This week Swooper caught up with Club Vice President Ryan Balcombe.
Swooper- So Ryan you handle the off field stuff like sponsorship and social events. Anything new to report this year?
R.B- It’s exciting to say YES there is something new. We are welcoming a fantastic new sponsor in Jetts Gym Helensvale to our list of existing sponsor. This is very exciting and is great to see we are gaining more and more local support. What’s better is this lead was sort through one of our loyal WAGS which just shows that anyone can and should help with sponsorship! On top of that our great friends down at the Salt Water Creek Tavern are back on board this year and we should see a very good relationship between CMAFC and Salty’s develop for long into the future. We have our own loyalty card behind the bar that accrues points for the club so anytime a member goes down to Salty’s they need to make sure they request there drinks and meals be put on that card! Of course I can’t go without mentioning our major sponsor Stacer either who have been fantastic in the past 2 years and are again supporting us in 2012.
Swooper- You say everyone can help, how can they do that?
R.B.-The easiest way to help is by start asking questions. Everyone knows someone who knows someone who knows someone that owns a business. At CMAFC we build Partnerships with our sponsors. It’s not just about getting money and offering nothing. We have sponsorship packages for any level of investment that REWARD the business for their support! On top of this we will be doing “Player Sponsorships” again this year which means each player is able to go out and source as many sponsors as they like. And the more they get the better, the benefits are for them (in particular in the fees department!)
Swooper- You captained the reserves last year and played a few games in the seniors, will you be pulling the boots on again? Where do you see yourself playing?
R.B- Yeah I’ll play again. My fans demand it! I played in both grades last year and sometimes in both on the same day so I got exposure to both levels. I see myself playing whatever role the coaching panel believes is best for the club. I was honored to lead the Reserves last year (although I still debate Mitto’s kicking against the breeze if I win the toss tactic) and thought we had a fantastic side (on and off the field). My personal opinion is that we are 1 club and you play for the jumper. Whether that be in the Seniors, Reserves or 18s. So if the club sees me holding a spot in the Seniors than that’s where I will play, or if they see me as helping develop reserves players and helping control the “Angry German” to stop him hurting anyone, than that’s what I’ll do. We had a lot of guys last year who could definitely have played at senior level every week but just felt they weren’t getting the best out of their time and effort in that side, and I’d have to say in some respects I agreed with them. It wasn’t an intentional thing but more of a reflection of the quality group of players we have on offer. The important thing to remember is that we want people to enjoy playing their footy at Coomera. So if they want to aim high they should, or if they want to just ‘have a kick’ than that’s also ok, but as long as the coaches are aware of it. However, I believe that the new coaching panel will see this change in 2012. I’m sure each week we will go in with the best 22 available in each grade for that particular week.
Swooper- What social events are planned for this year?
R.B- Good question. I know Salty’s have a great Ironman Event coming up on 22nd January that we want to get involved in, in fact I think details are on our Facebook page! On top of that we will see the usual offenders such as the Bladder Buster, Black and White Ball, Ladies Day etc but I know there are a few other thoughts floating around out there. “Coomera Idol” sounds like my favourite at this stage. Can’t wait to see Belly in his retro gear busting out some Karaoke. Like sponsorship the more people we have helping in this department the better the results will be!
Swooper- With the club having as many Ranga’s as it does, you included, the clubs sunscreen bill must be trough the roof. Do you have a special strategy to combat this?
R.B.- Stay at the bottom of the packs…. There’s no sun down there….
Last Modified on 10/01/2012 16:28