Footy

Sam is playing AFL or Aussie Rules Football, "Footy" as part of our experience here. He LOVES it and plans to "bring it to Canada" as a sport to play. He plays in the "under 13's" and his team is called the Narrandera Eagles. They practice 2 evenings a week and then play nearly every weekend. There is a bit of travel but it is usually (I think) within an hour's radius of home.

The neat thing is that the teams of all age groups have the same schedule (including the girl's netball) so the whole family packs up and heads off for a day of footy and netball. You bring your lawn chairs, your "eski" or cooler, money for the canteen and you relax, socialize and enjoy the day. Now that Fall is setting in, it feels like the Canadian football weather (but it won't get as cold:)

It's a great way to get to know the other families and it is a great day out as a family. Sam will have to explain the exact rules to you as I don't fully understand them. Here's what's important to me as a mom: There is NO padding! The kids run around in shorts and sleeveless jerseys, cleats and a mouth guard. That's it! So, you can imagine how I feel when Sam gets tackled on the field.

The boys play at "the oval" which is a grass field that is shaped like an oval. At either end there are 4 tall white posts. To score, you must get the ball between these posts. You do this by passing either by "punching" the ball at a mate or by kicking to your mates. You are not allowed to run with the ball any more than 5 metres before passing it in some way. It is a fast moving game and the ball is always moving. There is not a lot of huddling or standing around like in Canadian football. When the time is ticking, the ball is moving - it is rough and tumble but exciting. To score, if you put the ball between the outer posts, you score 1 point. If you put it through the inner posts, you score 6 points. The game is played in quarters - like Canadian football. Sam will have to fill in the details - that's all I know.

The coach is fantastic. He is very encouraging and works the kids hard. The entire morale of the team is so supportive and the boys have been excellent at teaching Sam the ropes and supporting him on the field. It is a fabulous environment to be a part of. After each game they meet in the locker room and have "stars of the game" - even when they lose. You can hear them cheering for one another as they are called. Sam was one today although he is not sure what he got it for - sometimes it is hard to understand what people are saying still :)

Today I put in my first "shift" in the canteen. The parents rotate through in order to help out and it was fun. I sold all the confections and drinks AND sausage rolls and meat pies - an Aussie football staple - like hot dogs at a baseball game! It was fun and I would do it again.

Our hope is to see a professional AFL game before we leave Australia. There can be 100 000 people in the stadium and the AFL fans are said to be something else! I can't wait to be a part of that whole atmosphere and to share it with all of you!