Footy, is a beautiful day with 370 Under 8s and Under 10s having a kick in the season opening carnival at Kawana Park.
Footy, is those 370 players plus their families and friends gathering at one location to cheer, celebrate and encourage all things AFL.
If a picture could have been painted at Kawana Park on Sunday April 21 it would have been an iconic AFL painting depicting the very essence of what AFL is… the people’s game.
Just beside the busy Nicklin way five modified AFL fields were alive with Under 8s and Under 10s players from across the Coast having their first hit-out of the season.
Each of the five ovals were surrounded by supportive parents, family, friends and club volunteers enjoying a fun day of footy.
Each of the five ovals had boys and girls smiling from ear to ear as they raced towards the footy, eager to get a kick while remaining in their zones.
Sunshine Coast Regional Manage, Paul Tresise, attended on the day and knows to well the joy that AFL brings to the community and the work that goes in to organising such events as this carnival.
“The team of volunteers at Kawana Park continually do an outstanding job at hosting events such as this carnival,” Tresise said.
“To see so much footy happening in a great space in a supportive environment is really what footy is about and we are proud of what has been built here on the Sunshine Coast and are confident in its sustainability.”
With 37 teams from Gympie, Pomona, Noosa, Coolum Beach, North Shore, Maroochydore, Nambour and Hinterland, Kawana Park, Caloundra, Glasshouse Hinterland and Bribie Island the 8s and 10s carnival was covered with an array of colour and logos.
From the Tigers to the Bulldogs, the Jets to the Blues, the Breakers to the Lions, the Panthers to the Demons, the Blues to the Roos the mighty flying Eagles could not be missed with their bright yellow strip.
The coloured bibs of the umpires and coaches could not be missed as you walked around the fields and heard their encouraging words giving each individual player the confidence to mark, kick, handball, run with the footy, bounce and cleanly take possession of the red Sherrin.
A junior AFL carnival on the Sunshine Coast is about so much more than the actual footy, according to Kawana Park President, David Moles.
“The 8s and 10s carnival that we held on the weekend was so much bigger than the game of footy its self. It was about the Kawana and Sunshine Coast communities providing a day for everyone to enjoy and be a part of,” Moles said.
“By the end of the day each of our club volunteers who assisted was absolutely exhausted because they all gave so much during the day and the day before in preparation.
