East Sunbury Football Club
The East Sunbury Sporting Group is a community base sports club operating east of Sunbury, Victoria. The group governs an Australian rules football club affiliated with the Essendon District Football League, a cricket club competing in the Gisborne & District Cricket Association, and a netball club competing in the Sunbury Netball Association.
| Full name | East Sunbury Sporting Group |
|---|---|
| Nickname | Thunder |
| Strip | Blue and Green with white lightning bolt |
| Founded | 1999 |
| League | Essendon District Football League |
| Ground | John McMahon Reserve, Sunbury |
| Senior Coach | Glenn Hopkins |
| Senior Premierships | 0 |
| Premierships Years | 0 |
| Website | http://www.eastsunbury.org.au |
History
The club was founded in 1999 to advance the interests of the East Sunbury sporting community. The group is responsible for the development of cricket, football and netball within the community.
East Sunbury, first established by the Rolling Meadows estate, was a growing new estate that parents wanted an outlet for their children. A committee was created and the sporting club was formed, with a local Auskick centre established at the Tulsa Drive Reserve as the group's first offering. In 2000, the Rolling Meadows Football Club took to the field for the first time, with an Under 9's team competing in the Riddell District Football Netball League. The club's first game was against St. Christopher's Airport West. Over the coming years, more junior teams would be added to cater for the growing demand. The club achieved varying success through their junior teams, with a number of premierships won.
Without a suitable facility to use as a home ground, the club moved to different local venues as a home base; first to Bulla Recreation Reserve, and then Clarke Oval in Sunbury.
As new houses were built and occupied with new families the demand for local sports facilities increased. A new recreation reserve was developed on Lancefield Rd, named Goonawarra Recreation Reserve (later renamed John McMahon Reserve) as the club's home ground. To coincide with a move to the Essendon District Football League in 2012, Rolling Meadows Football Club was renamed to East Sunbury Football Club. With strong interest in the creation of a senior team (as the highest age group team to that point was Under 18.5), a senior team debuted for East Sunbury in 2013, with former Jacana Football Club premiership coach Casey Whelan as senior coach. East Sunbury debuted in the newly created Essendon District Football League Division 2, and have played in that division since. The senior team struggled in its infancy, however broke through in 2018 for its second finals, and first Grand Final appearance, finishing runners up to Roxburgh Park Football Club at Windy Hill.
In 2009, a cricket club was formed.[1]