Hey Girls! ,
So for this edition of Wildflower I decided to change up the content a bit. Today I’m going to advertise and chat about a local sports club, which I have been a part of and played AFL with for the past 4 years. Western Suburbs Junior Australian Football Club is located in Croydon Park: Our two home grounds being Picken Oval (located next to the club) and Wagener Oval (Ashbury).
AFL supporters and club players have increased over the years gaining a substantial following but it would be amazing to see more local clubs and people joining especially females, though it is becoming more publicised and media covered. The crowds at Sydney Swans (SCG) and GWS Giants (Olympic Park) games are amazing, it is a whole new level of competition and perspective of sport.
My brother joined 5 years ago and watching him play made me really enjoy the sport and want to play myself, which I did and now all my siblings do. Coincidentally Taryn also played for the club so we were on the same team :). Playing AFL is a community fun event where you make new friends and compete with other teams across Sydney (some games require a little bit of travel). There are a range of age groups starting from AusKick and ending with Women and Mens, there is more of a range with the boys age groups but girls only have 12’s,14’s,16’s and 18’s which we hopefully want to try and increase involvement within, but not everyone is willing to try AFL or prefer other sports. Whether your team plays on Saturday or Sunday depends on the age group.
Before I go into the boring bits let me mention something the club does called “Bring a Friend” program. It aims for players to bring friends and hope they stay and play for the season. At the end of the season those players who brought other people along will receive $50 for each person they bring who stayed for the season which is only 15 or so games, but it needs to be mentioned. For e.g I brought a friend to a training session so they got the feel of the game and environment. They decided to play AFL, when they register there is a section for “BAF” for recording the name of the person who introduced you to the club. If you wanted to be even about it you could go half and split it with each other since you both played a part.
WHY WSJAFC (WESTERN SUBURBS JUNIOR AUSTRALIAN FOOTBALL CLUB)
AND AFL? BECAUSE WESTS IS A GREAT CLUB…
Low registration fees with socks and shorts included
Focus on the kids enjoying sport
Relaxed family atmosphere at games with BBQ
Backpack and football for FREE up to u9s
Two dedicated AFL grounds with canteen and facilities
Playing jerseys provided FREE of charge
Free gear bag, training shirt, polo shirt, jacket (if team is sponsored)
Wests has its own licensed club with monthly kids disco, event rooms, family restaurant
Free polo shirts for volunteer coaches and managers
BECAUSE AFL IS A GREAT GAME FOR KIDS
AFL has a range of skills easily transferred to other sports
AFL trains all players to use all skills involved in kicking, catching, and running
Team-based
Modified rules for juniors that teach skills and are safe and fair
All players play in all positions (up to u12s) regardless of ability
Even team numbers (clubs with more players share their players on game day if need be)
LOCATION
Western Suburbs Junior Australian Football Club are based at Picken Oval in Croydon Park.
The Western Suburbs Junior Australian Football Club also use Wagener Oval in Ashbury – which now has upgraded facilities. It is primarily used as a training venue, as well as for home games (likely every second week)
VISION
Western Suburbs Junior Australian Football Club’s vision is to be the best junior club in Australia where players can develop their skills and make friends in a positive and fun environment under the guidance of experienced coaches. Western Suburbs Junior Australian Football Club is both a vital part of the Inner West community and provides a pathway to seniors football at the Western Suburbs Magpies and AFL teams.
I have really enjoyed playing AFL and helping out with BBQ duties or Assistant Ground Manager and have definitely made some lasting friendships within the club.
Feel free to check out their website : https://westsjuniorsafl.com.au/ (might be a tad outdated) but it you have any questions feel free to email me at zali.webb@sydstu.catholic.edu.au or stop me in the halls for a chat <3
Zali Webb :)
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