March 24th, 2017
Dust off the boots, it’s footy season and we’re spreading the good stuff for all forms of AFL: a connector of people and the community.
I’m not your most dedicated AFL fan (more of a cricket lover), however I do love the idea of weather cool enough to pull on a beanie and rugging up for a game of footy, local or otherwise.
And there’s the footy food of course: hot pies with sauce, delicious local chicken kebabs in a roll from the boys in the hot dog van (if you’re an Echuca Football Netball Club fan) and what about those hot jam donuts? No wonder we all add on a few sneaky kilos in the winter months.
While parents of junior footballers are rushing around sourcing footy boots, local senior teams have been training since the start of summer and the big leagues have already kicked off with the first round starting last night hot on the heels of the men’s pre-season competition. This weekend will also see a grand final between the Brisbane Lions and Adelaide as the inaugural AFL Women’s competition comes to a close.
There may have been some mixed views from footy fans (mainly men) about the worthiness of this ground breaking competition for women but let’s not forget that in some countries many girls and women aren’t event allowed to go to school or attend university, so from an ‘equality’ and ‘opportunity’ perspective the AFL must be congratulated for making this competition a reality.
Footy might just be a sport, played for more than 120 years by men and boys around the country, but it’s now also an opportunity for women to smash through a glass ceiling and for everyone’s football dreams to come true, regardless of gender, race or ability.
For many footy is much more than just a sport, it’s a proven connector of people and communities. Being part of a football club, particularly in regional areas, is akin to belonging to a family.
We know this because we’ve experienced the benefits of belonging to a local footy and netball club first hand.
Flat Out Mum blogger and partner of Hawthorn Football Club legend Shane Crawford, Olivia Anderson agrees that football is the glue that “brings people together”.
Having lived a life unavoidably linked to football for the good part of 20 years and now as the ‘flat out’ mum of four young boys, Olivia understands how the footy community works.
In a recent article for the Herald Sun, Olivia explained that not only does footy bring people together but how it “is the social glue of our community”.
“It doesn’t matter if you’re a boy or girl, an ageing AFL star or a new Australian — you’re embraced by the club and given a job to do,” she wrote.
Football, in all its forms, is undoubtedly the quintessential community sport and we’re ready to kick off for season 2017. And to all those girls and women, boys and men pulling on the boots this season and beyond… good luck and enjoy your season!
Go Roos and the Echuca Murray Bombers!
Christy xo
#spreadingthegoodstuff #footyishere #wordsforgood #community#equality
📷 image thanks to Pinterest
