MYRTLEFORD’S Savoy Soccer Club is back and firing on all cylinders, with pre-season training well and truly underway for what many in the club hope will be a year free of COVID-19 disruptions.

Like almost all sports in the last 12 months, the highly successful soccer club and all its players had to sit out an entire season because of the coronavirus pandemic, but despite this, early attendance numbers from pre-season sessions suggest that few have lost interest in the world’s most popular sport.

Brenton Cook, men’s seniors captain and club veteran, said early signs painted a positive picture for 2021.

“It’s been really good so far, we’ve hit the ground running, and we’ve seen really good numbers of attendance,” he said.

“I reckon the majority of players love the game too much.

"Sure there’s been a few that may’ve dropped off, but the majority of players have come back hungrier than ever.”

Cook also noted that it wasn’t just the competition that both himself and the club’s players missed.

“A lot of the guys have missed the camaraderie and the social aspect of the club too,” he said.

“We’re a pretty close-knit team here, and last year was definitely tough not being able to see each other as much.”

Frankie Carroll, a keen left defensive player for the women’s under-17s squad, said that she was happy to be back on the pitch.

“This season I’m looking forward to having fun, learning a few more skills and winning a few more games,” she said.

“The team spirit among all the girls is grea.

"I’ve played with most for five years now, and we’ve grown up together and learnt the sport together.

“It’s also just a great way to unwind after a hard day at school and distress everything else that is going.”

Carroll was also instrumental last year in rallying her fellow players to keep training and staying active during the pandemic.

Danielle Caponecchia, head coach for the ladies side, said she was very proud of Carroll’s efforts to stay motivated, and her positivity had even earned her a nickname.

“We’ve started calling her Captain COVID, because she was just always staying positive throughout last year, getting the girls to go for a run or practice their skills, it was great to see.”