The Junior Football Club Program commenced in 2004. This program is part of the AFL’s continuing support of game development conducted regionally by Football Victoria. It is an opportunity for our players to provide important tips to local promising footballers.
In 2008, PURA Milk became the official sponsor of Junior Club Night. Incorporated in the PURA Milk Junior Club night is the PURA Power Kick, now in its fourth year. Throughout their visit, players present the under 16 junior who has been deemed the Club's longest kick with a PURA prize pack. The ultimate winner is determined before a home game at Skilled Stadium.
The Geelong Cats players were once part of a junior club. The local junior club members may be our future AFL heroes and the Geelong Football Club helps these athletes realise their dreams and supports their learning.
Target Junior Membership Clinics
The Geelong Cats holds two Target junior Member Football Clinics for its junior members each year. This year, the clinics took place in Geelong at Kardinia Park and at Wesley College in Melbourne.
These clinics form part of the Geelong Cats junior membership package and allow the junior members to practice their football skills with their heroes. The Geelong Cats has been running the clinics for eight years to give junior members a unique experience and welcome them into the Club.
Every player takes part in the three hour clinics. All participants are treated to fun, training drills including handball competitions, tackling drills and kicking for goals.
“It allows our junior members to interact with players and it gives them a chance to practice their skills,” a club spokesperson said.
“It gets them involved in the Club and it gets them to grow with the club.”
As members come from all over Victoria, the Geelong Football Club holds two clinics each year, one in Geelong and the other in Melbourne, to try and reach as many juniors as possible.
“By having the two it enables us to meet the needs of Melbourne members, as well,” she said.
The junior members are sent a letter inviting them to the clinics. Almost 1500 children participated in 2006.
On completion, participants were treated to Balfours pies and sausage rolls for lunch and a free show bag. The jam-packed show bag contained Sanitarium wheat bix, chocolate from Masterfoods, Geelong Advertiser drink bottles; Clappers form Jetstar, Bendigo Bank bubble pens, TAC lollies, Ford posters, and vouchers from Subway and Target.
Auskick Program – Super Clinic and Centre Visits
The Cats visit the region’s Auskick centres each year and look forward to conducting the super clinic at Skilled Stadium, with approximately 1600 children in attendance. Auskick is a great, fun way for kids to keep fit and learn the skills of football. The Geelong Football Club is fortunate enough to be part of it.
Players visited many Auskick centres in 2009, conducting a one hour clinic followed with a talk focusing on key messages as devised by each centre. Most centres then held a family BBQ of which the player was invited to attend.
K-Rock & Bay FM clinics
The K-Rock and Bay FM football clinics involve 200 children at Skilled Stadium each year where the kids had the chance to learn to kick, handball and tackle. The children had the opportunity to obtain autographs and take photographs from their favourite Cats players.
