PARTICIPATION IS KEY TO MASTERS CARNIVAL
AUSSIE rules football will be at the centre of a push to both develop the game locally and keep people off the couch and on the green when a cross-city carnival kicks off on Saturday.
Set to be held at the Townsville Sports Precinct, the AFL Masters Country Queensland Championships will begin at 1pm with players coming from across the North to participate.
AFL Masters Townsville president Andy Pethybridge has not only organised the effort, but will also be pulling on a jersey and lacing up the boots.
“All this is about, everything we do at AFL Masters is about getting people together, connecting them up and promoting health and wellbeing as well,” Pethybridge said.
“Everyone over 33 years of age is welcome to participate and we like it to be footy for fun first and foremost.”
The competition is just the latest in a long line of events held by the association in Townsville, and further afield and while the Covid pandemic has proved challenging for player retention, Pethybridge is optimistic as interest levels surge again.
“We’ve got players coming from Mackay, the Whitsundays, Mission Beach, Magnetic Island, Cairns and right here in Townsville, we’re always trying to get the word out there and get more people involved every year. “At the moment, volunteers are getting so much harder and harder to find these days for everyone.”
Despite the difficulties, Pethybridge said the drive was always the same and the reward was always worth it.
“For me, the main thing that drives me is the enjoyment you get to see people take away from it, that look on people’s faces after they spend the day at the carnival.
“We’ve had groups of people who’ve only just started training with the local AFL Masters this year, and all of them are coming along to the carnival and are going to play on Saturday.
“Anyone who wants to come along and watch the games is more than welcome to and anyone who catches a glimpse of it and wants to participate, they can get in touch with us through our Facebook page at AFL Masters Townsville.”
In addition to camaraderie and the social support network, Pethybridge said the benefits extended to physical health as well, with the games played in the spirit of sportsmanship first and foremost.
“It’s always a good thing to get off the couch, and that’s something that can be harder as it gets older. We don’t turn anyone away, we accept all genders, we don’t care about culture or the amount of games you have or have not played.
“It’s about coming along, getting to play a great game and participate in something physical and get to go to work the next day.”