FRANKSTON Rovers Junior Football Club president, Aaron Gale, will spend the final weekend of the season on a bike, riding non-stop for 24 hours to raise funds for the club’s long-awaited redevelopment.
Gale will set off from the club’s Bruce Park home at 6pm on Saturday 8 August, riding out to Mordialloc Pier and back on a loop until 6pm the following day.
The finish coincides with the club’s Sunday home games, and Gale plans to swing back past the ground roughly every 90 minutes so players can be part of the event between matches.
The ride is aimed at helping fund a new clubroom facility three times the size of the current one, shared with a senior football club, a cricket club and a tennis club.
Gale said $5m from the federal government and close to $3.9m from Frankston City Council are locked in, with the project waiting on a $1.75m contribution from the state government to proceed.
Gale said the club’s two change rooms are in poor condition.
“One of them’s a dark cell you’d almost call it. There are constant issues with plumbing and electricity and sewerage.
“We get girls to a certain age, and our facilities basically can’t keep them at the club because it’s not up to scratch.”
All three of Gale’s children play at Rovers: son Harley in the under-13s team Gale helped start; daughter Remie, 9, in the under-10s, part of the club’s first year of girls’ football; and youngest daughter Bowie, who will play in the club’s first under-8s girls’ team next year.
It’s the club’s close-knit family feel that Gale most wants people to know about. He coined the club’s slogan himself: “Better people make better Rovers.”
That same community spirit extends to the businesses backing him for his epic ride, Gale told The Times.
“The big guys are looking after the little guy, and that’s kind of the message I’m trying to get across as well.”
Trek Bicycles has lent him a $15,000 bike for the ride, Mornington Cycles owner Brad will run a support tent for the event and bring local cyclists out for laps, and apparel brand Pedal Mafia has supplied a custom kit.
Anyone wanting to back the ride can pledge per kilometre or make a one-off donation through the Australian Sports Foundation, a tax-deductible platform.
Over $6,000 has been raised so far, with Gale aiming for $20,000 or more.
The conclusion of the 24-hour ride will flow into an end-of-season club celebration on the Sunday night, with a silent auction and guest speakers planned.
To donate, visit asf.org.au/campaigns/frankston-rovers-junior-football-club
First published in the Frankston Times – 21 July 2026
