The Central Coast Academy of Sport has announced that AFL will be introducing a new and revamped development program for junior boys to its sports programs.
A girls’ program will follow in early 2018, and these two announcements are significant in terms of rebuilding the AFL programs that were successful only a short time ago. The Central Coast Academy of Sport (CCAS) AFL program is endorsed by AFL NSW/ACT and involves a development program for boys in the 9-12 years of age group. The age, while younger than other programs offered by the CCAS, aims to ‘underpin’ the successful Sydney Swans Academy, and provide local athletes with a stepping stone to higher representative honours. The 2017-18 AFL Program will be coordinated by Mr Samuel Shergold, in collaboration with the CCAS, who has a strong background in AFL development and was involved in the CCAS programs for a number of years.
The AFL Development Program is the first step in the AFL pathway and athletes eligible for entry are encouraged to apply. It is planned that approximately 24 athletes will be identifi ed in the fi rst year. Girls in the U14-U16 age group will be eligible to apply in January for entry to their new program. Mr Ian Robilliard, CCAS Managing Director, said: “It’s great that AFL NSW/ACT has seen how valuable the regional academies are in providing localised and specialised training in sport.
“The proposed pathway is certainly a lot less complicated and the CCAS is delighted to be able to offer this program to our up and coming AFL players.” “The CCAS program is an important step for young players who want to receive a performance advantage,” Mr Shergold said. “I anticipate that this program will be an important step for the Central Coast, building a much stronger representative squad, and I’m looking forward to making this program happen. “We will be announcing a high class coaching line up soon, so from the AFL’s perspective, this announcement is a really important one for our region. “I would like to thank the CCAS for continuing to support AFL development in a local setting,” he concluded.
Source: Media release, Sep 1 Mark Tipple, Central Coast Academy of Sport