2025 AJAX Amateur Football Club Impact Report

A record playing group continued to be one of the club’s strengths. Across the 2025 season:

• 243 players represented AJAX in senior football – biggest number of players ever.
• 58 players played at Senior level during the season, including 25 debutants.
• 107 players were available for Saturday Thirds
• 78 Sunday Thirds (Second Sunday team formed for the first time showing increasing traction in the religious community to play football.)
• Reserves played 92 players
• The All Stars All-Abilities squad continued with 25 regular participants.
• Two players played in Thirds, Reserves, Seniors (3-2-1)

The senior team’s promotion to B grade is the club’s most significant on-field outcome in recent years and reflects a strong playing environment and commitment to standards.

The coaching panel provided continuity and clear direction:

• Senior Men’s Head Coach: Lachlan Buszard

• Senior Men’s Assistant Coach: Evan Lukas

• Reserves Coach/Head of High-Performance: Rob Paterson

• Thirds Coaches: Adam Micmacher (Sat), Ryan White (Sunday Premier), Jack Schachter (Sunday Div 5)

Two senior co-captains led alongside a broader leadership group, supporting improved communication and standards among players. The senior leadership group played an important role in strengthening club connection and culture throughout the season.

• A focus was placed on welcoming new players, ensuring debutants were included quickly and supported both at training and on match day.
• The group also continued to maintain a strong link with the All Abilities program, with players attending training sessions and events, and with Adam Caplan volunteering weekly as a coach, providing the All Stars with a direct and valued connection to the senior side.
• Earlier in the year, the leadership group organised the inaugural Fayman Cup T20 match against Maccabi Cricket.
• Many senior players also coached at the AJAX Junior Football Club, helping to reinforce the pathway from juniors to seniors.
• In addition, the playing group coordinated a successful fundraising BBQ to support their end-of-season trip, demonstrating initiative and shared responsibility within the group.

The club continued its work to strengthen identity and connection:

• All Stars All Abilities team lead again by Jeff Israel and assisted by Lenny Gross OAM continued to thrive in its third year of competition.  Numbers were good and attracted many new players to the Club.

• Yom HaShoah memorial match 26 April at Princes Park v Prahran had close to 2000 people in attendance.

• The President’s Lunch with guest speaker, Tom Elliot, doubled as a 1975 Premiership reunion, strengthening intergenerational ties

• The inaugural AJAX vs Maccabi AJAX Cricket Club Fayman Cup T20 cricket match, building cross-club connection

• Work continued on Who Are We? – a documentary capturing the history of AJAX from its beginnings through to today. The project has been in development for five years and includes interviews with key figures across the club’s history. The aim is to premiere the film at the 2026 Jewish International Film Festival (JIFF).

• VAFA Coach of the Year (Premier C): Lachlan Buszard

• VAFA Team of the Year: Elliot Debinski & Max Herzel

• Leading Goal Kicker (Sunday Premier Thirds – 48 goals): Amir Meyerowitz

• Player Milestones:

  • 200 Games: Adam Caplan

  • 100 Games:

• Yehuda Gottleib
• Ezra Herszberg
• Roi Abraham
• Toby Lipton
• Kane Nissenbaum
• Elliot Debinski

Depth and player availability remained key challenges throughout the season. The Saturday Thirds played an important role in supporting selections each week, with frequent late changes and movement between teams helping to keep all sides on the park. The club continues to explore the feasibility of an U19 team, though this depends on player commitment and mid-season travel patterns.

The club maintains a long-term aim to re-establish a senior women’s team, working with the junior club to support a pathway when numbers allow.

Overseas travel had a noticeable impact this year, particularly around the mid-season break, affecting training consistency and matchday availability. Injuries after Round 6 also placed pressure on depth, requiring a number of Thirds players to step into higher grades — creating opportunity.

It is not just about winning Premierships, although that is every Club and team’s goal, but as the marque Jewish sporting Club in Australia, we also provide a home for young men, women, all abilities, supporters alike to know that we can compete at the highest level possible whilst maintaining our Jewish identity and a place for everyone in our community.

The focus now shifts to competing strongly in Premier B, supporting player development, and ensuring fitness, availability and depth remain strong across grades. Key priorities include:

• Consolidating Premier B competitiveness

• Strengthening the pathway with the AJAX Junior Football Club

• Supporting coaches and captains to continue driving standards

• Expanding All Stars participation and volunteer coaching support

• Continuing work on the 70th anniversary celebrations in 2027

• 60^th Anniversary of the 1966 Premiership winning Team reunion is planned for 2026 to celebrate the first Grand Final win for the Club.