AS a club always on the cutting edge of innovative ideas, a group of young Research players recently got their pre-season off to a flying start with a visit to Collingwood’s Westpac Centre.
The youngsters took a guided tour through the Magpies home base with former Searchers and Magpies star Simon Prestigiacomo.
The boys were treated to an all-access-pass to view the inner sanctum of an AFL club.
They ventured through the massive gymnasium, three swimming pools, training areas, boxing ring, and the incredible high altitude room, which houses over 40 treadmills and exercise bikes at a simulated altitude of 5000 metres.
Simon explained the historical significance of the building to the young chargers.
The facility was first used as the swimming centre for the 1956 Olympic Games. It has since been host to massive rock concerts, the Melbourne Tigers NBL team, before the ‘Pies took over the heritage-listed building and turned into a $10 million training facility.
Simon then discussed the workings of the club from a player’s perspective and spoke about his journey to the big league. He also answered many questions posed by the inquisitive juniors.
Collingwood coach Nathan Buckley gave the boys a wave as they headed out onto his club’s new training ground for a solid session, with an incredible enthusiasm to get the 2014 season underway.
Research Junior Football Club has teams in all age groups from under-9s through to under-17s.
Unfortunately the 2014 season is seeing numbers slightly down in Research’s under-13s team of boys and girls.
If you are interested in joining a forward-thinking club with an emphasis on improving skills, contact the Research Junior Football Club – “The Family Club” 
www.researchjuniorfc.com.au.
