Warrnambool Football Club returns to spiritual home at Reid Oval for the first time in over two years

The Hampden league club returned to the multi-million dollar redeveloped Reid Oval on Monday night for a training run, desperate to shake off the cobwebs and get rolling on a successful 2022 season.

It's been over two years - at the end of the 2019 season - since the Blues were able to step foot on the surface, and with the new changerooms in the background and over 40 players on the track, coach Ben Parkinson was in awe of their upgraded home.

"It's probably better than what we'd imagined it would be, it's unreal," he said.

"The surface is spectacular, the council has put in a lot of work to get it where it needs to be, and there's still some stuff to finish.

"But just to be out here and training is awesome. Some guys have come out to train just because of the new oval."

After spending 2021 playing their home games at Deakin University's The Pond, Parkinson said it was vital his club returned to their spiritual home.

"For the players, we've known this has been coming for a long time, and so does the whole town, and these boys are really lucky to play for the Warrnambool footy club and get to use it over two times a week, and on weekends," he said.

"These younger ones who are just starting their careers are really, really lucky they'll get this for the rest of their career, and some of the older guys are so excited by it.

"My two boys are only 13 and almost six, they won't know anything different by the time they start playing, but inside the football club, we've done it tough.

"We've had no indoor dining in our club, and basically for the last two years they haven't been able to open too much, so coming back means a lot as a whole."

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From retention of players and finding new recruits, Parkinson said it was a slow time for local football clubs, and like many would pour focus into a strong and stable junior program.

"Retention has been good, we've only lost a couple, one to Queensland and one to Melbourne, but recruiting is going well, we've picked up three midfielders so they'll make us better," he said.

"But like a lot of clubs, there's not a hell of a lot going on in the recruiting department, so we're in the same boat.

"You've got to have a really good junior structure, and we've got 30 at most levels, so if you bring them through, you're going to have a lot of numbers.

"Our ressies numbers are really good, there's a lot of buzz around that, and if you can get the kids to hang around that helps.

"We're also lucky a lot of our boys have chosen trades over going to uni, so they'll stay around town."

The Blues kick-off their Hampden league season with a home clash at Reid Oval on Saturday, April 2 against Portland.

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