OUR CLUB MANTRA
PASSION – TEAMWORK – FUN – RESPECT
I asked the Under 15 Gold team last week if they knew what the club mantra was, not to see if they are observant but to see if we as coaches had pushed the mantra enough or at all. I guess we talk plenty about tactics, prep, intensity, commitment, support, desire…often these can hover around and coaches can pull one out to expand a young mind into action with a sharp look in the eye or a raised voice.
We spoke with many players from various age groups and many things were discussed and debated prior to finalising the words we settled on with the mantra. As a committee it was important and I talked about key drivers of what our club means and stands for.
We discussed the following elements in detail:
- Building relationships to potentially last a life time.
- Build better people.
- Build people up, eliminate focus of pulling them down.
- All-encompassing environment for all family members. Parents, Children, Grandparents.
- What impact do we have on our immediate society/community.
- Transparent, informative, educational, challenging, safe, all words and more that were discussed and acknowledged.
When you take all this into account it is easy to see that the art of teaching Australian Rules Football is secondary to the need of equality and fair play for all.
I was happy to say the Under 15 team between them worked out what the Club Mantra was and identified its importance going forward.
In recent weeks our club has been challenged via vocal opposition parents, opposition players playing outside the rules, our volunteer umpires have been confronted and the League is alarmed at present with many incidents being highlighted on field and off. This type of PASSION is not appropriate. Gav Sharpe our Secretary and SMJFL incident officer works tirelessly with Jason Nicholl our President and the League representatives to make sure all incidents are handled appropriately. I mention this as we are viewed as a club with a very low track record of such incidents. OUR GOAL IS TO KEEP IT THAT WAY IN 2017 and beyond. I discuss these items with TMs and Coaches weekly. I was advised today by one of our coaches; he was told that a junior player had used a poor word on the field, the player was consulted and advised they would start the next quarter on the bench as a learning tool for our young Rover. I fully endorse this approach by junior coaches, we need to set a high level of RESPECT for self, team, opposition, coach and most of all the Umpire.
The PASSION we stand for is a positive one, built on hard work and trust in the knowledge our mate is working selflessly for the betterment of our common goal, no matter what the common goal is.
I was down the coast over the long weekend with Super Coach, Ash Roberts, the 2 time back to back legend and I needed to watch a game of local footy for a fix. We walked 70 metres to the Jan Juc oval to see the Mighty Torquay Tigers Under 10 fell prey to the South Barwon lads. It was a modified ground 120m X 90m set up. Parents were very supportive and nothing was yelled out from the crowd. Polite applause when a team scored a goal, nothing else.
The sign below is nothing new but a reminder at Jan Jac that it is still just a game for kids with volunteers running the show.
We have come along way as a society from when I played junior footy in the late 70s and 80s. We had one team per club in Under 12, 14, 16, 18 so many lads were pushed away from the sport. There were no differing divisions for lads and ladies to be any more competitive than say a lower division given where their current standard of size and ability may be. Our club and that of the League are well placed to continue to create a FUN/ENJOYABLE environment for many generations to come as I feel the model today is designed to keep more people in the game.
TEAMWORK like anything in life if we work together and not as individuals, understand the rules of life, RESPECT them, we will all be far better off.
So, there you have it, the key words are:
PASSION – TEAMWORK – FUN – RESPECT
LET’S LIVE THESE, LISTEN TO OUR COACHES, WORK HARD AND ENJOY THE BACK HALF OF OUR SEASON.
Quick note of congratulations to all boys that played interleague over the long weekend.
Also, the major fundraiser in two weeks – Casino Royale – will be HUGE. I encourage all families to invest in your club, come along and be dazzled by the hard work of your great committee who have done the hard yards and will continue to. You play with fake money as it is not a gaming licenced venue.
$65.00 per ticket, you can book here.
Go Rovers
Cheers Caggs
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