“Football is one of the biggest participation sports in the area so it’s very important for our communities to get behind it,” Mr Comelli said.

“CHFL alone has on any Saturday four grades of football playing with 100 players, and five grades of netball with 70 players. That’s up to 170 players in one of nine venues around the districts.”

Mr Comelli heads a new-look CHFL board which comprises seven board members, replacing the former club delegates system that the league operated under.

“I was a Hepburn club delegate for the previous board,” he said.

“That system worked well for many years, but we felt it was a good time for change and this was a natural progression.

“One of the arguments for change was that decisions were taking too long because of so many delegates.

“This is stream-lining decision making.”

He said the CHFL had “become a fairly big business and in terms of things like sponsorship some decisions have to be made there and then.”

“We’ve had some exceptional people in charge of the league over the last few years and I hope to carry on the good work that my predecessors put in place.

“Gerard and Diane Ryan have been doing a great job and I look forward to working with them.”

Mr Comelli laughed off comparisons with another well-known club president called Eddie.

“I’m a Collingwood supporter but aside from that I admire the way he operates.”

He said while Hepburn was his club and he’d always support them, he looked forward to assisting all clubs in his new role.

“Having been at the coal face of the Hepburn club for 30 years, I’m aware that you need to get people involved, and parents are the best people to get involved,” he said.

“One thing I would like to encourage parents and supporters is to get involved with their clubs. After all, kids will do what they see their parents and guardians do.”