Two Northern Football League clubs have celebrated off the field after winning an exclusive coaching experience with the North Melbourne Football Club thanks to the FOX FOOTY Club Rewards program.
The Northcote Junior Football Club and Whittlesea Junior Football Clubs recently visited North Melbourne’s training facilities for an experience hosted by the Kangaroos’ head coach, Brad Scott, and his coaching staff.
The experience saw representatives from both clubs treated to a coaching seminar and tour of their Arden St Oval facilities, led by senior coach, Brad Scott, and senior assistant coach, Darren Crocker.
The FOX FOOTY Club Rewards program is an initiative driven by Foxtel to support grassroots sport and recognise football clubs and the benefit they deliver to their local community.
Below is listed each club’s community support initiatives that saw them recognised among the FOX FOOTY Club Rewards program:
Northcote Junior Football Club
– Northcote have put in place policies and procedures in place to maximise participation regardless of financial circumstances, establishing a Player Welfare Fund and initiating the ‘Cougars Free Kick’ program to offer disadvantaged children the chance to participate in community football.
– By providing transport, uniforms and paying registration we have enabled children of migrants from Africa, the Middle East and Asia to participate in training and playing games.
Whittlesea Junior Football Club
– The Eagles adopted Breast Cancer Network of Australia as the organisation to undertake annual fund raising for their cause for the last two years, after a club member was diagnosed with the illness.
– The fundraising culminates in the round of football played on Mother’s Day, alongside the South Morang Football Club who experienced a similar situation within their club.
– The club has also raised funds for kids with disabilities in the local Whittlesea area, plus last year, also established a junior girls football team.
National Ambassador for the program and former St Kilda Football Club captain, Danny Frawley, said the program, in its second year of running, continues to reward local clubs with opportunities to learn from the AFL’s elite personnel.
"Local sporting clubs are at the heart of local communities all over Australia and it is fantastic to have organisation such as Foxtel continue to invest at the level where it all begins for so many our AFL players," Frawley said.
"Hopefully the experiences they undertake as part of the program ensures they continue to grow and develop as a football club and as a strong hold presence in their local community."
North Melbourne senior coach, Scott, who began his football career at a grassroots level with the St Kevin’s College First XVIII, said local football clubs are the backbone of the community.
“Grassroots clubs have an enormous role to play for their local town and its members, so we’re delighted to help reward both Northcote and Whittlesea for their community support,” Scott said.
The FOX FOOTY Club Rewards program will also reward 40 local football clubs with the chance to hear from an elite AFL club’s coaching panel in Adelaide and Sydney.
Furthermore, another 17 clubs will also have the opportunity to get a sense of the professionalism of an AFL clubs when they visit an AFL club’s training facilities or an AFL club’s inner sanctum on match day.
Foxtel Director of Sports Marketing, Chantal Walker, said Foxtel was pleased to continue a partnership with the AFL Coaches Association and FOX FOOTY to deliver to the grassroots clubs for their ongoing work to contribute to their community.
“It is important to recognise the football clubs that put activities or programs in place to say thank you to their local communities who support them at a grassroots level. We hope that these experiences will provide the clubs with a significant benefit to continue to their great work,” said Walker.
For more information on the FOX FOOTY Club Rewards program, visit www.foxtel.com.au/foxfootyclubrewards.
