Page 30 - AFL QUEENSLAND 2012 YEAR IN REVIEW

AFL IN CAIRNS
AFL came alive in Cairns with a week-long program of community football and supporter events in the lead up to the Round 16 Toyota AFL Premiership match between Richmond and the Gold Coast SUNS at Cazalys Stadium on Saturday July 14.
Kicking off the week was a series of matches between a combined U17 years Gold Coast SUNS Academy team and Geelong College. The Academy squad of 38 included players from Mackay, Capricornia, Townsville and Cairns put up a fight but were no match for the slick Victorians in a three game series of invitation matches.
On Tuesday, two players from the Gold Coast SUNS and AFL General Manager of National and International Development, Andrew Dillon travelled to Bamaga to spend two days with communities in the Cape delivering the No Boundaries Partnership program with AFL Cape York, NPA College and the Northern Peninsula Area Council.
Now in its second year, the program is supported by the Federal Government and uses AFL as the vehicle to encourage and reward attendance at school, community participation and leadership development for young boys and girls from the region.
Over 300 students from 12 schools in the Tropical North converged on Cairns on the Wednesday for the North Queensland Secondary Schools Cup. The competition this year also included a round robin for four female teams; and all students took part in a Try-a-Trade expo as part of the week in Cairns.
Thursday saw the Richmond and Gold Coast SUNS players participate in a leadership forum for young players with around forty male and female players aged from 13 to 17 years spending a couple of hours learning about what makes a good leader.
Friday the 13th was lucky for Cairns football fans, with plenty of opportunities to meet players and officials from Richmond and the Gold Coast SUNS. The main attraction was the free AFL Fan Day at Cazalys featuring team training sessions, autograph signings with both Richmond and GC SUNS players, the AFL Playground, a SEA FM broadcast and team merchandise stalls.
Saturday saw a full day of AFL action, with the final game of the GC Academy vs Geelong College matches played at Griffith Park at 10am and the grand final of the North Queensland Secondary Schools Cup.
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2012 Year in Review