“The purpose of the Academy is to re-engage the families in the footy club,” Rawlings told NMFC.com.au.
“The players who played so much footy for this club, can sometimes be forgotten about, but this is a good avenue to re-engage them. If we can spend time with their kids from an early age, they’ll identify with the footy club. And if we can help develop their skills, it can only benefit them in the long run and hopefully us.”
Rawlings called on the expertise of development coaches Josh Drummond and Jarred Moore to help run the clinic and take the talented youngsters through their paces.
“Josh Drummond and Jarred Moore took the boys through some skills sessions that the AFL players do and we split them into two groups to make it more age specific.
“We have 16 boys all up in the academy who range from 10-18 years of age. Because a few of the boys have younger brothers we had some as young as eight here today. At this stage the academy is just once a year and we incorporate it with Harvey’s Heroes day so they can get out and be amongst the rest of the young Kangaroos supporters.”
Rawlings isn’t interested in pressuring the young Roos at such a young age but believes the academy will keep developing as the boys grow older and gain more experience at North and in their own footy clubs.
“We’ll look to increase the program but at this stage we just want them enjoying their footy and having a bit of fun,” Rawlings said.
“If they’re really looking at heading down the football path when they’re 15 or 16 we’ll cater towards that and up the ante with the program to give them whatever they need to help them develop."
As a club with a rich and spirited history, North is committed to keeping its past connected to its future and these boys could be a very big part of that.
“If any of them become AFL players in the future that’s a bonus, but it’s really about the families and putting time into their kids. As Brad (Scott) says, it’s about making sure they identify with the North Melbourne Footy Club and recognise it as their club.
“We figure if you do everything you can now...help out the young boys and be there for them, you never know if one might fall in your lap and the program will be worth it.”
