After two interrupted Warrnambool and District league football seasons, van de Camp said "the unknown" of what lays ahead made potential recruits wary of commitment.

"It's a difficult process, there is a lot of caution in guys at the moment with what is going to happen in 2022," van de Camp said.

"The last couple weeks probably hasn't helped that situation. Guys are thinking, 'are we going to have a season, is it going to be interrupted again, are we going to get to play finals?'

"The biggest challenge isn't the football side of things; it's building motivation, enthusiasm and a list to complement what we have got."

Old Collegians' retention of existing players went smoothly due to the earlier work of former coach Nick Sheehan and assistant coach Matt Dempsey, as well as club committee members.

With several talented 19 and 20 years old coming through the ranks, van de Camp said key position players, as well as experienced heads were needed to complement the team.

"We had a gap in our list of that 25 to 27 year old mark who maybe have 100 to 150 games of senior football under their belt," he said.

"And while we've got some players who fit that mould, like a Tim Lewis, we probably needed a few more around that bracket.

"There are a few we're close to (signing), we're just working through the finer details."

After a seventh place finish in 2021, van de Camp said the club would look to build into a top three team in the next few seasons.

"Initially our primary focus is to improve our football, and hopefully that starts to equate to wins. Then we'll work from there," he said.

Old Collegians will return to the training track on January 19.

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