Junior football, female participation, school football, Auskick and club based programs are the winners as AFL Goulburn Murray releases its 2015 Participation Summary.
Almost 13,500 participants in 625 teams represented 85 football netball clubs across the Goulburn Murray in 2015, including 11 new football teams starting up in the Shepparton District JFL Primary School Division alone in the past two years.
Auskick is also being rejuvenated with four new centres sparking a participation rise in 2015. Over 2,000 participants are now registered in 50 centres for this important 5-10 year entry level program.
The introduction of the Northern Angels in the Youth Girls competition led an 18.5% female participation increase with Auskick and school competitions also experiencing significant female participation growth. A Youth Girls Academy also kicked off this year in partnership with the Murray Bushrangers and Bendigo Pioneers with 35 girls fast tracking their football development.
A number of club based initiatives were delivered this season with the highlight being the Outside The Locker Room (OTLR) program. Through a Bendigo Health partnership 2,297 participants from 16 GVFL, KDFNL, Shepparton DJFL and MFL clubs were involved in mentoring sessions covering drugs, alcohol, bullying, responsible decision making, personal branding and nutrition. The feedback from participants and the response from clubs has been outstanding to this innovative and hands on program.
All KDFNL clubs were involved in club based workshops to establish their own Junior Development Plans and two U18 Development Days were held for KDFNL players featuring sessions from Headspace, Victoria Police, TAC CUP coaches and the GVFUA.
Club Umpire Workshops involving 55 club volunteers at three venues were delivered pre season in partnership with the GVFUA along with an Umpires Seminar in June with over 100 GVFUA members and AFL Umpires Hayden Kennedy and Chelsea Roffe .
A Tribunal Seminar involving representatives from all Leagues was also held leading into the season as a precursor to an ongoing education program for this important component of League operations.
The introduction of a Health Services Strategy promoted the broader role of football netball clubs in the community. The Man Up event in partnership with Headspace discussing men’s mental health involved over 200 footballers and was followed up by the Outside The Locker Room project and the development of a Health Services Directory for the benefit of club volunteers. The Directory is a free resource for volunteers and provides leads and information regarding valuable services which clubs may need from time to time.
The GVFL, KDFNL, Shepparton DJFL U16 and Seymour DJFNL U16 held ‘Step. Back. Think’ themed rounds on 12, 13 and 20 June and the GVFL supplemented that with a ‘Report Racism’ round on 18 July. The KDFNL conducted their annual ‘Say No To Violence’ round with great effect on 16 May.
The Umpire Diversity Academy was a huge success with 16 participants from non-English speaking backgrounds participating. The Academy culminated with participants officiating in the Shepparton v
Benalla U18 game on 13 June. Over half of the Academy’s participants had officiated formally with the GVFUA by the end of the season.
Other multicultural engagement activities included field trips to AFL games, focused school clinics and participation in multicultural festivals and events. AFL Multicultural Community Ambassadors were active in developing relationships and delivering initiatives to promote our great game in 2015.
Football in the school environment continues to grow with all primary and secondary schools in the region now having a designated AFL School Ambassador. All schools also participated in either a one day or a multi day inter school competition with 2,461 primary school and 2,225 secondary school students playing this season. The Australian Sports Commission’s Sporting Schools Program involved 650 children in its first year and this is targeted for growth as the program takes root in the next 12 months.
Over 9,000 participants were involved in AFL Player Appearances in six different towns and a massive crowd of around 9,500 turned out to see North Melbourne overcome Hawthorn in the NAB Challenge at Deakin Reserve in March. A further 4,000 people participated in promotional community clinics in schools, shopping centres, partner programs or as part of public events.
The revival of the Echuca Reconciliation Day, the continued growth of the Boot Bank initiative, the successful Holiday Programs, delivery of high quality coach education courses and the casual employment of Game Development Officers were also highlights of a packed game development calendar.
AFL Goulburn Murray Chairman Nicholas Rolfe is pleased with the progress made during the season against the Commission’s Strategic Plan.
"Considering we had five staff with new roles and a short administrative lead in for the GVFL season the results across the year have been outstanding" he said.
"The feedback from those we work closely with has been extremely positive and a consultative approach to working with clubs and volunteers has underpinned strong financial performances in our partner Leagues."
"The implementation of recommendations from the 2014 KDFNL Governance Review and the 2014 Seymour DJFNL Competition review were also focal points for the office to put in place minor and major refinements to benefit member clubs and the Leagues overall."
"The working relationship between staff and partner clubs has been further strengthened over the course of the season by surveys, club FootyWeb training, workshops, club visits and a genuine connection to the volunteers who work at the coal face."
"The Community Club Sustainability Program in 2016 has also been set up with an open process to collect data and run workshops with club volunteers to understand the system and answer queries along the way."
"From a development viewpoint, participation numbers are on the rise, especially below the U14 level, and we now have an AFL Ambassador in every school in the region to help promote our game."
"We still have a number of challenges to overcome to develop a united position for the betterment of the game but overall it has been a positive year as we work towards achieving our eight Strategic Objectives."
"Finally, I would also like to acknowledge the support of our partners, especially major partners Seymour Toyota, Bendigo Health and Loco Sportswear, who have helped us to deliver on a range of club and participation focused initiatives."
Last Modified on 19/01/2016 15:11