It is a club that has had many identity changes throughout its short 10 years of history. Founded as Rouse Hill Rangers in the inaugural season of the Hills Football Association, then transitioning to Rangers AFC, and now identifying and calling Box Hill their home. The Box Hills Rangers AFC is a club that is rapidly expanding, aiming to meet the needs of their growing player registrations whilst ensuring that community pride and inclusivity remain at the core of everything they do.
Box Hill resides as one of the most northern and western clubs in the association, playing their home games out of Annangrove Park. Providing players and families the opportunity to play locally, the club understands that their community is very diverse and full of young families who may not truly understand the importance of local community clubs. Thus, they prioritise education and teaching people about ‘football literacy’.
“We want to really make new players and families from all different backgrounds, understand the game and what it means to be part of a community club,” Box Hill Rangers President Lisa Macklin said.
“We spend a lot of time educating families about the fact that a football club is not just about a kid turning up and playing football, but it’s about the community and the connection. Also, volunteering is a huge part of that, and we think that when families and players understand that importance, everyone feels welcome, included, and they feel part of something bigger than themselves.”
Thus, Box Hill was recently awarded the Football NSW Club Changer Club of the Month for March, recognising the club’s outstanding commitment to creating a positive environment for players, officials, and supporters.
“It’s great to see a club with such growth potential planning ahead with clear structures in place to ensure long-term sustainability and success,” Football NSW’s Program Manager for Club Development, Trevor Huxley, said via the Football NSW website.
With the club experiencing a growth of over 300% in three years, going from only 177 registered players in 2023 to now entering this season with over 550, the club is actively looking for ways to ensure they continue their controlled growth whilst remaining community focused.
The club has been able to secure extra ground use at Brindle Parkway Reserve in Box Hill and share Stringer Road Reserve with North Kellyville Foxes for this season. Though more excitingly, the club hopes to move the majority of its operations to the new Water Lane Reserve located in the heart of Box Hill.
The reserve, scheduled to open in December, is being built as an AFL field and facility; however, the Rangers have been told by the local council that they could play out of the facility for potentially three years with the hope that a football-specific reserve can be built in that time frame.
“We’ve got a really solid plan moving forward. So, it will definitely be exciting for the club to see what happens next year,” Macklin said.
