Why youth is set to drive Bulli forward in 2024 Illawarra Premier League

Bulli have unveiled their first signings for the 2024 campaign, with Wollongong Wolves under-20s duo Denim Nou and Jake Almond joining the club, along with promising SD Raiders young gun Sam Sisounon.

Rising stars Deakin Browlee and Logan Mathie headline the list of re-signings, while veteran skipper Ben McDonald has also inked a new deal for the next year.

However, the club has also had plenty of departures this off-season. Aaron Baker and Ryan Emerton are heading to fellow IPL club Corrimal, Jarvis Patterson and Kyle Jackson are joining Wollongong Olympic, and centre-back Yuki Hashimoto is returning to Japan, while there is some uncertainty around goalkeeper Braeden Kludass' plans for 2024.

It means that there is a fresh feeling around Balls Paddock as Bulli aims to improve on their fifth place finish in 2023.

"It's a bit of a club policy to make sure that we have a young squad. To keep the likes of Benny McDonald there is a huge plus for the club, so if we can surround him with young players, it's only going to be a good thing," Bulli head coach Julio Miranda said.

"We've got a couple of lads (Nou and Almond) from the Wolves under-20s who are exciting, but they're obviously very young. They've been at the Wolves for a while and there's a reason why they've been playing at that level, but only time will tell. And Sam Sisounon came and trained with us towards the end of the season and he definitely caught the eye and fits the bill for the club.

"It's an exciting time for the club. There's a few players that have moved on, but that happens in football."