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Barwon Heads Star Oliver Wiltshire Realises AFL Dream

Article by AFL Victoria

One of the most stunning moments in the 2023 AFL Draft came when Geelong picked a player straight out of community football, from their own backyard, with Oliver Wiltshire taken with one of the final few picks at number 61 overall.

 
21-year-old Wiltshire enjoyed an outstanding 2023 season for Barwon Heads Football Netball Club in the Bellarine Football League, playing not far from the Cats' home ground GMHBA Stadium, which has become his new workplace. His 51-goal campaign in the strong community league this year helped to push his side to a preliminary final.
 
Wiltshire is a success story of his local area and club, having played most of his junior football for Barwon Heads. He played for Geelong Falcons in the Coates Talent League pathway competition in 2021 but otherwise has mainly honed his craft on local grounds in the Bellarine region and playing for his school, St Joseph's College, which is just down the road. 
 
Geelong Cats Recruiting Manager Stephen Wells said the Cats were very happy to give Oli his chance.
 
"Oli had an opportunity at the Geelong Falcons a couple of years ago, we think his skill and football brain on display at Barwon Heads over the past couple of years has been outstanding and he deserves his chance," said Wells.
 
The man of the moment did his first media conference as a Geelong player in the days following the draft and said "it was an unreal feeling" to have his named called out on draft night. 
 
"I've barracked for the Cats all my life, mum and dad have, I went to school just down the road at Joeys (St Joseph's) so I know this place pretty well and so rapt to be here," Wiltshire said.
 
Geelong legend Matthew Scarlett was an assistant coach at Barwon Heads and had encouraged Wiltshire to pursue his AFL dream. Wiltshire said he sensed there may be some interest after his 12-goal performance against Modewarre early in the season. 
 
"After the Modewarre game... I kicked a few goals and had a few whispers coming my way and then a few games after that, had a few more.
 
"After Falcons I went down and played at Barwon Heads and I loved playing there, loved playing with all my mates down there and just played for the love of the game. Lucky enough that Scarlo has come down."
 
Wiltshire follows in the footsteps of new teammate Tom Stewart, who also played senior community football in the Geelong region before the Cats selected him. 

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Following The Week of the AFL Draft, Thank You And Well Done To All Volunteers

An open letter from Head of AFL Victoria, Greg Madigan:

 
It has been a huge week for the game with 77 young men realising their dreams and finding homes on AFL lists for the first time through the AFL National Draft and Rookie Draft events.

Of this 77, nearly half are from Victoria (38), showing how important our state remains in producing so many of the stars of the elite men’s game.
All of these players have a story on how they made it and for most, their journey in football started at their local NAB AFL Auskick centre or junior club, where volunteers are the heartbeat of the game.

While natural talent, commitment and hard work are important ingredients for any draftee, none of these players would have made it to the elite game without the support of so many people performing various roles for the benefit of their local clubs and communities.

I would like to congratulate and thank all the volunteers, officials and supporters of community clubs who played a role in the journeys of all the boys drafted this week.
According to AFL data, for every player who makes it to the AFL, there have been more than 30 volunteer roles, over 400 people in those roles and more than 10,000 volunteer hours impact the player and help them through their football journey.

From highly touted number one pick Harley Reid, who played his junior football at Tongala in Central Victoria, to the stunning story of 21-year-old Oliver Wiltshire, selected by Geelong with pick 61 straight out of community football at Barwon Heads, every player drafted has been heavily influenced, guided and supported by volunteers.

In junior and senior local football across Victoria in 2023 there were 85 leagues, 1,040 clubs and more than 8,750 teams, as well as 780 Auskick centres introducing thousands of kids to our great game. This football ecosystem is powered by tens of thousands volunteers who dedicate huge amounts of time and effort to making our game great.

Of the 1000-plus clubs in Victoria, only a relatively small number are celebrating producing AFL draftees in 2023. But every volunteer in community football should feel proud of the role they play, from every corner of the state, no matter how big or small your club.

It is why the AFL has committed to supporting community football through various programs, underpinned by no less than 10 per cent of all assessable revenue going back into the grassroots game. There are a number of ways Victorian clubs and leagues receive support, including:
 
 
Congratulations to all the players drafted this week and all the best for your AFL journey ahead.
 
