In 2011, St Kilda secured its first local team after five Irish players noticed the demand for a football club in their area. So the friends took the initiative to develop a football club. The founders then realised the need to secure suitable football facilities.
Through hard work and with the help of the council they were able to obtain these grounds, and their endeavors have created a continually growing club that has already maintained a high level of success.
Playing in Victoria’s State League Two south-east division, the seniors at Celts were determined to play strategically to get to State One. Four of the current players have been with St Kilda since the very beginning, and since then have worked hard alongside the club to work their way up the ranks.
The club’s committee and coaching staff are dedicated to seeing that success continue by providing a friendly and relaxing atmosphere for players and supporters.
With five consecutive promotions already up their sleeves, the head coach of the Celts is obviously doing something right.
An astonishing unanticipated outcome, Derek Donnelly says, “We never expected to get the promotions, but as every season went, we grew as a team and our form was unbelievable.
“We realised at the half way point of the season our minds changed and that we could go further and continue our impressive form.”
Donnelly has mentioned that he was looking forward to the chance of a sixth straight promotion.
“It’s something we first wanted when we started the club, it’s a great opportunity for the club to do something that has never been done before.”
That feat was achieved in the latter stages of the competition, the final celebration after a 2-0 win over Doveton SC on September 10.
Like any other club, the team has faced its fair share of challenges, and as a result have become stronger. Donnelley said the first intentions of the committee were to build a stable foundation for a club for the local area, however the upbringing turned out to be more successful than expected, attracting quality players.
In 2011, these players helped achieve the first promotion/championship. Later in 2013, the club won its first ever state league title by one point over Sandown Lions. Through all the success, the club had lost a few of their stronger players such as Michael Jones to the National Premier Leagues.
Donnelly, proud of his past players, was also excited to introduce new members from the NPL, including Ryan Barns, John Fitzgerald, Craig Evans and Johnny Black, which in turn bolstered the squad for the 2016 season. These changes proved the right decision for the club as it has won its sixth straight championship.
No such thing has every happened before in Victorian football. The Celts will be going into 2017 with their heads held high and ready to take state one by storm. Donnelly said he’s Looking forward to be playing in State One.
“I can’t wait to play teams that are well established and want to be a team like Mornington in this league,” he said.
“We will need to bring in three to four new players for the depth of our squad to be able to be competitive, our goals for the season are not to get relegated and at the half way point of the season we will re-assess and see what we can achieve at the end of the year.”