AFL Barwon has thrown its support behind Commercial Partnerships and Communications Manager, Sean Atkinson in his fight with Parkinson's Disease.

To support Sean's journey, he is hosting a Parkinson's Disease Fundraising Gala Luncheon on Friday, August 9th. This fundraising event will see all proceeds donated to Shake It Up Foundation, an organisation that supports research and treatments to slow, stop, and cure Parkinson’s Disease.

The Gala Luncheon will be held at GMHBA Stadium in the Captains Room from 12pm.

The event will feature special guest speakers in Shake It Up CEO Vicki Miller, Former Minister of Sport, Tourism and Major Events The Honourable John Eren, and  elite Equestrian Athlete Kylie Christian, plus a special video interview from one of Australia's most successful Female Athletes, and Parkinson disease advocates Ellyse Perry.

Stand-up comedian, actor, and Shake It Up Ambassador Dilruk Jayasinha will MC the event with talented local singer-songwriter Camryn Fitzgerald to also take the stage to support the event.

There will also be exciting raffles and auction items, offering a chance to secure some incredible prizes while supporting a great cause.  

To purchase tickets to this event, simply go to https://www.intix.com/event/parkinsons-fundraising-gala-luncheon 

The TAC Club Rewards Program gives Victorian grassroots Football and Netball Clubs the opportunity to earn a share of $600,000 in funding, by participating in their mission; to eliminate deaths and serious injuries on our roads.

With road safety round this week, AFL Barwon is looking back at one of the local AFL Barwon Clubs that received funding from the program in 2022 and 2023.

Drysdale Football Netball Club will be submitting an application to the program again this year with the aim to ‘play their role’ as a Community Club, to keep encouraging safe driving on our roads.

The 2024 TAC Club Rewards Program focuses on the key issue of speeding. Around 236 Victorians are killed on the road each year, with excessive or inappropriate speed a contributing factor in many crashes.

Kerry Bell from Drysdale FNC highlighted the importance of road safety to them as a community, and the reasoning behind their ongoing support for the initiative. “We’ve got a lot of members impacted by road trauma. And it is important that we stop players, coaches, and officials from rushing to and from training and games.”

In March 2010, the club lost one of their junior members, 19-year-old Luke Robinson in a tragic car accident on Anakie Road. Bell described Luke as “Very responsible, he would always offer his teammates lifts home, it was just very unfortunate. His story shows how things can change in a moment, but the really impactful part is the ripple effect not just on the individual but on their families, friends, and their clubs as a whole.”

The tragic Luke Robinson example is just one of Drysdale FNC’s stories that fuels their passion for the cause and highlights this year’s focusses of speeding and cautious driving on all roads.

In previous years, Drysdale FNC has put the funding they have received towards two key issues which are of great importance to their club.

The funding from the 2022 successful application allowed them to launch their “community inclusive” junior umpire academy, providing opportunities for local youth to learn about and experience umpiring “In a fully supported environment.” The funding provided the participants with brand new whistles, uniforms, and even the opportunity to be paid to take part in the program.

In 2023, the focus for the club turned to mental health and wellbeing in their community and ensuring that their members are looked after. The grant provided funding for new wellbeing support and tools. Drysdale FNC worked with Mindful Aus, who provide guest speakers and workshops all around the country, centred around youth mental health and empowerment. “The benefits have been amazing; we really want to continue doing these things for our youth” Kerrie expressed.

The club’s key messaging to their junior members around road safety, is based on three common causes of road accidents: Distracted driving, drink driving, and speeding. For the last few years, the club has made it compulsory for youth ages to attend all education sessions on road safety. Their outlook being “Even if it saves one 18-year-old, it's worth it.”

This year, if successful, the club would love to put the money towards a new digital database which players and club staff can use to log and track player’s injuries. A job which the club has previously been doing on paper, Kerrie described database as a way to ease the burden on club trainers and team managers by allowing them to log, follow up and track the history and progress of a player’s injury.

Heading into TAC Road Safety Round, Drysdale FNC has invited all of its Club’s Life Members to attend and be involved with the club’s key messaging around safe driving. “The messaging is to jump onboard, and get behind the cause, tell us your stories, they are very on board with it.”

When it comes to road safety, we’re all on the same team. 

Taking place on Friday 26th to Sunday 28th July, Road Safety Round will see football and netball players across the AFL Barwon Region band together for road safety. 

This year’s Road Safety Round will spotlight speeding, which is a major contributor to trauma on Victorian roads. Players will take to the field and the courts wearing blue armbands to honour lives lost on the road and serve as a reminder that we all have a responsibility to play our role. 

Club members from our Region will also be running in a ‘late-laps relay’ at GMHBA Stadium on Saturday night. The initiative sends a message that there is no need to speed to get to training on time. To play your role, collect your club’s allocations of armbands and marketing collateral from AFL Barwon HQ. 

Show up for your team. Slow down on the road. 

The AFL Barwon Commission has released the venues for the 2024 Epworth Female Football & 2024 Kempe Junior Football Finals Series across all affiliated competitions.  

This selection process for hosting all finals venues was carried out by the AFL Barwon Finals Committee and Commission. All AFL Barwon clubs were invited to express their interest in hosting, ensuring a diverse and inclusive selection. This opportunity allows clubs to highlight their club and showcase their dedicated volunteers and club facilities. 

The 2024 Epworth Female Football Grand Finals will take place at the Lara Recreation Reserve utilising the three grounds at the venue. Lara Recreation Reserve has a successful history of hosting major finals events, including the Kempe Junior Grand Finals in 2023 and the Epworth Female Football Grand Finals in 2019.  

The earlier weeks of Finals will see Winter Reserve & Victoria Park host week 1 with Osborne Park & Mount Moriac Reserve to host the Preliminary Finals. 

The 2024 Kempe Junior Football Grand Finals will head to Osborne Park for the pinnacle of Junior season. The first two rounds of the finals will be played across Banyul-Warri Fields and McCartney Oval in week 1, and both ovals at Hamlyn Park for week 2. To accommodate ground availabilities and support the dedicated club volunteers, the Under 14 and Under 16 games will be spread across Saturday’s and Sunday’s during the final’s series. 

AFL Barwon Regional General Manager, Edward Wilson stated that “AFL Barwon are extremely grateful for the interest competitively expressed by several Clubs to host the Junior Male, Junior & Senior Female Football Finals in 2024. This Finals Series will be another showcase of the positive progression that all Clubs and competitions alike, are delivering for all Boys & Girls playing Football within the Barwon region. An immense thank you to all host Clubs for their delivery leadership during the upcoming Finals series” 

The full schedule of finals dates and venues can be found below. 

2024 Epworth Senior Female Football & Under 19, 16 & 14 Female Football Competitions 

Week 1 – Winter Reserve & Victoria Park 
Sunday, August 11 - Semi Finals   

Week 2 – Osborne Park & Mount Moriac Reserve  
Sunday, August 18 - Preliminary Finals 

Week 3 - Lara Recreation Reserve 
Sunday, August 25 - Grand Finals 

Kempe AFL Barwon Junior Football Finals Series 

Week 1 - Banyul-Warri Fields and McCartney Oval 
Saturday, August 17 & Sunday, August 18 - Semi Finals  

Week 2 - Hamlyn Park 
Saturday, August 24 & Sunday, August 25 - Preliminary Finals   

Week 3 - Osborne Park 
Saturday, August 31 & Sunday, September 1 - Grand Finals 

For further media comment, please contact AFL Barwon Region General Manager, Edward Wilson (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.).