Spring Hills getting back on track

Sal Paglia (supplied) 365311_01

Spring Hills is determined to return to FV State League 4 west under new coach Sal Paglia.

Spring Hills only won three out of their 22 matches last season, finishing with a goal difference of negative 51.

The poor run of form had them finishing second last and heading into state 5 for the 2024 season, however with a new coach at the helm the club is hoping to turn it around in the not so distant future.

“I’m really, really excited to get going and get started,” Paglia said.

“It’s a vision that we’ve got over a two, three year plan, to bring these young, quality, Spring Hills kids that are coming through and see if we can expose them to senior football.”

Paglia will also be keeping a keen eye over the reserves and under 18’s programs at the club to ensure that there will be a focus on youth development. Although he said that he will still be looking to recruit players into the club.

“It’ll be a blend of both, but the focus will be to get the foundations right and then build the blocks from there,” he said.

“It’s having a look at what Spring Hills has developed over the years and really just opening up a pathway for these young kids to come through.

“It’s not a short term plan, it’s a long term plan and hopefully by putting in some processes and a foundation that will give us the opportunity to have some success.”

Paglia said he understands that the journey won’t be an easy one, however if done right it will bear fruits in the years to come.

“Winning is very important, for us it’s about building a good culture, and building the foundations,” he said.

“But my focus for 2024 will be making sure that we’ve got a team to be able to perform at the highest level, and I think our performances will take care of the results and where we want to be.

“I’m a coach that’s really driven to win and succeed and I think everything else will fall into place.

“It would be nice for us to get promoted but I think there are a lot of boxes that need to get ticked [first].

“We need to get our foundations right and performance is the next thing and then we’ll see where we sit half way through the year and then change it from there.”

Harper Sercombe