St Albans Dinamo FC celebrated a return to its newly re-turfed main pitch during the Cro Derby. It was also confirmed a multi-million-dollar redevelopment of its Churchill Reserve complex last Sunday afternoon.
It was an historic day for the proud club, which is celebrating its 50-year anniversary this year. The celebration included a Croatian cultural extravaganza. This was part of the Cro Derby day clash between sister club Dandenong City Hajduk.
Federal Labor Minister Daniel Mulino reiterated the Albanese government’s pre-election pledge. The pledge is to provide Dinamo with a massive $3.5 million to help fund a major reconstruction of the club’s St Albans facility.
Mulino, Football Victoria CEO Dan Birrell, and Kathy and Sonia Filipović, from major sponsor I&D Group, were among several notable attendees. They attended a pre-match function in the upstairs VIP room.
The luncheon event was followed by local folkloric group ‘Hrvatska Zora’ performing the respective national anthems. Afterward, the brand new turf pitch was blessed by the recently appointed parish priest of the St Leopold Mandić Croatian Catholic Centre, Vlč Dino Mustafi.
The off-field festivities continued throughout the afternoon and well into the evening. However, on the field it was a case of Hajduk spoiling the Dinamo party. This was due to a 3-1 win in the NPL Victoria Round 14 Cro Derby clash.
Federal Minister of Sport priases Dinamo
Speaking at the special pre-match VIP function prior to the NPL match, the Federal Member for the electorate of Fraser spoke glowingly about Dinamo’s contribution. The club’s impact on the local community was emphasized.
“Dinamo is a fantastic club in terms of giving the community a focal point. It provides real opportunities for kids – boys and girls – to play football,” said Daniel Mulino. He is the Assistant Treasurer and Minister for Financial Services in the Albanese government.
“The $3.5 million will go towards a greater number of changerooms, male and female. It will also support expanded social facilities and we are also talking about a synthetic pitch,” he revealed.
According to Mulino, all these improvements will provide greater opportunities for footballers of all levels to play. Furthermore, it will enable the club to host big events, such as last year’s immensely successful Australian Croatian Soccer Tournament.
President’s address
St Albans Dinamo president, Ilija Dragičević, believes the football side of the thriving Croatian community club will grow dramatically. The growth is expected over the next few years.
“We can see this club being almost double the size in three to five years,” Dragičević told the guests. He shared this vision at the VIP luncheon.
“But to do that, we will need the infrastructure in place to help it grow,” he continued.
According to the Dinamo president, achieving that goal doesn’t happen overnight
“There are talks and discussions and meetings happening behind closed doors and in the background all the time,” he revealed.
“Only now are we seeing the fruits for all the hard work that’s happened over the last couple of years.”
For a full round up of this last weekend’s NPL action click here.