Dunbar Rovers FC was founded 25 years ago by a group of friends in the Eastern Suburbs of Sydney, and has grown into a multicultural, inclusive football community with a strong culture based on discipline, respect, hard work and character. After experiencing prolonged success in senior football at the local Association level, the club decided to test itself at the elite NSW State League level in 2015. We entered our First Grade side and recruited a brand new Under 20s squad into Men’s State League 2 and in our first season we won the First Grade League title and Club Championship to gain promotion to the NPL level in 2016, where we will enter Youth teams for the first time.

Because the club is coming in with a fresh perspective, we believe that we can improve on some of the areas where football has significant challenges right now. It is a well-known fact that the cost of elite youth football is astronomical – to the point where Football NSW has been forced to cap the cost of player registration at $2,400 per youth but parents are still being slugged by external academies who themselves charge big money.

To combat this, Dunbar Rovers FC will provide “Football Development Scholarships” to all our 12 to 16 year olds in NPL Youth 2 and our 17 year olds to First Grade in NPL Men’s 3, meaning no player will pay any registration fees to play football, starting from the 2016 winter season.

The club will achieve this through building a football family using a local community sponsorship model where parents and players will support the businesses that contribute to the club. All monies raised will go towards funding the development of the club as opposed to paying the club’s higher division players. We also invite parents to get involved in the running of the club, assist as volunteers or by helping to attract sponsors.

Dunbar Rovers FC is expanding on this identical model, successfully implemented both on and off the field in 2015, where a professionally-run footballing environment was created, with quality coaching, facilities, equipment and apparel provided. Players will be selected on two main criteria – their footballing ability and individual character.

The club has recently announced a major partnership with the Rotary Club of Bondi Junction. We are committed to contributing back to the community in conjunction with Rotary. In 2016 the club will participate in a range of projects with the aim to make a difference in the local community. Through the partnership with Rotary, Dunbar Rovers will provide additional opportunities for players such as leadership and international exchange programs. Indeed, all our sponsors and partners have been vital to help the club realise our vision.

We aim to provide a superior quality player experience both on and off the field. In 2015 Dunbar Rovers launched its Career Insight Program. The program provides the opportunity for our younger players to speak directly with industry experts from extensive networks within the club.

We also believe that we are just a point along the journey of a talented player and we will encourage players with the ability to hopefully go on to bigger and better things with our blessing, by fostering relationships with clubs in higher divisions than us.

Trials will commence in early November for NPL Men’s 3 and NPL Youth 2. We are now inviting players to pre-register for a trial position, as we expect interest to be strong. Simply click on http://www.dunbarrovers.com/misc/npl-registration-2016.asp and click the pink button to pre-register your details.

Regards,

The Directors,
Dunbar Rovers NPL

#WEareDunbar