Bellambi Rosellas begin planning for 2024 Illawarra football campaign

As the Rosellas quash any rumours of a potential demise, the club has confirmed that Steven Dimitrievski will remain as head coach, while Jake Webster will now take on the role of skipper.

Concerns have been expressed within the Illawarra football about Bellambi's future following a disastrous Premier League campaign across all three senior grades, where their teams combined for just one win from 66 games.

However, club president Bruce Cunningham has put to bed any talk of folding, telling the Mercury this week that "we're here to stay", though the Rosellas have applied to be relegated to the District League next year.

While it's been a difficult season, Bellambi are looking to put all of that in the rear-view mirror as they look forward to their 2024 campaign.

"I don't know where that (folding) rumour came from. I spoke to Bruce a couple of weeks back and everything's sorted, it looks like we'll be in District League - where we probably should have been this year anyway," Dimitrievski told the Mercury.

"But I can confirm that I'm signed and ready to go, and we've actually got trials and a kick around this Saturday morning (at Elizabeth Reserve). I'm looking forward to it and hopefully we get some good numbers. And if we get the numbers to come through, then I've got no problem, so we're just getting ready for the boys to get all ready and signed up.

"At the end of the day, this year was tough, but the pleasing thing was that we gave a lot of youth an opportunity. They probably weren't ready for it, but I think it put them in good stead - whether they stay at Bellambi or otherwise.

"And the biggest thing about our club is we're family orientated. I know a lot of people say that, but I've been involved with a lot of club, and the work ethic of the committee and the people is fantastic."

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Dimitrievski also confirmed that the Rosellas would next year have a new skipper in Jake Webster.

"Jake has agreed to terms and we've already got four or five first-grade boys who are committed too," he said.

"Jake started with me a number of years ago with Wests Illawarra, and he was playing first-grade as a 16-year-old. He's since gone to a lot of clubs, from Crini to Wollongong United and the like, and he's now at Bellambi. He had a very solid year at Bellambi, despite getting injured.

"He is fantastic, he's come on in leaps and bounds."

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