a game Win, Lose or Draw please make sure you take a moment to thank the Referees and match officials, without these refs we don’t have a game. So make sure you treat them with respect and if you see someone yelling at a ref please tell them nicely to stop.
Well, that’s a wrap for Season 2024! Before we know it Season 2025 will be upon us.
Thank you one and all for your contribution to the Cougars, I look forward to seeing you in 2025.
Enjoy your off season, enjoy your summer sport don’t forget to head to the park with some friends and throw a footy around, work on the little things during the off season. I hope to see some new faces at the AGM on the 10th Nov at the Vikings Club. Don’t be scared to come along and be part of this amazing Cougar Community and have a say. 2025 is a big year for the club its our 60th anniversary so stay tuned for some fun activities. Planning for 2025 is already underway.
Enjoy your off season, I look forward to doing it all again next year!
Make sure you are following us on Instagram and Facebook.
Make sure you sing it Loud and be very proud, go the COUGARS.
Damien Mackey
(Club President)