With the South West crew taking the chocolates last year in a competitive affair, the Victoria Park squad looked to respond and respond they did with a nail-biting four-point victory.
The South West had a shot with ten-seconds left on the clock, but after a full four quarter effort the tired bodies of the over-55’s showed with the shot falling short.
Even with the competitive nature throughout the match, there were smiles, laughs and a plenty of banter between the two teams in a fun-filled opportunity to play out on the Optus Stadium deck.
The walking footy program has been running in metro and regional areas for two years now providing over-55’s with an opportunity to meet new people, have a kick of the footy and keep them mentally and physically active.
The South West squad was made up of men and women from both Busselton, which was the first regional program to start up, as well as Dunsborough who’s program began earlier this year.
Dunsborough Community Coordinator and former Eagles star Mark Nicoski facilitates the walking footy program in the region and highlighted the excitement within the squad to be playing in the curtain raiser match once again.
"It was a fantastic opportunity to get the South West team up to defend the inaugural walking footy trophy won last year and I know the whole team was excited to get up to Perth for the game,” he said.
“It’s a fantastic initiative by the Club and a great opportunity to connect the South West and metro programs in a really fun way. It was such a success last year so it was great to give the squads another chance to play out on the Optus Stadium deck."
With walking footy being such a hit in the South West, there are already further plans to continue growing the game with a Bunbury program on the horizon for men and women in the region.
“We’re running a program out of the South West Sports Centre connecting youth with our elderly as our Year 12 SEDA College WA students will be participating in walking footy with the over-55’s crew.
“I highly encourage both men and women to come on down, it’s all within your own abilities both physically and also talent wise with footy and it’s inclusive for everyone.”
The metro walking footy program is for male participants only, with the Town of Victoria Park and Connect Victoria Park working alongside the West Coast Eagles to create the program with the intended outcome of improving mental health and social connection for older men.
Connect Victoria Park Village Hub Coordinator Vicki Potter highlighted the success of the curtain raiser and the impact the program has had for participants within the town.
“What a great opportunity to be out on Optus Stadium, both the South West and Town of Victoria Park teams have been training so it’s fantastic to connect them both with a game like this,” she said.
“These guys get a lot out of it in terms of their physical and mental well-being.
“Our goal when this program was set up was to make sure there was something for the community in the community and this program is a great example of that.”
The West Coast Eagles are a proud member of the Town of Victoria Park and will continue to work with local stakeholders to achieve impactful outcomes within the local community.
