Melbourne’s newest footy club has plans for rapid growth in northern suburbs

The Donnybrook Dragons might have a contender for coolest logo in local footy and the new football and netball club has plans for rapid growth.

Melbourne’s biggest growth corridor is home to the city’s newest football and netball club.

The Donnybrook Dragons will take their first steps in 2022 after being accepted into the Northern Football Netball League last week.

The club will begin in the junior competitions but has high hopes for the future and believes senior teams aren’t far away.

Donnybrook hasn’t had a football team since the 1970s when it competed in the Panton Hill Football League.

More than 50,000 people are expected to live in the region in the coming years and the Dragons are looking to take full advantage.

Donnybrook Dragons president Luke Thorneycroft.

The Donnybrook Dragons logo.

Donnybrook president Luke Thorneycroft said the club had already had a massive amount of interest.

“It’s been quite a long time by my understanding and (a football-netball club) is something that’s been missing from Donnybrook.

“Looking at the demographics of the area, we’ve got a lot of families moving in, there’s been 30,000-odd home built along Donnybrook Road in the various estates.

“There’s a lot of young families, mums and dads in their 20s and 30s who want to play sport and be involved.

“Kids are going to need somewhere to play sport, so we start with football and netball and who knows what we’ll branch out into.

“There’s the possibility of basketball down the track and also cricket.”

A working group was established in 2020 and Auskick introduced to the Olivine estate this year.

The Dragons expect to field a range of junior football and netball teams in 2022 and have plans to expand to senior teams within three years.

“We’ll be starting in juniors because we want to have that bottom up approach, you invest in your juniors and they’ll form your seniors later on,” Thorneycroft said.

“At this stage (we’ll have) under-9s, 10s, 11s, 13s, 15 and I hope under-17s but that will come down to numbers.

“The community response has been really pleasing, we’ve had a lot of interaction.

“We’ve already had interest from senior players, which is a very good indication that we’ll be able to fill those sides.

“You look at where we’re located, it’s 15-20 minutes up to Whittlesea, 15 minutes the other way to Epping and there’s not a great deal around us.

“We’ve got a good catchment area of Beveridge, Wollert, Donnybrook, Mickleham – there’s a lot of positive interest.”

Donnybrook is between Craigieburn to the west and Whittlesea to the east, Epping to the south and Wallan to the north.

The club could have entered the Essendon District Football League but decided on the Northern after discussions with NFL CEO Peter McDougall, junior football manager Paul Rogasch and junior netball development officer Lauren Theodosis.

The Dragons will also possess one of the best guernseys and logos in the league, designed by Grashan.

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“We’ve had a lot of community interaction in regards to choosing the name and logo and colours,” Thorneycroft said.

“We put out a poll and they came back with the Dragons and the colours; black, grey, white and orange – there’s nothing like that in the Northern Football League.

“A new jumper for a new club and a new beginning and I think kids will look at that and say I want to play in that jumper.”

Anyone interested in joining Donnybrook Dragons in a playing or support role, please contact Luke Thorneycroft on 0403 564 351.