The Breakwater Eagles have been a club that has punched above its weight throughout its 58 year history.
A club that once won six senior Men’s Division One titles in a row from 2005-2010, the Eagles have also had success in the women’s game, winning the Women’s Division One championship in 2009 and 2010.
Over the last five years the club has had its ups and downs, but as 2022 draws to a close, the Eagles are ready to spread their wings once more.
With an enthusiastic committee that has a healthy mix of experience and youth, the future looks bright.
Club Secretary Tyler Stavenuiter admits he is excited about what is in store.
“This year our numbers are more than they have been since the decline in 2017, when we saw a number senior players leave the club at once to go over to Barwon, following an exodus of the women’s team to Drysdale a year earlier,” he explained.
“We currently have 140 registered players across nine teams with 100 of those being juniors.”
Things are progressing well on the field, and one of the feel good stories in Geelong football this year has been Breakwater’s Under 13s boy’s team. Coached by four of the club’s senior players, a large number of the playing group are meant to be Under 12s, but have stepped up an age group and have secured a place in the Grand Final this Sunday. The Eagles will play Geelong Rangers at Myers Reserve after beating Surfside Waves 2-1 on the weekend.
The fact that two senior captains’ in Tom Willson and Jared Ross have taken on the role of head coaches, while Morrison Bacon and Shaun Pender have been their assistants, is a testament to the spirit at Breakwater in 2022.
The Under 12s made the finals but narrowly went down 2-1 to Corio.
The senior men’s teams did well this year as well, with the club fielding a top flight team for the first time in five years. The youthful look of the team all goes well for the future.
“We have re entered back into the Division One this year for the first time since 2017, and have been extremely competitive having either drawn or beaten every team in the league,” said Stavenuiter.
“Our senior playing group consists of 90% young players with most players aged between 19 and 22, which is extremely exciting for us moving forward.”
One aspect the club wants to really kickstart again, is the number of females at the club.
Nine years ago the club was thriving in this space.
In 2013 the club had two senior women’s teams, one of which made the grand final. In 2012 they had an Under 17 girl’s team that made finals. Mini Roos girl’s numbers grew to around 15 in 2015.
Sadly due to COVID, female numbers dropped rapidly. But it’s an area that Stavenuiter and the Club Committee are working feverishly at fixing.
“We were able to restart our senior women’s program in 2018 fielding a team for two seasons, before losing the girls as a result of the pandemic shutdowns,” he admitted.
“But we have shifted the club’s culture since the new Committee was implemented in 2020. We are now heavily focused on being a family club again where everyone is welcome.
“Everything we do revolves around this and making sure that we are providing a community service for all no matter what gender, ability, age, socio economic status or race.”
With 2022 drawing to a close, the work will still go on at Breakwater, with the Club set to make some exciting announcements in the coming weeks about the future. These moves will ensure the sustainability and long term growth of the club.
Rest assured, the Eagles will soar once more.
