25/08/2026
You said. We did.
At the end of last season we asked what you thought of your club. 73 of you answered, and plenty of you did not hold back. Fair enough too.
Here is what you told us, and what we did about it.
You said: coaching needed to be more consistent.
Seven coaches completed their Silver Accreditation. Coaches took part in the Enhanced Football Coach Development Course, we secured Coaching Library access, and ran player development sessions plus one-on-one coaching work on Saturday afternoons. More coach selection and development planned for 2027, with roles already advertised.
You said: selection and age groups needed to be fairer.
We went to AFL Queensland for guidance and put policies in place that open up playing-up opportunities while making sure every kid gets as much age-appropriate footy as possible.
You said: fix the fields and the facilities.
Both ovals were top dressed in the off season and started beautifully, then the rain undid a lot of it, oval 2 especially. Drainage is the real fix and it is not cheap, so we have opened joint infrastructure investment talks with AFL Queensland.
Everything else we could do, we did. A new siren and a new U11s scoreboard at the bottom oval. The old cricket storage room cleaned out, opening up more toilets. Donated shade umbrellas at the top oval. A water bubbler on the way, paid for by a sausage sizzle. The uniform shop open three days a week. And a working bee crew who sorted every bit of club gear before Round 1. The one we could not crack was the coffee van, thanks to permit complexities.
You said: keep us in the loop.
Communication was a focus across the whole club this year. We set up groups for every grade across Auskick, Juniors and Youth, so your team's information comes to you instead of getting lost in a club-wide feed. Every team appeared in the schedule and results posts, every round. Through the worst of the wet weather we worked with AFL Queensland to relocate games rather than cancel them. And we live streamed a Preliminary Final with commentary for the families who could not be there.
You said: build the pathway.
A new Transition Program links our U17s to the Colts and QFA Division 3, and our U17 girls to Senior Women's Division 1. Our High Performance Program ran with Cam Bruce, Scott Thompson, Paul Henriksen, Michala May and Acceleration Australia. Seven teams made finals, four reached Grand Finals, two finished minor premiers, one earned promotion to Division 1, and our U11s were runners-up in the Michael Voss Cup. And 27 youth players passed 50, 100 or 150 games, two of them reaching 150.
You said: be one club, and include everyone.
Registrations up 50, and Auskick up another 40 on top, with two more Auskick Play teams. Three U13 mixed teams and another girls team added.
Our U17 Div 4 side ran as a combined program with Alex Hills as the Redland Bombers, which meant not one of those kids missed a season, and they played it here in the Redlands.
Our girls program had a year. Heavy losses early, then something clicked, with wins from Round 5 onwards and finals footy across the program. And our U11 girls, who fronted up under lights every Friday and never dropped their heads, finally got their win in Round 12. Best thing that happened all year.
Our umpiring group nearly doubled, from 11 to 20, which let us put two umpires on the field for as many games as possible. Better decisions for the kids, and proper support for our newer officials. That won us first place in the AFL Queensland 2026 Umpire4Fun Club to League Participation Incentive, ahead of every club in the state, with a 69.2% transition rate against a next best of 45.5%.
Add our first ever All Abilities Program, Girls in Footy Night after two wash outs, a trivia night that drew 100 people and raised over $5,000, and 60 years celebrated with the senior club.
You said: look after the volunteers.
Eight more volunteers on the committee. A dedicated Wellbeing Officer for players and volunteers. Every volunteer registered with a current Blue Card. Team manager training, accredited ground marshals and written guides so nobody gets thrown in cold. That all paid off when we hosted the AFL Queensland Youth Finals at our ground, run by our people. And Bethan Hockins was named Volunteer of the Year for her work on the All Abilities Program.
And a word on our sponsors.
Sponsor revenue was up 10% this year, and every cent of it goes into footy for our kids. Thank you to Totally Workwear Capalaba, GenFreight Global Logistics Pty Ltd, Tidbold Real Estate, Tekt, Keith Mole & Associates Solicitors, and every local business backing the Sharks. When you can, back them the way they back us.
We did not get to everything. Changerooms and the big drainage job are still ahead of us, and the coffee van beat us this year. We also know team and age group changes were not easy for every family, and that is something we want to hear more about. Being straight with you matters more than a clean scorecard.
Our survey opens today. This time we are asking coaches, team managers and committee members too. Ten minutes of your time genuinely changes what we work on next year.
π https://comfortquest.typeform.com/to/wUqyLrSR
Watch this space. π¦