By: Troy Swainston – Chief Executive Officer – Eastern Football League
As we head towards the pointy end of the season, winter has certainly hit over the past few weeks.
We anticipate this will lead to another exciting round with upsets likely to take place as the conditions assist to even up games. It’s been very pleasing to hear from interviews with players and coaches after games and on the Sunday morning show that the evenness of the competition is seen as a real positive. No ‘easy’ games, means that each week you need to be at your best to win, it also provides supporters with a reason to attend each week.
This week’s match of the round is between Mooroolbark and Wantirna South – these two teams last met in Round 4 playing out an exciting after-the-siren-kick draw. Since then, Wantirna South has only won one more game, whilst Mooroolbark who was winless after the first six rounds has now won five of its last seven games and is back in finals contention.
Throughout the week there has been exposure surrounding the EFL’s junior ‘Silent Sunday’ initiative. This is a two-week optional trial, most junior clubs opted into the initiative.
The key focus is raising awareness around abuse and advice given to umpires during games and players being over coached by parents issuing instructions from the sidelines and breaks who aren’t the team coach. A program developed in the US used the phrasing “Let the game be the teacher today.” A simple premise but certainly one that highlights how important it is for children to be able to develop and learn to make decisions on their own. As always, encourage, clap, cheer good play and for your team but just be mindful of your verbal coming over the fence, sometimes it has unintended consequences.
The two-week trial aims to start the conversation about the behaviours around the boundary line not just at EFL grounds but junior sport in general. Our preference is to take a proactive approach in order to provide the best possible environment for our umpires and junior players to develop, enjoy and be retained in the game we all love.
Thursday night, the Adam Goodes documentary The Final Quarter will screen on Channel 10 and WIN at 7.30pm. In the words of the Final Quarter team;
We’ve been overwhelmed and humbled by the powerful responses to the film. It has been widely described as a ‘must-see’ by critics, members of the general public and organisations such as the AFL Players Association’s Indigenous Advisory Board.
We would like to pass on our heartfelt thanks to all those people and organisations who have shown their support for the film, for its anti-racism message, and most importantly for Adam Goodes.
Make sure you tune in 7.30pm tonight.
Good luck to all teams on the weekend and remember to tune into the Eastland match of the round on 1377 SEN+ or watch the live stream via the EFL website.
