It is said great things come from humble beginnings. But also from hard work and dedication. This is certainly true of Glenhaven Football Club.
In our inaugural season (1991) we fielded just 7 teams. By 2022 we have grown to 43 teams - both men's and women's - ranging from Under 6’s to Over 45’s.
As a club we look back at our great successes (and a few disappointments) with a great deal of pride, and we acknowledge and appreciate the efforts of those dedicated people who got us here.
But we don't just look back – the years ahead will bring new challenges and opportunities that we will embrace with energy. Lets go!
The History
It was the end of the 1990 football season when another local club decided they were not going to grade their under 9 teams for the following 1991 competition, that encouraged Bruce Fraser & Gregg Levett, along with a group of parents who had children attending Glenhaven Public School and playing for various other clubs, to form the Glenhaven Sporting Club.
At a meeting of the Glenhaven Father’s Club the idea was investigated further and it was decided that the Club could field at least an Under 10 and an Under 8 team in the 1991 season with support from the members.
An application was sent to the Gladesville Hornsby Association to join their competition as a new Club in 1991, which was approved at their Annual General Meeting in November 1990.
In November 1990, a temporary committee was formed to take the Club to the position of registering teams and players during February 1991 and to have the Club constitution written. The Constitution was written as the Glenhaven Sporting Club so that different sports could be played under its banner as a common identity, using the Glenhaven school colours of green & red & adopting the Rosella as the Club emblem. There have subsequently been indoor & outdoor Soccer, Netball & Basketball played under the banner.
The inaugural official meeting of the Glenhaven Soccer Club division took place on the 25th March 1991 at the Glenhaven Community Centre, (an old house which was subsequently demolished), which was attended by 10 people, Bruce Fraser, Gregg Levett, John Bridgwood, Ray Page, John Carroll, Greg Groneman, Jim McGinty, Richard Allelly, Bob Johnson and Rick Jenkins.
The inaugural committee was formed at the meeting with the following members elected.
President Bruce Fraser
Secretary Rick Jenkins
Treasurer John Carroll
Registrar Brian Jackson
Gear Steward Ray Page
Delegate Richard Snodgrass
Recorder John Carroll
Social Gregg Levett, Bob Johnson
Committee John Bridgwood, Richard Allelly, Jim McGinty, Greg Groneman
To the delight & surprise of all the Club fielded 7 teams; Under 6 (2), 7, 8, 9, 10 & 11’s in the inaugural season.
The major hurdle for our first year was the lack of facilities for training & playing games. The Council offered the Club the use of Ellerman Park, (behind the Round Corner Library); however there were no lights and the area was only large enough for Under 6 & 7’s games.
With quite some effort from Erhardt Lorraine we managed to have 1 floodlight installed on the roof of the indoor sporting complex giving us at least some light to train under.
The Saturday games were played with portable posts that had to be transported each week from Holland Reserve where we had a shed for our equipment. At this stage Holland Reserve was only a grand idea in the eye of Bruce Fraser so all home games were played ‘away’.
Holland Road Reserve was in 1990 a very small unused, overgrown cricket park and a holding ground for the Council road shale reserves which Bruce Fraser identified as having enough area to have a full size football field. After consultation with the Baulkham Hills Shire Council, who had no funds to develop the facility, a few residents decided to reactivate the Park Management Committee and endeavour to develop the facility to become the home ground of the Glenhaven Soccer Club, with the help & guidance of the Council. The people on that committee were Bruce Fraser, Gregg Levett, Rick Jenkins, Erhardt Lorraine, David Lea, Graeme Bunt, Bob Johnson, Peter Hanney, Tim Harkness & John Carroll. This committee was ratified by the Council on the 29th May 1990 with the proposal put to Council in July 1990 and work commenced in August 1990.
Shrubs & trees to beautify the picnic area and surrounds of the eventual field were donated by Bruce Pike.
Every successful project requires a driving force and that person was Gregg Levett. When Gregg came calling, it only meant one thing; there was more work to be done & done it was.
Thanks must go to Coates Hire for a mountain of loaned equipment which was put to good use over many weekends, even under portable floodlights at times.
The Baulkham Hills Shire Council was very generous in their support, by continually giving construction advice, surveying the project and allowing us the use of a grader on weekends.
Funds to finance the Holland Road project were sourced through donations and raffles & BBQ’s run by the Glenhaven Father’s Club as well as the generosity of its members & their families.
On the 9th December 1990 an official opening of the Holland Road facility which included the BBQ, Picnic area, car park, amenities (portable) & the levelled playing surface ready for grassing was held with Councillors John Griffiths & Les Shore, Federal Member Alan Cadman & State Member Tony Packard in attendance.
On the 22nd December 1990 the turfing began with the school allowing us to take turf from the area to be used for new classrooms. It was 42 degrees and very time consuming. The work was ceased at lunchtime with only a corner of the field completed with the remainder considered difficult to complete in this manner. Subsequently the Council found some funds to be allocated for mulching the surface, which was terrific, however it meant that we would not have a home ground in our first season.
The 19th January 1991 was the first Glenhaven Soccer Club Registration day held at the Community centre.
