“I think it’s really important for North Melbourne and for the AFL to have high standards of inclusion,” Nathan Hrovat says. 

“Participating in a clinic with the Blue Roos was not only a ton of fun, but it was great to see so many different people who may not fit the stereotypical ‘footy fan’ mould come together to play a little footy.”

Hrovat, along with fellow North player Ben Brown got a chance to meet and work with the Blue Roos this past week when the group came to Arden Street for a clinic.

The Blue Roos are one of the North Melbourne Football Club’s most vibrant and passionate supporter groups. The group was started by three friends, five years ago and has since grown rapidly.

The group is a social group, that works towards making positive change within the community and creating an inclusive and supportive atmosphere. They promote a homophobia-free AFL experience through social interaction and advocacy.

These values are shared by the North Melbourne Football Club, its players, and its staff. So it isn’t just the fact that the Blue Roos barrack for North Melbourne that makes it natural for Arden Street to host a clinic for the group. 

Besides North players Brown and Hrovat, and their respective partners, Hester Brown and Sophie Hodges, there were numerous North staff, and over 25 Blue Roos members in attendance.

The clinic started out with a tour of the The North Melbourne Football Club’s not-for-profit, The Huddle, and was followed by some athletics outside.

The lively group practiced handballing, kicking, passing, and even some speckies.  Though the group had a wide range of footy experience the one consistency was that everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves.

The laughter, support, and smiles carried through till the very end of the evening and Hrovat reflected that “even though AFL is often viewed as just footy, it's so much bigger and really has the power to bring people together.”