Page 26 - AFL Queensland 2014 in Review

QUEENSLAND KEEPS CROWN AS #1 SCHOOL STATE
Queensland had another great year on and off the school footy field with more participants than ever playing our game.
PARTICIPATION
More than 117,000 Queensland and Northern Rivers school students played AFL at school this year, again placing Queensland at the top of Australia’s six week plus school participation with a whopping 16% growth. Key focus for staff was on interschool participation, with an outcome of almost 12% growth in this sector, a wonderful achievement.
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SCHOOLS
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COMPETITIONS
Our key state wide school competitions continued to grow in 2014 with state finals held at the Gabba and Metricon Stadium. Both the Brisbane Lions Cup and Gold Coast SUNS Cup grand final days were played in stunning Queensland winter sun with players experiencing playing on hallowed turf and meeting their respective AFL idols post match. Both events were well supported by the Brisbane Lions and Gold Coast SUNS.
SCHOOLS OF EXCELLENCE
The Gold Coast schools continued their dominance in the senior and junior competitions, with Palm Beach Currumbin winning the senior premiership and Helensvale winning the junior premiership. It was a changing of the guard in the Jonathan Brown Cup in Term 1, with Park Ridge finishing the carnival undefeated and their Year 8’s raising the trophy. The girls programs continued to grow with increased senior girls curtain raiser games held prior to the senior boys’ matches. The ninth SEQ school to offer an AFL excellence program opened its doors as Springfield’s Woodcrest State College Hornets commenced AFL curriculum in 2014, building towards participation in the near future.
SCHOOL AMBASSADORS
480 School Ambassadors – our key teachers – guided their schools through AFL programs and competitions across Queensland and Northern Rivers. Janelle Connelly from St Carthage’s Lismore and Tom Marshall from Harristown State High Toowoomba won the Queensland Primary and Secondary Ambassador of the Year awards respectively.
NEW INITIATIVE – INTERSTATE COMPETITION
Forming a pathway for our top schools to take on interstate rivals is the next step towards one day forming a national school competition. An opportunity arose in late 2013 where the eighth spot in the School Sport Victoria Premier League became available for a senior team to fill, which the Gold Coast’s Palm Beach Currumbin State High School (as reigning Schools of Excellence Senior premiers) jumped at. PBC played two games in Melbourne and hosted one in Queensland, finishing with one win and two losses, plus a great insight into where the boys need to be should they one day hope to be drafted. We hope to continue this great relationship with Victorian schools in the future.
Sarah Hopkins
School Programs Manager