GYMPIE junior AFL could not be looking any brighter as the Cool Cats junior AFL competition continues to gather in momentum ahead of its official start this Friday at the Six Mile Oval.
The competition, first unveiled by the Gympie AFL Association late last year, is being staged for players aged in Under 8 -10 age groups.
Former senior Cats coach Jason Bromilow has stepped down from the position to oversee the junior competition as it takes its first tentative steps.
Bromilow and Gympie AFL President Glen Warren last Thursday staged an information afternoon for players and parents at the Gympie AFL Six Mile Ovals clubhouse.
As parents gathered in the clubhouse to hear important information about the competition, the young future stars themselves were put through their paces on the Six Mile Oval in a series of clinics and fun training sessions.
Even a light sprinkle of rain on the overcast afternoon could not put a dent in the enthusiasm shown by the junior players.
The competition will run from March 27 to August 14 and boasts six teams inspired by the national league - Lions, Crows, Eagles, Saints, Blues and Swans.
Bromilow said the club decided to get the competition off the ground last year to meet the AFL needs of the local area.
âPlayers were travelling away and it was costing a fair bit with fuel and time,â he said.
âWe wanted something local to encourage the game in Gympie and to make it easier for Gympie children to become involved.â
Warren said in total 65-70 players had stepped forwards to be involved.
âThe response has been great and certainly beyond what we were hoping to achieve,â he said.
âAnd as well as boys, we have encouraged girls as well to get involved because it is played under modified rules and we value their participation too.â
The new competition is also being viewed as an opportunity to help bolster future stocks of Gympie AFL players.
âThe club is also seeing it as a chance to reinforce the junior ranks of AFL players in Gympie and hopefully players will take the game on board and have fun with it,â Warren said.
A major attraction to the Cool Cats competition has been the cost.
Bromilow said Queensland AFL had thrown its support wholeheartedly behind the concept, subsidising registration costs to improve accessibility to the game.
âAs an alternative, the competition offers a lot of value to parents which I think has helped in its success,â he said.
Over the coming months, the very future of AFL in Gympie could well be developed on the Six Mile Oval.
Last Modified on 17/04/2009 11:50