The Naitanui Academy 16’s capped off the year with the Futures All Stars Showcase, claiming back-to-back victories against the WAFL All Stars and the Fremantle Next Generation Academy in the final NGA games of the year.
The showcase consisted of two 40-minute games and served as a wrap-up of the year and the final opportunity for the group (born 2008) to play in the Naitanui Academy program, before they make the transition next year into our high performance programs and more competitive football for PSA schools, WAFL Colts and other state programs.
The boys displayed an exceptional level of team-first and fast-paced football across both games highlighting the skills they have been developing at trainings over the course of the year.
Naitanui Academy Manager Chris Brown praised the efforts of the boys involved and highlighted the standards of gameplay as some of the best that the Naitanui Academy has ever produced.
“We had some really strong performances in last week’s games with our most connected group on-and-off the field. We saw these connections through the way they played for each other; the run, carry, and ball movement was at an elite level,” Brown said.
“It was obviously a bit of a bittersweet moment for the boys who are participating in their last NGA games as they’ll move into the next phase of their football journeys where it becomes more serious with a strong emphasis on high-performance.”
This last game was one of nine games for the NGA boys as well as the club’s NGAW girls who were able to play three games across the year, additionally both groups had the opportunity to play in two curtain raisers each.
From a huge turnout at the very first metro Naitanui Academy inductions back in February to regional academy sessions around the state, 2024 saw the Eagles Academies reach over 9,400 total engagements.
The windups for all three of the Naitanui Academy squads (Rookies, Juniors, Seniors) were completed in mid-October, slightly earlier to previous years, with three boys from each group being awarded for their skills and dedication throughout the year.
“For our metro kids it was great to windup the year and thank the players, families, volunteers and coaches for a great year of Monday trainings, recognising the kids that put in the effort and dedication to coming along each week and showed great improvement,” Brown said.
“We received some really good feedback from parents about growing confidence and the connection piece for our players. Big things we were hearing from parents especially was how their kids belong and felt safe to express themselves in our academy which is just so important for us.
“Talent is talent and that will take care of itself but knowing we’re having an impact with kids and helping them to find their identity and connection to not only the club, but their friends and culture is fantastic.”
Metro Naitanui Academy Award Winners
Rookie: Coaches Award - Kaden Haydari, Development Award - Haro Tanabe-Armstrong & Trademark Award - Chayse Pitt
Junior: Coaches Award - Elijah Pitt, Development Award - Elisha Daah & Trademark Award - Ashley Clayton
Senior: Coaches Award - Liam Trott, Development Award - Xavier McKie & Trademark Award - Ronald Abraham
The Female Next Generation Academy program also wrapped up late in the year with the final four-week block concluding in October, with the program reaching fantastic numbers with more frequent training blocks for the girls compared to previous years.
In addition to the male and female metro academies seeing record numbers of engagement, the regional programs also experienced great success throughout the year as Regional Programs Manager Josh Cassidy highlighted.
“We had a bit of a different approach with our academy sessions being at the start of the year before the footy season started with each of our regional locations doing a block of weekly trainings in Bunbury, Busselton/Dunsborough, Albany and Kalgoorlie. We found the new structure really successful with some massive numbers across the board leading to some fantastic engagement numbers and more importantly a more impactful program,” Cassidy said.
“Having our staff embedded in each of our regions is paramount for the success of our regional academies as a whole, and means the kids and families that attend don’t have to travel huge distances to be part of the program.”
The West Coast Eagles are grateful to be able to foster a strong connection between the club and the metro and regional academies each year, providing an opportunity for youth to develop their growth as footballers from grassroots level.
“We continued to strengthen the connection between our metro and regional academies this year providing list spots in each game for regional players and supporting some of our players from the regions looking to board in Perth,” Brown said.
“One thing that’s great about our academies is how many family connections we have between the boys and girl’s squads whether it’s brothers, sisters or cousins, it’s a real good connection across the board.”
The West Coast Eagles would like to thank all coaches, players, volunteer staff and families for being part of our Academy programs in 2024, with the metro and regional programs set to return across WA in early-2025.