Our first season was very successful with the 6, 7 & 8’s having a lot of fun and winning many games. The Under 9’s were undefeated Premiers under the enthusiastic guidance of Henry Olejarnik, the Under 10’s did really well to make the Grand Final & the 11’s had an enjoyable year.
To continue the development of the Club we needed training lights urgently so in June 1991 a submission was put to the State Government for a Sporting Grant for $22,000, along with a Development Application to the Council. In December 1991 we were allocated the Government Sport & Recreation Grant which meant we had to raise another $22,000 through donations, raffles & voluntary labour.
During the months of March, April & May 1992 a massive community effort nearly every weekend to dig ditches for underground power from Holland Road to the Reserve & the six poles which were erected by Integral Energy, was undertaken. All the electrical work was completed under the guidance of the qualified members John Carroll, Erhardt Lorraine & Ralph Wardell
The lighting was completed in May with the official switching on taking place on the 19th May 1992 which was celebrated enthusiastically by all involved.
In the 1992 season, our second, we had 10 teams from Under 6 to Under 12 and an All Age.
With the opening round of our second season about to kick off we were in a mad flap to have the goal posts manufactured and assembled for use at Holland Reserve in time. Thanks to the generosity of Anthony Jarrett (Jarrett Implements Dural) for manufacturing and donating the best set of posts in the District and to Coates Hire for the use of a truck with hiab and large enough to carry them we were able to erect the posts by 7pm of the night before the commencement of round 1. That was cutting it a little too fine.
The 1992 season was the first we had an operating canteen from a demountable building, which was supervised and organised by Carol Carroll. It was also the first year we had professional photographs organised.
Late in 1992 Holland Reserve was extended to allow the inclusion of a mini field to be available for the 1993 season wit all the turfing being done by the parents & members, once again in extremely hot conditions.
Another increase in teams to 14 was achieved in 1993 with our first Division 1 team, the Under 12’s.
The 1993 committee consisted of the following people.
President Bruce Fraser
Secretary Rick Jenkins
Treasurer John Carroll
Registrar Brian Jackson
Gear Steward Graeme Bunt
Delegate Peter Edwards
Recorder John Carroll
Canteen Coordinator Carolyn Carroll
Match Coordinator John Bridgwood
Committee Graham Godfrey, Jim Thom, Howard Byrne, Kim Olejarnik & Tina Rhodes
The need for more quality coaching was recognised by the Club in 1993 and therefore arranged a ‘Coach the Coach’ course with 20 people` attending and completing successfully to attain their Level 1 certificate. This of course has continued to be an integral part of the Club’s success and growth.
In 1993 there was a special inclusion to the Holland Rd canteen, which became the place to have breakfast on a Saturday morning and that was ‘Cafe Holland’. Graham Godfrey and Rick Jenkins set up a shelter off the side of the canteen and provided a complete menu to satisfy the desires of most people including pancakes, toast and full breakfasts and lunches. Families would gather to watch the All Age teams play in the afternoon, enjoying a ‘brew’ or two or a nice glass of wine with nibbles, providing support and atmosphere for the home teams.
During the next 5 years the Club continued to grow aggressively with many new members transferring from other Clubs due to the friendly attitude and commitment to professional coaching, which helped the boys and girls reach their potential regardless of their skill levels.
In 1999 Bruce Fraser decided it was time to relinquish the presidency after 8 rewarding years; with the Club fielding 25 teams and honouring him with Life Membership. Bruce was also awarded the Gladesville Hornsby Association medal in 1995 for services to the game.
Under the new committee in 1999 which consisted of;
President Peter Morris
Secretary Gregg Richards
Treasurer Gail Dixon
Vice President John Bridgwood
Registrar Nigel Waller
Mini Coordinator Craig Nicholson
Junior Coordinator Ian Newton
Strip Manager Greg Elgood
Glenhaven fielded 13 Mini, 9 Junior and 4 Senior teams with resounding success being the Gladesville Hornsby Football Association Club Champions; an exciting performance for such a young Club.
Another milestone in the Club’s history was the commissioning of Glenhaven Oval main field as well as a ¾ size field for the 1999 season allowing most teams to have far more home games. Originally the Glenhaven ground was a very poor wet weather field due to poor engineering however the Council has rectified this situation and the ground is now a great wet weather facility with good drainage and large recycling tanks.
Thanks must go to Greg & Steve Upcroft from Caddy for manufacturing and donating the goal posts for the main field.
The Mini field posts were made by the members under the guidance of Greg Torzillo.
At the 2001 Presentation Day Life Membership was bestowed upon John Bridgwood for his tireless commitment to the Club, particularly the coordination of the All Age & Over 35 teams, with many as Vice President, player & Coach.
After securing a Sport & Recreation Government grant for $23,000 and a successful Development Application from the Council we saw ‘the light’ at Glenhaven oval which gave us the best lighting coverage in the District and allowed us to spread the training use between 2 ovals, for the commencement of the 2002 Season. The project was managed by Glen O’Grady & Nigel Waller with many Club members contributing their time and energy to be sure the Project was completed on time and within Budget.
