NSW/ACT Club of the Week: UTS Bats
By Alison Zell
Football clubs are often about much more than just playing football; and UTS is a club that prides itself on their off-field work, just as much as its on-field performance.
Established in 2000 after success at the Australian University Games in 1998 and 1999, the Bats are firmly about culture before footy, with their handbook clearly stating: “You are a better footballer and a better person after spending time at the Bats”.
But now in their 12th season, the Bats experienced club success early, bursting onto the AFL Sydney scene with a Premiership in their first season in the competition and winning 10 Premierships over the past 11 seasons, with 16 Grand Final appearances.
Based out of Trumper Park in Paddington, but also playing home games at Waverley Oval in Bondi, the Bats have five senior sides in the AFL Sydney competition – in Premier Division, Division One, Division Two, Division Four and Division Five.
Welcoming experienced players and those new to the game, the Bats aim to be a club where people can learn the basics of AFL as well as playing and succeeding at the highest level.
Bats President Scott Baker said UTS prides itself on being a club “run by the players, for the players”.
Baker began at the club in 2004 and like many others at the club, he joined UTS from interstate.
“A lot of the guys are expat interstaters and I’m no different, being from Victoria,” Baker said.
“For a lot of guys the Bats are their Sydney family or their home away from home.
“We’ve got a large Irish contingent as well as interstate guys … we’ve probably had approximately 30 Irish guys so the integration of guys from different walks of life, different states and different nationalities is all just part and parcel of the club.”
Just before Baker arrived at the club, UTS went through a transformation, with the club taking training to a more professional level.
“We went from one side originally to three sides quite quickly and while we kept the social culture of the club, we certainly turned a bigger focus to on-field success,” Baker said.
“2006 was another turning point when we got our first A-grade Premiership.
“It’s not lost that at every level you’re trying to win Premierships but there’s an unwritten motto that you’re accepted as a person first and a footballer second.”
The club also has a strong involvement in the community, with an annual State of Origin training session raising money for charity.
The night was held last week with the players breaking into Victoria, NSW, South Australia and All Stars (WA, Queensland and overseas) to play mini-games. This year the night raised over $800 for CanTeen.
The club also supports the StillBirth foundation and BeyondBlue.
“We’ve got a tradition now of holding the State of Origin night which ties in that we’re all coming from different places and that’s now synonymous with CanTeen,” Baker said.
“One of our Masters players also raised over $50,000 last year for the Still Birth Foundation which was heavily supported by club members and is a charity that has touched a number of guys in the club.”
The club holds team announcements and post-match functions at the Light Brigade Hotel in Paddington, and with numerous social events across the season, the UTS Bats show a strong off-field culture can lead to successful team performance.
