Championship gives a KickStart for U15s
Teams for the 2013 have been announced for this week’s Under-15s KickStart Championships, which will be held in Townsville from April 8-12.
Players from the Pacific region will take part in the KickStart Championships, competing in their own round robin tournament.
The best players will compete in an All-Stars game against the tournament’s Indigenous All-Stars.
The KickStart program uses Australian football as a vehicle for education, employment, health and participation outcomes for Indigenous people, providing further development opportunities for other parts of the football industry such as umpiring, coaching and administration with local Indigenous people engaged in these leadership positions for each team.
The Championships were held for the first time in 2011 at the Gold Coast.
During the Championships participants also meet Indigenous AFL players and engage in leadership seminars.
AFL NSW/ACT Indigenous Programs Manager Katriina Heikkanen said the tournament would provide great opportunities for players from across the state and territory.
“The KickStart Championships provide a unique football experience for our young Indigenous players in NSW and the ACT,” she said.
“An experience like this shows these kids the opportunities that are available through AFL aren’t just about football, but about learning and developing to become community leaders and role models.”
The NSW/ACT team was selected from a number of regions around the state and territory, including: Sydney, South Coast, Lake Cargelligo, Wagga Wagga, Broken Hill and Griffith.
The team heads to Townsville this Sunday to begin training, and will play their first match against Western Australia on Monday April 8.
From the championships, the selectors will be choosing the 2013 Flying Boomerangs Squad.
The Flying Boomerangs is a personal development and leadership program incorporating a match series against developing international countries (South Africa 2006 and 2008, PNG 2009, Tonga 2010 and Fiji in December 2011).
The Boomerangs also continue their leadership development with AFL players during the AFLPA Indigenous Player Camp.
Team list
| Player | Location |
| Koebi Addo | Doonside |
| Timothy Banks | Forest Hill, Wagga Wagga |
| JamesBell | Shellharbour |
| JaiClarke | Lake Cargelligo |
| William Ferguson | Lake Cargelligo |
| Logan Gray | Banks, ACT |
| Blake Griffith | Mascot |
| Jamarle Harris | Lake Cargelligo |
| Josh Jones | Broken Hill |
| JaiLyons | Griffith |
| Justin Mosquito | Dural |
| Liam Nelson | Surf Beach |
| Leon Newbigging | Wagga Wagga |
| Reece Nye | Mogo |
| Corey Reynolds – Matthews | Mt Druitt |
| Ethan Slater | Broken Hill |
| Connor Sorragi | Balranald |
| Dylan Talbot | Oak Flats |
| Jackson Williams | Maroubra |
| Jonno Williams | Maroubra |
| Brendan Yeeda | Dural |
Coaching Staff
| Coach | Greg Wellington | Nowra |
| Assistant coach | Eddie Whymann | Wagga Wagga |
| Trainer | Kyle James | Sydney |
| Umpire | Hayden Banks | Wagga Wagga |
| Manager | Katriina Heikkanen | Sydney |
| Talent | Michael Keys | Sydney |
Competing States
Western Australia
Northern Territory
Queensland
South Australia
New South Wales/Australian Capital Territory
Victoria/Tasmania
2013 KickStart Championships Fixture 8 – 12 April 2013, Townsville
Monday April 8
10.30am NT v SA
11.30am VIC/TAS v QLD
12.30pm NSW v WA
2.00pm PACIFIC round robin
4:00pm NSW v VIC/TAS
5:00pm NT v QLD
6:00pm SA v WA
Tuesday April 9
2:15pm PNG v OCEANIA
4:00pm NSW/ACT v QLD
5:00pm SA v VIC/TAS
6:00pm NT v WA
Wednesday April 10
2:00pm NT v NSW/ACT
3:00pm VIC/TAS v WA
4:00pm QLD vSA
5:00pm OCEANIA v NZ
Thursday April 11
9:30am VIC/TAS v NT
10:30am WA v QLD
11.30am SA v NSW/ACT
12:30pm NZ v PNG
Friday April 12
9:00am South Pacific v Combined
10:30am KickStart Grand Final
Presentation Lunch, 12:30pm-2:00pm
