Community Spotlight Series: Matt Carew – Dolphins
GUB’s Community Spotlight Series aims to shine a light on our community clubs that make up the majority of our weekly competitions.
We’ll be checking in with all club presidents to find out not only about them, but also some club history and what’s happening behind the scenes.
Tell us a bit about yourself and how long you’ve been affiliated with the club?
My involvement with the club started around 5 years ago when my son began playing, and soon after, I commenced coaching my daughters’ team.
After starting out assisting the club with coaching and fundraising activities, I stepped into the President role in early 2025.
What area of Geelong does club the represent?
The majority of our club reside in the southeast area of the Golden Plains Shire, predominantly Bannockburn, Teesdale and Inverleigh. All of our training is in Bannockburn, based out of the Bannockburn Recreation Centre operated by the YMCA, and the Bannockburn P-12 College.
Golden Plains residents make up just over 85% of our club numbers. We also have around 10% of our club residing in the Northern and Western suburbs of Geelong where the club originated. Whilst some of these members are senior players, we have a growing number of juniors who have opted to join the Dolphins due to the more predictable 15-minute commute to Bannockburn rather than crossing Geelong on training nights.
How long has your club been operational for and what are some of the historical milestones for the club?
The Dolphins were formed in 1996 starting with one junior team of friends. Our original home was at Leisuretime Sports Precinct in Norlane, until the decision was made by the club to relocate to the growing Bannockburn and Golden Plains area around 8 years ago where the club has continued to grow.
This year, we have undergone a logo and uniform rebrand with the help of our sponsors from Small Dog Design and Borne Apparel. Through engagement with our past and present members, we have been mindful through this process to uphold and recognise the history of the club so far, but have also used this as an opportunity for growth to become more recognisable in our local community.
What does the future hold for your club?
Bannockburn and surrounding areas are one of the fastest growing regional places in Victoria. The area has nearly doubled in size since the club’s relocation, and with current growth planning we are likely to see these areas double in size again in the next 10 – 15 years.
We are bolstering our committee and looking at ways to sustainably grow the club, increase on-court success, improve player retention and explore opportunities to advocate for additional facilities as our region expands and population increases. Our goal is to be the club of choice in the area.
We have also commenced planning for a 30-year celebration of the club to be held later this year.
