Under-15 Indigenous state trials

The best under-15 Indigenous AFL players will travel to Canberra on Thursday to trial for a place in the NSW/ACT team to compete in the Indigenous National Championships on the Gold Coast.

The four day camp, being held at the Australian Institute of Sport, will provide players with a chance to make the 25-player state squad.

Selected players will then travel to the Gold Coast for the National Championships in August where they’ll be watched by two Indigenous stars of the game, Chris Johnson and Andrew McLeod.

While in camp, the players will be athletically assessed and will also undertake a range of educational and leadership sessions.

The trials are designed to give participants a chance to make their AFL dreams come true and to also reward those who have taken an avid interest in their schooling and education.

The Indigenous National Championships is being held on the Gold Coast from August 31 to September 4.

At the conclusion of the event, the 2011 Indigenous Flying Boomerangs squad will be chosen to travel to Fiji for the Oceania Championships.

During the NSW/ACT trials and National Championships, players will be assessed on the following criteria:

Criteria 1 – Leadership – Pride in individual and team performance, a team player, organisational skills, community involvement and a commitment to attend all training sessions.
Criteria 2 – Character Behaviour – High attendance at school, good behaviour, honest and self motivated.
Criteria 3 – Footy/Athletic Ability – Finally, as an elite program the participant would be capable of performing at a national level physically, mentally, possessing football skills and smarts but also meeting required fitness standards.