The Horsham Falcons have returned for 2021's Ballarat District Soccer Association's senior competition after a two-year break from the league.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
The 2018 premier winning side has many fresh faces this season, including new seniors coach Ben Wilde who has come from New Zealand.
"We have been lucky with a lot of newcomers in the club that have good experience outside of Horsham," he said.
"I am happy with how the squad looks at the moment. Excited to see how we get on and perform as a team."
Like many sporting clubs post-coronavirus, the Falcons have had difficulty finding junior players due to a lack of interest.
The club will not be fielding any junior teams in this year's competition, with the minis and under 15s competing in a Horsham league.
READ MORE:
Mr Wilder has 22 years of competitive soccer experience coming into the coaching position.
He said in 2021 the Falcons had moved up to division one in the Ballarat District Soccer Association and welcomes the challenge the competition will bring.
"It will definitely be a new challenge, but I can't see why we can't challenge for the top spot," he said.
After winning the premiership in 2018, the Horsham and District Soccer Club could not form a full seniors side in 2019.
In 2020, the club withdrew its seniors and juniors entries due to COVID-19 restrictions.
Falcons player Marcus Luciani was part of the 2018 team and said getting numbers was complex for Horsham.
"We have people who leave to go to university or people who come here for work who end up leaving after a year or two," he said.
"After we won the premiership in 2018 we couldn't even field a seniors team for the next year."
Mr Luciani said the team was keen to begin playing.
"Only a few of us are still here from the 2018 side, but it is definitely good to play again," he said.
"It is hard to get a team together and now we have a whole bunch of new players coming through."
The 2021 season will commence on April 18, with the Falcons playing their first game against the Forest Rangers in Buninyong.
Our journalists work hard to provide local, up-to-date news to the community. This is how you can continue to access our trusted content:
- Bookmark www.mailtimes.com.au/
- Make sure you are signed up for our breaking and regular headlines newsletters
- Follow us on Twitter: twitter.com/Wim_Mail_Times
- Follow us on Instagram www.instagram.com/wimmeramailtimes/
Did you know you can receive updates straight to your inbox? To make sure you're up-to-date with news from across the region, sign up below.