Ivanhoe will head to the Victorian Amateur Football Association Division 2 season with plenty of new off-field blood

Ivanhoe  Amateurs will tackle the 2015 season with fresh faces on its committee and coaching panel.

s21hb999 Ivanhoe Ammos Footy 1) Bill Emerson (under-19 coach) 2) Luke Blackwood (president) 3) Paul Harris (senior coach)

Ivanhoe  Amateurs will tackle the 2015 season with fresh faces on its committee and coaching panel.

The Victorian Amateur Football Association Division 2 club installed past player Luke Blackwood as president at its recent AGM.

Blackwood is a third-generation club administrator – his dad, Don, served as club president and his grandfather, Jack, was also a long-serving committeeman.

Blackwood aims to make the Hoes the VAFA’s pre-eminent district club north of the Yarra.

He said Ivanhoe was well placed to win a senior premiership, with a talented group of former under-19 players coming into the senior squad after winning the North Division flag this year.

The club has reappointed triple best-and-fairest Paul Harris as senior coach.

The seniors finished fifth this season, half a game out of the top four after a draw against premiers Kew.

The reserves will be coached by Bill Emerson, who was the under-19 premiership coach this year.

Emerson has been nominated for the VAFA’s junior coach of the year award.

The new under-19 coach is past player Matt Franich, who played more than 100 senior games for the Hoes before retiring after the 2012 Division 3 grand final.

Pre-season training starts on Tuesday, November 25, at Ford Park in Oriel Rd, beginning at 6.15pm.

Training will continue on Tuesday and Thursday nights at Ford Park for four weeks before a break for Christmas.

The club also has an exciting new partnership that can help players find apprenticeships or traineeships in a variety of fields. For more information, contact vice-president Ross Toogood by email at rosstoo [e-mail] or on 0412 766 355.