Soumilas brothers lead young Sea Eagles

BROTHERS Jim and Joe Soumilas have stepped up and taken on first time coaching roles at Inverloch-Kongwak Football Netball Club. Jim has taken on the U16s and Joe is the assistant coach of the U18s.

Sons of former premiership coach Ben Soumilas, Jim and Joe have played their whole football careers with the Sea Eagles, and are eager to give back to their club.

“The club has done a lot for us, so we do whatever we can to repay them. This is our happy place, it’s where we like to be, so the more time we can spend here, the better,” Jim said.

“We just want to make sure it’s fun for the kids. When you’re that age, all you think about is footy. When the one thing you love is not that fun, something’s not right. For us, it’s all about making sure they’re developing into good young men and enjoying their footy.”

Joe said the aim was to develop the young players into future Seniors and Reserves players, and ensuring everyone has the opportunity to contribute to their team.

“We have a very good crop of players coming through. We have numerous kids in the Gippsland Power program at he moment, which is great to see,” he said.

“At Inverloch, we just want to see as many kids as we can coming to training and being part of the football team and the club community.”

Jim said the club had inspired them to take on new opportunities due to the strong club culture.

“We’ve seen what this club can do and how they look after their own. We know that when you put something in, it helps more people than just yourself,” he said.

With Cora Lynn unable to field U16s and U18s sides, the new coaches experienced their first taste of competition against the Warragul Industrials.