Some of Western Australia’s most talented disabled footballers got to showcase their skills at Optus Stadium ahead of West Coast’s round three clash with Geelong.
Eagles schools and community coordinator James Grabski said the club had a long history of promoting the Western Australian Amateur Football League’s Integrated Football program.
“We’ve been supporting Integrated Football via curtain raiser opportunities for the past four years,” Grabski said.
“For those who don’t know, the WAAFL Integrated Football initiative is an inclusive, club-based program providing opportunities for disabled males and females 16 years and over to play AFL at their local club. The program is continuing to grow, with two new teams entering in 2018, bringing the total number of teams to nine, with approximately 200 participants involved.
“Over the years our players have been very supportive of WA’s integrated footballers. Jeremy McGovern and Josh Kennedy hosted a clinic for North Beach Football Club’s Integrated Football side earlier this year and when Mitch Brown was at the club he volunteered his time to assist the development of a WAAFL Integrated Football Academy.”
The round three curtain raiser fixture was the equivalent of an ‘All-Star’ game for the league.
Grabski said each of the nine WAAFL clubs with an Integrated Football team nominated their best players to participate in the match.
“Each club had the opportunity to nominate some select players, so the teams were representative of the entire competition,” he said.
“It was an all-star game of sorts. The game went down to the wire and was won with a kick just prior to the final siren.
“It was a fantastic event and we look forward hosting it again next year.”