No looking back as Brookton-Pingelly set to return to Upper Great Southern Football League for 2024 season

A rejuvenated Brookton-Pingelly Football Club is itching to get back on to the oval as it prepares to re-enter the Upper Great Southern Football League this year. The Panthers members voted to not field teams in the 2023 UGSFL season, which came after the club was fined $20,000 and lost eight premiership points for WA Country Football League salary cap breaches in 2017, 2019, 2020, 2021 and 2022. However, the club has been steadfast in returning in 2024 and announced late last year it would be back fielding teams. The Panthers will field a league, reserves and D-grade team this year and club president Adrian Fairhead said despite the absence of on-field action, it had been business as usual. “I don’t consider that we ever really shut the club down in ‘23,” he said. “We continued — we were a footy club that wasn’t playing footy, we continued with our fundraising, we continued with a few social events . . . we still had our committee meetings, still run as a club but just didn’t play, and I’d just like to add that we’ve had a really good backing from Greg Baird at the WA country footy league . . . he did a lot to help us.” There have been player losses, some of whom played for other clubs last year, but Fairhead said the Panthers playing group was raring to go. Ben Perry from Busselton has been announced as league coach, while vice-president Aaron Morton will coach the reserves. “Probably I reckon only 50 per cent are coming back but that’s their decision and we’re happy for whatever they do as long as they’re playing footy,” Fairhead said. “If they want to play footy in other towns, that’s great. “(Ben) is very good with the blokes and he’s just good to have around the club; he supports the club very well, firm but fair I think. “It’s unbelievable to find a coach just pop out of the woodwork; we negotiated fairly and he came up trumps, so we grabbed him.” The Panthers have enjoyed a solid pre-season, with scratch matches against Corrigin and Beverley, but Fairhead admits it has been a bumpy road. “We were floundering a bit at the start wondering where the hell we were and what the hell we were doing,” he said. “We’ve probably got half the old committee and half a new committee and I can promise you that’s the reason we’re playing footy. “I’m the luckiest president of any club in Australia to have a committee like I’ve got; they’re absolutely brilliant.” The club has sourced enough sponsorship to provide about 70 players with free membership for this season in another boost. A host of players returning have been announced by the club on Facebook, while Fairhead said they would also have the services of three players from Scarborough in their league team. Fairhead said it had been a big effort to get the club back to a competitive level and the future looked positive. “I reckon there’ll be a fair few shandies drank after the first home game after everybody’s settled down,” he said. “We’ve got a function that night and we’re trying to organise a special back to footy function, hopefully we get the support of the town. “The new committee’s outlook is everybody’s welcome to football — you don’t have to be a member of the club to enjoy what we’ve got to offer.” The new UGSFL season starts on April 27, with the Panthers’ first game on the road against Narrogin before hosting their first home game in Pingelly on May 4.