Northern fans flock to Sydney Swans
By Fiona Poole – ABC News
The Sydney Swans have lifted the profile of AFL in Northern NSW with more kids signing up for the sport.
The Sydney Swans and the newly appointed ‘Australian of the Year’ Adam Goodes are in Coffs Harbour this week for pre-season training.
Swans coach John Longmire says it’s an honour for the club and the players to work alongside Adam Goodes.
“It’s quite amazing sitting there talking to him about different aspects of the football, and where to stand at a stoppage, and he’s actually Australian of the Year,” John Longmire said.
“It’s a magnificent acknowledgement for Adam.”
“He does a lot of work in the community and in our football club.”
The Sydney Swans have been regular visitors to Coffs Harbour over the past four years, training at Pacific Bay and running community clinics.
The Swans players will make a presentation to Sawtell Public School and then run 100 students through drills.
Relieving Principal for Sawtell Public School, Dean Burkitt says that the school visits are a great way to grow the sport.
“Our school is rugby league through and through, however I think a lot of parents are now more open for kids to go and play AFL.”
“After the Swans visited the school last year they ran a six week clinic.”
“We had 45 students take part in that and hopefully it planted the seed to go and play AFL or any other sport for that matter.”
The visits appear to be paying off with AFL Northern NSW reporting a large increase in the number of kids playing the game in the past five years, and with Sawtell winning the AFL PSAA State Championships in 2012.”
“We were the second team outside the Riverina to win that cup and it was the first time a north coast school has done it,” Relieving Principal Burkitt said.
For full coverage of the Sydney Swans’ visit to Coffs Harbour, please visit: http://www.abc.net.au/coffscoast
Photo courtesy: www.sydneyswans.com.au