To all the community football volunteers who helped to get them there, thank you and well done.
 
Greg Madigan
Head of AFL Victoria

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Welcome Paris Rowe

We are excited to announce the appointment of Paris Rowe in the position of AFL Barwon Female Football Coordinator.

Paris comes to AFL Barwon having career employment experiences working in a variety of sporting roles across both Football and Cricket in South Australia.

After successfully completing her Bachelor Sport Health and Physical Activity at Flinders University, Paris commenced an internship at SANFL Club South Adelaide where she eventually moved into a full-time role in the high-performance department. Following this, Paris worked for the South Australia Cricket Association in both participation and events roles.

Paris will take a lead role in the current Female Football Review, and we are excited to have her experiences and ideas to lead female football into the future.

Rachael Kirtley, previously in the role will move into a full-time position as Netball Umpiring Coordinator. We congratulate Rachael on the fantastic job she did in the in the role over the past 12 months and the platform she has laid for the future.

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CDFNL Representative Team Trials Are Now Open

Player Registrations for the CDFNL Representative team trials are NOW OPEN

REGISTER HERE.  Registrations close Friday 24th November.

 

Try-Out Details:

Location: Eastern Reserve Netball Courts, Wilson Street, Colac

13s & 15s must attend a minimum of 2 dates to be considered for selection. 17s will be advised if more dates are required.

1st Date - Sunday 26th November, 11am

  • All teams (13s, 15s, 17s)

2nd Date - Thursday 30th November, 5pm

  • 13s & 15s - 17s will be advised if this date is required

3rd Date - Sunday 3rd December, 11am

  • 13s & 15s

 

Any apologies, please direct them to the relevant coaches.

 

Image - Witsell Media 

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250+ Vic Clubs Share in $600K TAC Funding Program

Original article by AFL Victoria. Image by Great Ocean Photography.

Full list of recipient clubs - click here (.PDF)

Victorian football and netball clubs will share in more than $600,000 for their efforts in campaigning to eliminate road trauma in their communities.

The Victorian Government and Transport Accident Commission have announced this year’s recipients of the TAC Club Rewards program, incentivising grassroots clubs across the state for showing a commitment to promoting road safety during the 2023 season.
 
Delivered in partnership with AFL Victoria, 251 clubs will receive rewards of up to $10,000 through the program, the highest number of recipients in the program’s five years.
 
The program encourages clubs to engage with players, members and their communities on key road safety issues and promote safe behaviours, with the dangers of distracted driving a key focus of this year’s campaign.
 
Successful clubs are able to use the money for a range of initiatives including education programs, club transport initiatives, new equipment and uniforms and facility upgrades and improvements.
 
So far this year, 236 people have died on Victoria’s roads and more than half of those deaths have happened on in regional areas, where tens of thousands of local footballers and netballers travel for games and training.
 
Distracted driving is one of the major causes of fatal and serious injury crashes on Victoria’s roads and is particularly concerning on regional roads where people are travelling at higher speeds.
 
AFL Victoria-affiliated clubs from across the state were able to apply for the program by showing how they supported road safety throughout the year, including taking part in the TAC’s Road Safety Round ‘Band Together’ campaign.
 
The TAC Club Rewards Program is part of the TAC’s 31-year partnership with AFL Victoria, which aims to empower clubs to develop a culture where all players and members are expected to be safe on the roads.
 
Full list of recipient clubs - click here (.PDF)
 
Minister for Roads and Road Safety, Melissa Horne, said: “Victoria’s grassroots football and netball clubs are influential in their communities so it is wonderful to be able incentivise them to roll out critical initiatives that promote safer driving.”
 
Transport Accident Commission CEO, Tracey Slatter, said: “Road trauma has a significant ripple effect and there’s no denying the power of peer-to-peer support and education at sporting club level – these clubs should be proud of their efforts to create a culture that prioritises road safety.”
 
AFL VIC Community Football Manager, John O'Donohue, said: "The TAC Club Rewards Program is one of the biggest and most important programs impacting community football, promoting the importance of road safety and supporting local clubs and their communities.”

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