Essendon Royals Soccer Club AGM Recap

The Essendon Royals Soccer Club Annual General Meeting was held on Monday, 18 November 2019. The major highlights and updates can be found in our recap below.

Essendon Royals Soccer Club is proud to announce the re-appointment of Richard Di Saurio as club president.

Mr Di Sauro was re-elected at Monday’s Annual General Meeting in which the 2019 committee provided members with a thorough and detailed update on the club’s operations and finances.

A former junior and senior player as well as a junior coach at the Royals, Mr Di Sauro’s connections with the club goes back to his childhood.

In 2019, Mr Di Sauro and his committee oversaw the final stages of the Cross Keys development and handover - a significant milestone for the club as it continues to work hard to meet the increasing demand for football facilities in the Moonee Valley area.

The new development will boast three football pitches ensuring Cross Keys will be a hive of football activity during the football season.

2019 also saw the club achieve five-star status under Football Victoria’s club engagement program as well as win a license for the Junior Boys National Premier League. 

On the pitch, the senior women’s team stole the show with a remarkable season which culminated in promotion from State League 2 into State League 1, whilst the senior men’s side battled through an incredibly competitive State League 1 season.

Mr Di Sauro said it was an honour to serve the Royals in 2019 and looked forward to an even bigger 2020.

“I’ve been involved with Essendon Royals since I was a kid and it’s always an honour to be associated with the club,” he said.

“The Royals are a massive part of my life and it’s made me very proud to work with our fantastic committee to achieve as much as we did in 2019.

“But we can’t stop there and we look forward to making 2020 another significant season. We have made some fantastic appointments across the many areas of our club from the senior men and women through to our new National Premier Leagues teams and our MiniRoos and community teams.

“We’ve also had a good response for positions on the club’s various sub-committees and we hope to see more of the club’s families integrating with the Royals community in 2020 and remain on the lookout for any volunteers looking to pitch in and help the club throughout the year.

“We still have a lot of irons in the fire at the moment and we’re looking forward to announcing more good news ahead of the new season.”

Joining Mr Di Sauro on the committee in 2020 is Secretary David Rowan, Treasurer Paul Coulson (re-elected), Director of Senior Football Steven Tribuzio (re-elected) and Junior Football Representative Frank Nappo.

The new committee also moved the acceptance of six new Essendon Royals Soccer Club life members.

David Minalla, David Rowan, Ginetta Grilz, Cisa Tribuzio, Tania Maltese and Don Di Vincenzo were all recognised for their outstanding contributions to the club over the years.

Preparations for Season 2020 are already well underway with Junior Boys National Premier Leagues trials complete and squads selected.

Michael Curcija has returned to the club as the MiniRoos and Community Technical Director and is currently conducting grading and coaching appointments for our MiniRoos and junior community teams.

He works alongside the club’s inaugural Women’s Football Technical Director, Jess Gallo, who - alongside husband and senior women’s coach Mick - is conducting grading and coaching appointments for the club’s female football program.

Our senior men’s team will be coached by Vitale Ferrante, who arrives at the club with a wealth of experience in Victoria’s top-flight and is a previous NPL Coach of the Year award winner.

Mick Gallo takes on the role of senior women’s coach, arriving from South Melbourne, and has already signalled his intent to push for promotion this season having signed international goalkeeper Gaby Garton.

Former New Zealand international Vaughan Coveny remains the club’s Head of Football and oversees the whole of the Royals football program.

Off the pitch, the club continues to work with Moonee Valley Council on the Cross Keys Development, whilst a percentage of profits from the previous year are set to be invested in new goals and other football infrastructure and equipment in Season 2020.

The Royals also continue to look for new ways to add to the club’s player pathway and development options.

If you are a returning or new member to the club in 2020 and would like to get involved in one of the club’s sub-committees, we would love to hear from you.

Shoot an email to clubadmin@essendonroyals.com.au to find out how you can get involved today.