Building up from the bottom is a pressing focus at Rumbalara at the moment.
Numbers have waned in the senior and reserve set-ups across recent years and the club is looking to offset the deficit by investing in youth with an Auskick program.
It’s hoped to draw numbers to Mercury Drive – and keep them there.
A season launch took shape last week, with kids aged five-12 heading to the ground to learn the basics of the game from AFL Victoria participation coordinators Kev Monaghan and Bailey Bell.
The sessions will run every Thursday from 4pm for a total of 10 weeks and are centred around hooking kids in at an early age.
“Basically it’s an inclusion program for the Koori kids which is the first stepping stone in the pathway into football,” Bell said.
“It’s about getting in and learning the key fundamentals of the game; kicking, handballing, marking.
“It’s the key where you need to introduce the kids at an entry level instead of chucking them straight into an under-14s competition; building that base up in the participation program where we can really aim to have a clear pathway from the Auskick to under-14s.”
Rumbalara has been void of an official Auskick centre for a number of years now.
The community pool hasn’t been left untapped as the club has run its own clinics, but AFL Victoria’s helping hand has been gratefully accepted by Rumbalara president Josh Atkinson.
“It’s a really strong catchment for us, that (five-12) age group,” he said.
“We’ve almost always ran an Auskick program, but it’s not always been official, so we’ve sort of done our own thing.
“But this year, with the support of AFL Goulburn Murray, Kev and the boys we’re really happy and pumped with the way things are shaping up.
“It’ll start as a 10-week program this year which is more than enough with what we’ve got planned and we’ll look at extending it more next year.”
Atkinson has been rapt with registration numbers, with 17 youngsters signing up on the first night.
That figure has grown steadily and he hopes the Auskick program will feed into the club’s under-12 side and eventually filter into the senior set-up, as well as boosting female participation.
But getting a Sherrin in the young ones’ hands right now is imperative in Atkinson’s eyes, as not to let a potential future generation of Rumbalara stars slip through the cracks.
“A big ethos for us as a club is being a family club and with so many families here engaged already, having the young ones miss out by not having these sessions is probably more impactful than you first realise,” Atkinson said.
“It’s not so much about catching them and maintaining them, it’s more about they’re already here, we’ve got to provide something for them otherwise you risk losing the family and not just the player.”
As participation co-ordinators, Bell and Monaghan operate across a wide radius to help clubs upskill juniors in the region.
Aligning its strategic plans with AFL Goulburn Murray’s, Monaghan indicated the baseline footy curriculum is to get youth engaged in the sport and help patch holes left in club numbers in areas such as Shepparton.
“Some of (Rumbalara’s) numbers in the reserves and senior sides have been lacking at the moment, especially this year,” he said.
“They haven’t had an Auskick centre for about three years, so to actually get this up and going is a main foundation where they have a pathway to playing senior footy at the club.
“It’s a great stepping stone for our community and the Indigenous community around Shepparton because I think that’s what’s been lacking in terms of being in COVID, stuck on the couch and in our homes for the last couple of years,” he said.
“To get these kids out and get everyone engaged, not only for the kids but also their parents, is a great result for us, AFL Victoria and AFL Goulburn Murray altogether.”
For those unsure of whether to get involved at Rumbalara, Atkinson had a simple message for those still on the fence.
“We are just like any other club you could approach or go to in the region, the state or even the country,” he said.
“But if you haven’t yet experienced Rumbalara the club, I would encourage anybody to come down and say hello ― we are nothing if not welcoming.”