Fitzroy Stars are hoping younger players who've been a part of the club their entire lives pull on the jumper as quick as they can with their first-ever under 19.5s side.
The Stars, an Aboriginal community controlled club based in Naarm's inner-north, have announced the 'major milestone' and 'exciting step forward' set to come into the local Northern Football Netball League in 2027.
Registrations are open for young footballers turning 18 or 19 next year.
Established over 50 years ago out of the local Aboriginal Community, while also welcoming non-Indigenous players, the Stars in 2026 fielded a men's seniors and reserves, and women's team in football alongside a strong number of junior and senior netball sides.
An expression of interest and information night on the prospect of an under 19.5 footy team was hosted earlier this week.
Stars president Aunty Esme Bamblett told National Indigenous Times it's a positive addition for the club, setting up the pipeline for their senior and reserves teams in the years ahead.
It's also about something bigger.
"For us, the Fitzroy Sales Football Netball Club is about more than about sport. It's about culture. It's about community. It's about bringing people together. It's about having an opportunity to showcase their talent on one hand, to play as a team on another hand, and also to get to know other players, other members of our community," Aunty Esme said.
After initial beginnings in the 1970s, and periods in various local leagues, the club played solely in carnivals for more than a decade between the mid-1990s and mid-2000s before re-entering season-long competition in 2008.
There are young footballers at the right age to run out in the under 19.5s in 2027 who were born around the period of the Stars re-birth.
"There are young boys who've been watching the Fitzroy Stars and coming to the games for years...they've played football for other clubs," Aunty Esme said.
"This is an opportunity for them to play for Fitzroy Stars."
In previous years the club have consciously fielded younger teams through their reserves, and previously entered junior football teams into local competitions.
2027 will be the Stars' 20th season in the NFNL.
It also comes on the wave of a period of success. In August, the Stars women's team created history by claiming its first premiership. 12 months earlier, the men's senior footy team snapped a 35-year flag drought with a near 10-goal win in the Division 3 grand final.
They celebrated a pair of junior netball premierships in 2026, with one of their senior teams falling just short in a grand final.
"This is a significant milestone for our club and reflects our ongoing commitment to creating strong pathways for young players to develop their skills, build leadership, and continue their football journey in a culturally strong and supportive environment," the club wrote in an announcement on Wednesday.
"Adding an Under 19.5s team represents an exciting new chapter for the Fitzroy Stars and an investment in the next generation of Stars players. It will provide young athletes with the opportunity to grow both on and off the field while strengthening the future of our senior football program.
"Over the past two decades, the club has built a proud legacy of achievement, community connection, and cultural strength, making this the perfect year to celebrate both our history and our future."
