Palerang United welcomes growth in numbers

Club registrar and coach of the women's Division Three and Division Four teams, Mark Roberts, said that the teams have enjoyed the return of a number of former players. 

"We've got two teams, and we've got a spread of younger players coming back from our Under 16 side from a couple of years ago," Roberts said. 

"There's a bit more youth in the Div[ision] Three squad and they should be relatively competitive I think, if they can withstand the size and ability of some of the older girls who play in that division." 

Uniquely, the Division Four side will also feature five mother-daughter combinations, which Roberts said is an added bonus for the players. 

The Division Four team will also provide an opportunity for some of the older team members who struggled to maintain the required pace and intensity in Division Three to remain competitive. 

"There's a few elderly ladies who last year felt that Div Three was a bit of a stretch for them in terms of their ability," Roberts said. 

"But they enjoyed the season nevertheless." 

The senior teams are not the only ones to have seen numbers increase - the junior soccer has also enjoyed an influx of players this season, which will see seven new teams enter the competition. 

"Four [teams have come] out of Bungendore and three out of Braidwood, so it really is growing," Roberts said. 

"And that's without much homework at all." 

The key to ensuring that the club continues to grow, Roberts said, is getting the proper infrastructure in place. 

"The Bungendore section of the club is certainly growing, and with the new facilities that are on the agenda there, I see the future quite bright for the club," he said. 

"In terms of expansion, it's only a matter of having facilities and it will take off." 

The Palerang Women's Division Three and Division Four teams will begin their campaign on Sunday April 7.