Narrabri hosts Australian rules football junior gala day

Junior Australian rules football has kicked yet another significant goal in Narrabri as the future of the sport in town continues to look bright.

Hogan and Leitch Ovals hosted a junior gala day for children aged 5-12-years of age on Sunday, which was well-attended as 50 children laced up the boots.

Gala days have been running across the North West region throughout the year, and everyone involved in the Narrabri event impressed when it was their turn.

Young players from Gunnedah and Tamworth also travelled to join in and compete in the first junior Australian rules football match in town.

At all of the gala days this year, the under-10 matches for children born in 2013, 2014 and 2015 have been played in a non-competitive format where no one keeps score and tackles are modified so players aren’t taken to the ground.

The under-12s games are for kids born in 2011 and 2012. They are closer to typical football and are the first step youngsters can take in a competitive format.

On top of that, there has also been an Auskick session for children aged 5-7-years on Sunday.

Both the turnout and the event itself were a success, which is a major credit to local Narrabri Auskick co-ordinator Ebonnie Whan and coaches Alister McClenaghan, Todd Dunn, Duncan Vennell and Peter Whan, who have all contributed to assisting in the growth of the local Thursday night program from 39 players in 2022 to 80 this year.

Whan was thrilled with the event and said she had a great feeling about the future of the sport in town.

“It was a huge success. We were so proud,” she said.

“It was the first time AFL games for juniors have been played in Narrabri, so it was a very special day.

“We had Gunnedah and Tamworth players travel over to join in too. It all worked out well.

“Most of our Narrabri kids hadn’t played a game before. It was a lot of their debuts.

“They had a great day and they tried really hard.

“The kids looked so great in their new jumpers too.

“I think for AFL here in Narrabri, the future is looking bright.”

Whan also thanked the sponsors of the event as well as everyone who made a contribution to help make the day a great success.

The new uniforms arrived just in time for the day, and while they are identical to Narrabri Eagles’ senior uniforms, the local junior teams have adopted the name of Namoi Eagles to be more inclusive and welcoming of players who reside outside Narrabri in surrounding towns but travel in to play.

The AFL’s community football and competitions manager for Northern NSW Brad Greenshields attended the gala day and said he hoped it inspired the young Narrabri footballers to have a larger involvement in the game in the future.

“The smiles on the faces on all of the kids who played on Sunday shows that they had a lot of fun, and now we’ll all work together to encourage the Narrabri kids and their parents to stick with the game and enjoy further gala days,” Greenshields said.

The next two gala days will held on Sunday, July 23, at Glen Innes and then Sunday, August 6, at Armidale.

The Narrabri Auskick season is currently in a holiday break and will resume with the final two sessions of the year on Thursday, July 20, and Thursday, August 3.

The Auskickers will also take the field at Leitch Oval on Saturday, July 22, when AFLNW action returns to Narrabri for the first time in over a year when the Gunnedah Bulldogs tackle the New England Nomads.

The Narrabri Eagles could not get a team together this year after the joint venture with the Moree Suns came to an end, so several Narrabri players joined the Gunnedah Bulldogs for the 2023 campaign.

The match will be played in Narrabri to give those players a home game and to also hopefully reignite interest in the sport in town so the Eagles can get a team together for the 2024 senior season.