New face at Swans

A fresh face will lead the Warnbro Swans Football Club this season, the club’s 25th anniversary year.

Jeff Phelps, who has joined the club as league coach, said the club was in its fourth week of pre-season training, with good numbers attending the Tuesday and Thursday night sessions.

“First night we had 60, second night we had 70 and we’ve been averaging 50 since then,” he said.

“We’ve got three senior sides — league, reserves and colts and we’re putting a second colts side in this year.”

Phelps said the second colts side was created to help fill a hole in the region.

“We’ve got enough numbers for one and a half colts sides so we’re trying to entice a few more young guys to come down and fill that side up,” he said.

The new coach said he wanted to build on the work of last season, where the senior team made the first week of finals.

“We only have to improve 5 per cent and we are where we need to be,” he said. “Not a lot needs to change.”

Club president Ian Cramer said the club, which played in the Community Football League Cgrade, was starting a junior female side.

The club would continue to build on its integrated team, which was recognised at last year’s City of Rockingham sports star of the year awards, he said.

“Footballers are usually tied in to this tight little group and when they see integrated come down, it adds this new dimension to it,” Cramer said.

New and existing players are invited to pre-season training at Warnbro Community Recreation Ground on Tuesdays and Thursdays at 6pm.

Phelps said the club was also looking for an assistant league coach.