To continue the successful expansion of the Club a six a side competition was commenced at the completion of the 2002 Winter competition to allow further skill development for Junior players particularly, in a more confined space. There were teams in the 9, 10, 11, 12, All Age & 35 age groups, which expanded to include 6, 7 & 8’s the following year.
At the 2002 Presentation Day Life Membership was bestowed upon Nigel Waller for his continuous efforts over the past 10 years many of which as Registrar, player & coach.
2004 saw a change at the top with Graham Streeter taking over the President’s position replacing Peter Morris who held the role for 5 years continuing the Club philosophy of being a great place to play football and allowing people at all skill levels to achieve their personal goals.
Peter Morris was, in 2004, awarded Life Membership for his many years of work and commitment to the Club.
With the continued commitment of providing experienced coaching whenever possible, the Club created opportunities for many players to be selected in representative sides, which did at times weaken our teams considerably. This however is what Club football should strive to achieve as it will help improve the game overall and create opportunities for others. Glenhaven does it well and should maintain this standard.
Graham Streeter guided the Club for 2 years during which time the Glenhaven Soccer Club continued to grow, especially in the All Age & Over 35 age groups, where many players returned to the game after years of’ ‘retirement’ or just started playing with a group of mates. There are now 9 Divisions of 35’s with Glenhaven having 8 teams participating.
The upgrading of the lighting at Holland Road Reserve was undertaken in 2007 under the guidance of Nigel Waller, giving the Club probably the two best lit park facilities in the area.
During the 2 years of Graham’s Presidency the Club utilized the coaching resources of the Gladesville-Hornsby Football Association & Sydney FC whenever possible and he has subsequently become the Vice President of the Association, continuing to promote our Club whenever possible.
At the 2007 Presentation Day Life Membership was bestowed upon Gregg Richards, By Jamie Hull the President, for his long commitment to the Club; many as Secretary, player and Council contact.
The Club had another substantial change to the committee in 2008 with David McPhie becoming President , Dave Vinton, Vice President, Karen Makin, Secretary, Andrew Cottam, Treasurer & Craig Samuel, the Registrar.
The Club was officially renamed the Glenhaven Football Club to come into line with world standards also in 2008.
The 2008 Season had over 700 registrations with the Glenhaven Club being the 2nd largest in the Association. Not a bad effort for a Club that was always meant to be a boutique Club in a small Suburb.
The Association became affiliated with the Mariners National League team and this resulted in Jonno Davis, the Glenhaven Coaching Coordinator, arranging even better coaching opportunities for all players and Coaches. This has grown and developed even further into 2009 & 2010.
At the 2009 Presentation Day Life Membership was bestowed upon Paul Hodkinson for his tireless work as Gear Manager, Age Coordinator, Player & Coach (up to 3 teams in the one year) over the past 15 years.
At the 2009 Annual General Meeting of the Association Karen Makin our Secretary since 2006 and convenor of the Summer comp since the inception, was awarded the Gladesville-Hornsby Association Medal for services to the game. A well deserved recipient.
Mini football had a considerable change in 2009 with 6 & 7’s being played on a smaller pitch with no goalkeeper & the 8’s with reduced numbers. The 9’s were also restructured to 9 a side with goalkeepers on a ¾ size field. This initiative was implemented by the Association to come into line with the world’s leading Football countries where skill levels are far better than in Australia.
To accommodate this restructure it was necessary to have additional playing areas. Mehmet Mehmet, the Glenhaven Public School Principal volunteered the use of the School’s fields for the 6 & 7’s, with the 8’s at Holland Road & the 9’s at Glenhaven.
Our twentieth year in 2010 was celebrated with the introduction of a Glenhaven Football Club cap and an Anniversary Dinner held at the Dural Country Club on July 31st.
Glenhaven Football Club Committee Member history
Season President Vice President Secretary Treasurer Registrar Gear Manager Delegate Life Member
1991 Bruce Fraser Gregg Levett Ric Jenkins John Carroll Brian Jackson Ray Page Richard Snodgrass
1992 Bruce Fraser Gregg Levett Ric Jenkins John Carroll Brian Jackson Graeme Bunt Bruce Fraser
1993 Bruce Fraser Gregg Levett Ric Jenkins John Carroll Brian Jackson Graeme Bunt Peter Edwards
1994 Bruce Fraser Gregg Levett Ric Jenkins John Carroll Brian Jackson Bruce Fraser Bruce Fraser
1995 Bruce Fraser Ric Jenkins John Carroll Brian Jackson Bruce Fraser Bruce Fraser
1996 Bruce Fraser Ric Jenkins John Carroll Graham Milliken Bruce Fraser
1997 Bruce Fraser Gail Dixon Graham Milliken Bruce Fraser
1998 Bruce Fraser John Bridgwood Gail Dixon Graham Milliken Greg Elgood Bruce Fraser
1999 Bruce Fraser John Bridgwood Gail Dixon Nigel Waller Greg Elgood
2000 Peter Morris John Bridgwood Gregg Richards Graham Streeter Nigel Waller Paul Hodkinson
2001 Peter Morris John Bridgwood
