News

April update 2026

Published Thu 30 Apr 2026

Junior footy is back—and we couldn’t be more excited! There’s nothing better than seeing kids out on the field, building skills, confidence, friendships, and a love for the game.

Behind every great season is an incredible team of volunteers who make it all happen. From coaching and team managing to setting up grounds and running the canteen—our club simply couldn’t run without you.

If you’ve been thinking about getting involved, now’s the perfect time. Even a small contribution makes a big difference. Let’s work together to create a fun, supportive, and memorable season for all our players.

Here’s to a fantastic season ahead—see you on the sidelines

The junior girls’ season is off to a strong start, with the Under 17s securing a win in their first grading game against Ocean Grove, played as a curtain-raiser to the senior women’s ANZAC clash last Friday. It’s also been a great beginning for our non-competitive Under 10 and Under 12 teams, who played their opening matches against Grovedale and North Geelong. With strong participation numbers across both these age groups, the season is shaping up to be a very positive one.

U18 Boys

In preparation for the season, the U18 playing squad of 28 boys were presented with their playing jumpers by the Lara Past Players. The history and significance of each number to the club was outlined to the boys by Steven Hynes and representatives from the past players association. The boys greatly appreciated the opportunity to learn about the club history attached to the playing number, and to connect with the representatives of the past players.

Our leadership group was also announced for the season, with Tyler Erwin announced as captain. Tyler will be supported by Vice Captains Nathan Howe and Kaiden Nadolski, with Line leaders Hayden O’Toole, Cyrus Helmore and Lachlan Collins.

The first grading game was played against Grovedale 2 on ANZAC Day, with the Lara boys securing a comfortable 118-point win. The boys were also given the honor of representing the club by wearing the commemorative ANZAC jumpers. Will Hewitt and Jack Barrot both played their 100th game or the club on the day.

Senior Women

We are off to a great start with 2 wins for the season.

Last Friday Anzac Day Eve we saw Lara & Bell Park come together before the game to pay their respects to the ANZACs, honouring the courage and sacrifice of those who have served our country.

Congratulations to Kara Stacey on playing her 50th Senior Women’s Game for the Lara Football Club. An incredible milestone and a fantastic achievement.

Kara was also awarded the ANZAC Spirit Medal, as voted by the umpires in the Lara vs Bell Park clash. A fantastic and well-deserved recognition of her effort, determination, and sportsmanship on the field.

On a very sad note, the Football section would like to acknowledge the passing of Keith Mills, George Reed and Damian Christensen, all who have had a major impact on our section

Keith’s contribution to Lara Football Club spanned decades. From 148 games between 1953–1966, to being a key part of the 1965 Premiership and Champions team, his impact on the field was immense. Off the field, Keith gave his time tirelessly — serving on the committee, as Vice President, President, coach, mentor, and Past Players President.

He helped shape generations of players, coaching multiple junior sides to success and leaving a lasting legacy that will never be forgotten. A Life Member and Hall of Fame inductee, Keith embodied everything our club stands for.

Keith will be remembered not just for his achievements, but for his dedication, passion, and love of the Lara Football Club.

George played 137 games in the 60s and 70s including the 1965 Premiership and Champions team, in his first year out of under 17s, as it was back then. Later he played in the 1978 grand final team.

George was larger than life, full of funny stories and had more energy than blokes half his age.

He proudly wore his number 4 jumper and tried to tell us it was from his playing days - you could never be sure.

He was always at our Past Players days, and we loved catching up with him.

Damian played in two Lara under 17s premierships under Noddy in 1979 and 1980, n returned to captain coach us 1990-1991, and coached us 1992 and into GFL grand final 1993.

He had a big wide smile, a million friends, would eat a football for breakfast and was a great human. He wouldn’t have had an enemy in the world.

We send our condolences to all 3 families on their passing