MANLY Allambie United Football Club are on the rise.
Primarily based at Millers Reserve, they tend to punch above their weight in most age divisions.
In 1992, Manly SC and Allambie SC amalgamated to form the present day club.
President Russell Rodgers has been on the scene for plenty of years, and was chuffed to see just over 100 smiling faces at the club’s recent 25th anniversary celebrations at Balgowlah RSL.
“It was a great night, and something I’m really glad we did,” he said.
“We pride ourselves on being the friendliest football club on the northern beaches.
“The committee is second to none, our aim is to promote the code, not necessarily the club.
“Our numbers are fairly healthy at the moment, 600 registered players from memory, but we have plans in place to increase those figures.”
One of those plans is improving the women’s program.
“Long term, it would be great to have a ladies team in the Premier League,” Rodgers said.
“It won’t happen overnight, and we also can’t lose sight at what we are doing well at grassroots level.”
Rodgers, who has three sons playing in the men’s AL/1s squad, rates seeing the club in the semis of the MWFA Premier League a few winters ago, as his long standing highlight.
“We started from scratch and kept on building,” he said.
“It was fantastic to see the best players from the peninsula at Millers every second Saturday.
“Hopefully one day it will happen again, watch this space.”