They may seem to fly under the radar of Victorian football, but the Jim Williams-led Eastern Lions have hit the ground running in their attempts to make 2016 one of the club’s most successful years.
After getting a first taste of the competition last year and finishing seventh in NPL 1 East, not far off the leading pack, Williams admitted training has been in full swing already to ensure the club is adequately prepared for the season ahead.
“We’re about 15 sessions in, we were in for three weeks before Christmas and just resumed on Tuesday, we’re in the process of putting our squad together,” Williams said.
“We’ve kept a lot of guys from last year and we’re looking at only adding about four new additions, so this game tonight has been really good for us to get an idea of where we are in relation to that.”
While the head coach says that last year provided a good platform for the club to build on, he wants a continuity among his playing squad with the view of elevating them to a higher standard of football.
A club that has seen current Melbourne Victory forward George Howard rise through the ranks, Williamson wants to continue focusing on developing young talent, only bringing in players who will complement the existing roster while adding a bit more spark across the park.
“Personally I was disappointed, I thought we could have finished higher in the league, it was a big challenge for the club itself, we were ready for it but it was a big challenge,” he said.
“We had a great start and the momentum took hold, but then injuries took hold and we had to catch up a bit of times in games, but it was a learning curve and we thought it was a good standard of football.”
“The philosophy within our club is we want to give our own a chance to develop within the team structure and come through, and we’ve been fortunate over the last couple of years to bring some good lads through through,” he says.
“We’re still not quite there yet, but we believe [in players] coming specifically to play for our club. Anything beyond that, and hopefully that happens, with a bigger club coming and says we like him, which they’ve done in the past.
“We also need to freshen up and strengthen our squad across the board. We are trying to punch above our weight in relation to the size of our club, were looking to get another visa player who we hope will make a difference to our structure.”
While Eastern Lions may not have the same abundance of resources as other clubs, a big factor that has seen the Lions match it with bigger clubs on the pitch has been its stable support network, with the backroom staff – from president to junior coaches – overseeing the day-to-day operations for a number of years now.
Similarly, the Gardiners Reserve outfit has also been commended for fostering an inclusive culture within its walls.
Williams said the club will continue to working to engage with its community members and council to ensure it remains a viable and successful club in the NPL for years to come.
“What we do believe is that we need to improve 40% on and off the pitch to compete because every other team has had a taste of the [NPL’s] last two years,” he said.
“The difference this year is there’s a relegation [license review] coming through, a promotion was last year, now there’s a relegation, so this is where everybody’s going to have to get their act together and we’re in the same boat.”
“The hardest thing for us, and I think a lot of clubs, is getting the councils on board, because the councils I think are still a little behind in recognising how far this game has progressed now. I think every club’s scratching to get good facilities.
“[Club culture] is a priority, that’s the biggest part of our club if you will, the structure from underneath, people have been here for a long time, and other people have come on board as well.
“The structure of the club is to bring young players through to develop them not only as players but good people. We want to see a professional game but it has to be done properly, they’ve got to have a good learning environment as well, with rules and enjoyment and a different span of people.
“We’ve got people from all over the world at the club, were classed as a British club but we’re not really, we’re a multicultural club, everybody’s down there, lots of races and we all have the same goal, we want the club to do well, from the juniors to the seniors. The first team is the flagship of the club, but theres a lot of good work being done underneath by a lot of good people. It’s exciting.