The Central Highlands Kangaroos are more than halfway towards getting an under-15 football team together for the first time in almost a decade.

They are still chasing between six and 12 junior players, but are hopeful of being included on the CHFL under-15 footy fixture by the first game of the season on April 13. 

“At this stage we’ve made a commitment to field a side. It’s not certain yet but it’s looking great. We just need a few more players,” Waubra Football Club president Chis Bourke said yesterday. 

“We have 13 players but we’re hoping to push that up to about 20-25.

“We need to get this sorted within the next week or so because we have to order jumpers, and to make sure the CHFL has us in the fixture.” 

Waubra fielded an under-12 and under-18 team last season in addition to strong seniors and reserves sides that both contested finals. 

Bourke said, for the long term health of the club, fielding junior teams in all age groups was vital.

“It is really important. It is important for the senior team because it is so hard to recruit,” he explained. “If you can get your juniors coming through it makes the job a lot easier.

“It’s also about getting families in the community involved. We want to give kids an opportunity to get a game of footy. 

“There has been a demographic change around Waubra being an agricultural area, and we’ve seen a shift from a lot of agricultural families to bigger farms.

“Tige and Caryn (Severino) have become our directors of junior footy in the last few years and they’ve really pushed the need to have an under-15 side. They’ve gone out of their way to look, not just in the Waubra community but the Ballarat community as well.

“Half the kids (in under-15s) are Waubra kids, with the balance being Ballarat people who know Waubra people but we’d welcome anyone.”

Waubra will have a junior registration day at Ballarat High School on Saturday before the club’s seniors, reserves and under-18s play practice matches against Bellarine club Anglesea.

The under-15 team will train one day a week, likely to be a Wednesday evening, alternating between Waubra and Ballarat. Parents and players can register their interest by email to chrisbourke18@gmail.com