The Calgary Kookaburras' 2009 season has started in fine form, with a lot happening around the club. On January 24 we co-hosted an Australia Day function with the Calgary Kangaroos at Dicken's Pub. The event was a great success - we raffled off a popular Aussie hamper featuring Australian staples such as vegemite, scotch-finger biscuits, Bundaberg rum, South Australian wines and an AC/DC album. We also managed to recruit a dozen or so new girls to our club, who have been warmly welcomed into our nest.
Pre-season training commenced on January 22 at the University of Calgary's fantastic indoor Olympic Oval facility. Strong turnouts from new recruits have seen us enjoy 20+ girls in attendance every week and we hope that numbers continue to grow as the season approaches. Indoor skills training at Calgary Soccer Centre will commence on Monday, April 13 (7 - 8pm) and outdoor training will commence a fortnight later.
Our club held our first charity event for 2009 when we hosted a fund-raiser for the Victorian Bushfires Appeal on February 20 at our new sponsor bar - Bottlescrew Bill's Old English Pub. A good turn-out saw our club raise over $600, which will be donated to an Australian footy club badly affected by the tragic bushfires. A full-story with photos will be published online soon.
Lastly, in late January the Kookaburras' committee met with representatives of the Edmonton Emus to establish the governing structure and rules for the newly established Alberta Footy Women's League. Kookaburras' President Jake Anson was named as inaugural Chairman of the three-team league, which aims to enhance the match-day experience of playing footy in Alberta. Innovations in 2009 will see canteens and social events at each game, paid match umpires and premiership and academy divisions to provide a better-structured development pathway for players. A new league logo and team kits will be released in coming weeks.
Stay-tuned for more Kookaburras news. We will be announcing appointments of Head Coach, Assistant Coaches and Club Captains very soon, as we embark on a quest to defend our reputation as the best women's footy club in North America!
