Hunter juniors meet AFL hero

AFL NSW/ACT General Manager Tom Harley recently visited a school holiday AFL skills camp in Nelson Bay, and was greeted by more than fifty junior players between the ages of 12-15.

Harley spoke to the enthusiastic crowd of players and parents at the camp, and was keen to find out everyone’s favourite team.

“It’s great to see there are a lot of Swans fans in the Hunter/Central Coast region,” he said.

“Now with the Swans Academy in place in this region, there is a defined pathway for local talent to play for the team they grew up supporting.”

With several Geelong Cats fans in the crowd, Harley was swamped with questions about his playing years.There was even a Cats number two jersey (Harley’s former number) in the crowd, though the wearer claimed it was because he was a fan of the latest Geelong number two, young gun Billie Smedts.

Harley left the aspiring AFL players and their parents with some tips to improve their skills, most importantly – to always keep your eyes on the ball!

The QBE Sydney Swans Academy is now in its second year. Headed by former Sydney Swans coach Paul Roos, the Academy’s programs aim to nurture elite AFL talent from local players aged nine and older.

The Swans Academy has in excess of 400 players ranging in ages from 11 to 19. Their long-term vision is to have 720 players in the academy by 2016.

The Swans Academy staff work in cooperation with AFL NSW/ACT staff to identify players who have showed exceptional talent at an early age.

AFL NSW/ACT runs holiday camps in the Hunter/ Central Coast region regularly during the school holidays, for more information please contact Craig Golledge on 02 4973 2799.