SOCCER
THERE was never much doubt that Phil McGuinness would be offered the Skye United job for next season following this year’s dramatic league finale.
Against great odds and with probably the smallest budget in State 2 McGuinnes and his players snatched second place and promotion in a drama-filled final round of league games.
It was Mick Stevens’ first season as Skye president following the resignations of long-serving president Daren Jones and vice-president Stuart Lawrence earlier in the year.
The two leading administrators anointed Stevens as the man to lead the club into a new era and he didn’t let them down.
“I was elected unopposed and that was very humbling,” Stevens said.
“There must have been around 60 people at our AGM and it was a great honour to have so much support.”
Stevens and his new committee wasted no time getting to work and their first priority was the senior women’s program.
“It deserved our immediate attention because frankly it needed nurturing and bringing back to life and I’m delighted to say that we’ve done that and we’re looking at fielding four women’s teams next year, one in State 3, one in State 5 and possibly two in State 7.
“We’ve been able to get the (player) numbers back with the help of great coaches and the committee.
“We’re now a one-star rated women’s club which I think is a fantastic achievement.
“Carolina (Adones), Lisa (Welburn-Brown) and Karen (Gray) have done a lot of work in the background achieving the targets that we’d set and the one-star rating is a really big pat on the back for everyone’s hard work.”
Stevens now focussed on the senior men’s program and the demands of competing in State 1 South East next year and gave a ringing endorsement of head coach McGuinness.
“We obviously discussed budget but much of our discussion centred around Phil having freedom of choice and being empowered to make decisions on the spot if he wanted to.
“One of the changes I brought in was to say ‘Phil this is your budget, I back you, I trust you so you handle negotiations and you make those calls on the spot if need be’.”
He was entrusting his head coach with full budget disclosure and the power to use that budget as he saw fit.
“Phil’s proven. He does his thing competently and he treats the players with respect,” Stevens said.
“There’s not one player that has walked away feeling they were mistreated and everyone knows where they stand with him.
“He even helps players to find a spot at another club if they don’t fit in with what he wants – he’s always giving and we are very lucky to have him.
“In my eyes he’s absolutely brilliant at his job.”
But president and coach discussed much more than playing budget when it came to the impact competing at State 1 level might have on the club.
“The main topic of our discussion was maintaining the family aspect of the club.
“Our fear is moving to State 1 and having a more corporate approach to how we run the club.
“It was important for both Phil and myself to understand the importance of that family aspect and neither of us wants to lose that.
“We want to keep our people with us while introducing players with the same set of values which is something Phil does very well in my opinion.
“Keeping players happy was a priority.
“When numbers drop off at training for example that’s a clear indicator that not all’s well.
“Phil kept morale high this year.
“We never set specific goals because we knew if the players were happy then results would take care of themselves.”
That’s the same approach that is being taken to preparing for next season and the same approach that will guide Skye throughout a challenging league campaign in 2026.
“Naturally staying in State 1 will be a good year for us but I’d also like to continue to grow which I see as a major indicator of our season’s progress.
“We’re currently fielding 39 teams with just two pitches so you can imagine what sort of logistical challenge we face.
“The club opens up on Wednesdays now as well to take pressure off training on Tuesdays and Thursdays.
“We’ve got games played on Friday nights for our metro squads to alleviate pressure on Saturdays and Sundays so we certainly could do with a review of our facilities.
“We’ve been flagged as the club most in need when it comes to the new facility being built as part of a housing and sports development in Skye and we look forward to seeing what comes of that.”
Still in State 1 and last week Mornington reaffirmed a $9.6 million co-investment from the federal government and Mornington Peninsula Shire to deliver major upgrades at Dallas Brooks Park.
The project will deliver four full-size pitches, competition-grade facilities, improved drainage and modern infrastructure.
“It will change the DNA of Mornington Soccer Club,” president Craig Riley said.
It’s now likely that the Seagulls will play home games at nearby Civic Reserve next year while the Dallas Brooks project is underway.
In State 7 news last week Mount Martha appointed Andy McCabe to the senior coaching role that had been vacant since the end of the season in September.
McCabe recently joined Chris Sanderson as senior assistants to head coach Al Baldwin at Frankston Pines.
He resigned from the position a few weeks ago to take on the Mount Martha job.
“Mount Martha had issues which have been resolved – I made sure of that before I went there – and the committee is realistic enough to know what we can achieve in State 7,” McCabe said.
“There’s been a player exodus but I like to think I can make a contribution and try and stabilise things over the next couple of years.”
McCabe reignited his interest in coaching when in charge of his grandson’s under-13s this year.
He is a club legend at Mooroolbark but plans to move to the peninsula in March into a house 400 metres from Mount Martha’s Civic Reserve headquarters.
In VPL1 Langwarrin’s penultimate 2025 game ended in a 1-1 draw with Nunawading City at Lawton Park on Saturday.
Lucas Portelli scored from the penalty spot for Langy.
“It was a really physical and competitive game which continued our preparations,” Langwarrin head coach Jamie Skelly said.
Langy’s last match of the year is on Tuesday at Lawton Park against Skye United.
The kick-off is at 7.30pm.
