Fitzroy Stars set to play under-19s for first time in club history

For the first time in club history Fitzroy Stars are set to play under-19s in the Northern Football League in a massive boost to its player production line.

Fitzroy Stars coach Lionel Proctor. Picture: Josie Hayden

Fitzroy Stars are set to enter a team in the Northern Football League’s under-19 competition for the first time in club history.

The introduction of under-19s is a massive boost to the club’s player production line and future on-field stability.

The Stars established a junior club in 2018 and now have a clearer pathway for players to step up to senior football.

A historic first women’s football team will also play its first official game this year after being launched in 2020 before the season was cancelled.

Senior coach Lionel Proctor said it was a massive step forward for the club’s development.

“It will be our first ever under-19s team, which is huge for our footy club,” he said.

“A lot of our young kids stop playing after under-17s and we’ve got to bridge that gap.

“We would have had close to 50 on the track on our first night (back this year) and 16 of them would have been under-19s.

“That’s going to be big for our footy club, to get our young guys through.”

The Stars face a year of rebuilding in 2021 under Proctor.

Former Coburg VFL-listed star Hedley Smith (Old Scotch) headlines several pending clearances out of Sir Doug Nicholls Oval, along with Jayden Gerrand (Tyabb), Peter Hood, Allan Norris and Corey Wanganeen (all Rumbalara).

However, Nathan Lovett-Murray remains committed for 2021 and club legends Mungarra Brown and Coree Thorpe are eyeing comebacks.

Proctor was hopeful of persuading Smith to remain a Star and was excited to see what a youthful Stars outfit can achieve in 2021.

“It’s been a difficult year so a lot of people are still up in the air with their work commitments,” he said.

“It’s been tough but the exciting thing is we’ve got plenty of young guys coming down to training.

“Nathan Lovett-Murray is keen as and training hard and Mungarra and Coree will probably pull the boots on again.”

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The new coach was hopeful of luring son and 2019 skipper Kain Proctor and nephew Jai Burns back from Bundoora but understood they wanted to play at a higher level.

“They just want to play Division 1, having that year off you get the hunger back and being young you want to play at the highest level,” Proctor said.

“As much as I’d love them back, they have to make their own decisions and play were they can play their best footy.”

The Stars season preparation ramps up from March 13 with the club’s first practice match against Keilor Park ahead of a Round 1 date with Banyule at home on April 10.