THERE’S something in the water down at Sandringham. The bayside club will enter standalone status for the first time this century in 2026, having ended its AFL alignment to St Kilda. With close ties to community clubs and stakeholders, and nearly of 100 years of history, the Zebras have embarked on a monumental list build.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
>> RECRUITMENT DRIVE:<\/strong> South Adelaide<\/a> | Subiaco<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n The club revamp under CEO Mark Wheeler<\/em><\/strong> has brought former premiership player Daniel Ward<\/em><\/strong> back to Trevor Barker Beach Oval (TBBO) as head coach, while captain Blake Watson<\/strong> was the first player to re-sign for 2026. A further 14 players have recommitted, complimenting an influx of 18 fresh faces from various talent pools.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Though, at the heart of Sandringham’s signing spree has been a clear commitment to the community and region, targeting young local talent to take the club forward. The Zebs sparked their recruitment drive by garnering expressions of interest last year, which according to esteemed footy journo Paul Amy<\/em><\/strong><\/a>, garnered nearly 100 applications off the bat.<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n VFL: Sandringham put out a call yesterday for prospective players to register for stage one of the preseason – and received 97 applications in 17 hours. Put that with $100k from past players and 1929 membership, and the Zebras are off to a strong start for 2026. pic.twitter.com\/GlYOEJ6Ykb<\/a><\/p>— Paul Amy (@PaulAmy375) September 11, 2025<\/a><\/blockquote>