Jarrad McKercher, Darryl Carter, Sam Carter and Darren McKercher are excited about the newly-minted Hills Rangers Football Club.
Camera IconJarrad McKercher, Darryl Carter, Sam Carter and Darren McKercher are excited about the newly-minted Hills Rangers Football Club. Credit: Supplied/Supplied

Merger gives rise to new football club

Stephen Miles, Hills GazetteHills Avon Valley Gazette

The Hills Rangers Football Club is the result of a merger between the Darlington-Parkerville Warriors Junior Football Club and Eastern Hills Hawks JFC.

The Hills Rangers will cater for players aged from 12 to 18, with sides in the years 7s, 8s, 9s, 10s and 11s of the WAFC Eastern Conference.

The Rangers will also have a colts team in the West Australian Amateur Football League (WAAFL), which will pave the way for stronger pathways between the junior competition and senior Hills Football Association (HFA) clubs.

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The merging of Warriors and Hawks was triggered by declining youth participation in the Shire of Mundaring.

The newly-minted club will now be able to nominate sides with more players and a larger club volunteer base.

Darlington-Parkerville JFC president Darren McKercher described the merger as ‘for the greater good of all concerned’.

His Hawks counterpart, Darryl Carter, agreed.

‘The aim of the merger was twofold, firstly to keep a strong and unified football base in the Hills and, secondly, provide a pathway for development of Hills players from Auskick to Seniors,’ Carter said.

The Hills Rangers will continue to source its players from the six junior football clubs in the City of Swan and Shire of Mundaring ” Chidlow, Darlington, Gidgegannup, Mt Helena, Mundaring and Parkerville.

They already cater for the development of junior players aged five to 12, with the potential to service players aged two to five through the Swans Footy Fundamentals program run by Swan Districts development staff.

The 2014 WAAFL season will be met with a great sense of optimism for not only the Hills Rangers club but also the Swan Districts, with existing Darlington-Parkerville and Eastern Hills Hawks Year 12 players graduating from the Swan Districts junior competition to take the next step of their football careers.

By 2016, the Rangers colts are expected to be able to provide the nine HFA senior teams with a steady stream of home-grown players aged 19 to 20.