Charlotte Varcoe
FOOTBALL fans will be able to get up close and personal with the Australian Football League (AFL) and Australian Football League Womens (AFLW) Premiership cups as it travels to the Limestone Coast.
The South Australian National Football League (SANFL) Thomas Seymour Hill trophy and SANFL Women’s League Premiership Cup will also be on show.
As part of the 2024 Gather Round Community Footy Roadshow, 10 schools across the Limestone Coast will host the cups.
The cups will also be on display at Frew Park as part of the community celebration.
At each stop there is expected to be family friendly activities for locals including sausage sizzles and kick and catch clinics.
Also included in the roadshow celebrations, every regional junior football club will receive 15 brand new Sherrin footballs.
Mount Gambier North Primary School will be one of the many schools the premiership cups were expected to visit with principal Sam Griffith and his students in eager anticipation.
“This will be really exciting for the kids to have a piece of the AFL and SANFL come here,” Mr Griffith said.
“It will be a great experience for the students to be able to see the trophies and I think it will be a good experience and a highlight for them for sure.”
He said the inaugural Gather Round held last year was massive for the state.
“They are trying to make it bigger and better so I think this is a great way to do that,” Mr Griffith said.
“We are still 450 kilometre from Adelaide so to be able to get to the Gather Round is tough for families with the cost of everything.
“Having a little bit of it coming to us is a great experience and a great way to connect regions to the city as well.”
Mr Griffith said he was expecting the students to get a lot of enjoyment out of seeing everything from the AFL perspective.
“AFL is the ultimate level of football and seeing the premiership cup they see on television in person is great,” he said.
“I know women’s football is also getting bigger and bigger in regional areas as well so to have those trophies here will help connect the regions to the city a bit more.”
Mr Griffith said the students would “get a buzz” out of seeing the trophies in their own school environment.
“It is a great idea the cups are coming to the schools, I think sometimes we might have these things at our town hall or somewhere else but actually having the trophies come to the schools really benefits our students and creates a bit of a buzz,” he said.
“I think this will also raise their interest if they are not already interested in AFL and I do think it will certainly encourage them.
“We will probably have more footballs out at recess and lunchtime being kicked around during that period of time and whether that leads to them having more involvement in local football or local sport we can only encourage it.”
Mr Griffith said students participating in sporting activities outside of the school was important, whether it be through dancing, football, soccer or tennis.
“If they are active outside of school it is a bonus as well as being active within school,” he said.
“Generally team sports are a good way to build students’ social connections and being able to get along with other people or other kids is a real bonus.”
He said the benefits of healthy living, being active and also out within the community was really positive for students.
“There are a lot of benefits to connecting sport and school,” Mr Griffith said.
“We have sports which are involved with the school as well, there are basketball competitions and currently there is t-ball competition and we have South Australian Public Schools Amateur Sports Association availability as well.
“We just continuously try and build those connections between school and sport and hopefully the students as well as their families.”
Other schools involved in the roadshow include Millicent North Primary School, Newbury Park Primary School, St Anthony’s Primary School, Mt Burr Primary School, Kalangadoo Primary School, Mil Lel Primary School, Reidy Park Primary School, Allendale East Primary School and Moorak Primary School.
With other events being held at Frew Park and Keith Football Club.
The roadshow will be held in the Limestone Coast between March 27 and April 2.
