Tony Zappia (Makin, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Assistant Minister for Medicare) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Last month, Tea Tree Gully Football Club won the division 1 seniors SA Football Association grand final, defeating Rostrevor Old Collegians. The win was dedicated to teammate Jon Birkin, who sadly died last December. Tea Tree Gully has a long history of successes, with many premierships over the years, across all age groups in a range of divisions, and now including women's football. The club has also been the breeding ground of many young footballers who have gone on to play in state and national football. I congratulate the players, who played superbly on the day, the coach, Justin Maschotta, and the club management, led by John Curley.

The win will likely attract more players to Tea Tree Gully, which is already bursting at the seams with over 500 junior players. It will raise pressures on the club to improve facilities, for which the club will need assistance from state, local and federal governments. Tea Tree Gully is a model sport and social club typical of so many others around Australia that make an enormous social welfare contribution to their local communities. I commend and thank the club for its service to the north-east of Adelaide for over 150 years.