A lot has been happening in Kookaburra-land during March and April. In addition to training-the-house-down at a mix of Calgary locations, we have held a successful Quiz Night fund-raiser, have donated a substantial sum to victims of the Australian bushfires, have travelled Down Under to form links with Australian footy clubs and we've appointed a strong leadership contingent to lead our campaign to win our first Canadian Nationals and go back-to-back US National Champions. All while recruiting a great group of fun and happy new players!Here are some highlights:
Coaches & Captains Appointed
Our club has appointed very strong and capable coaching and captaincy groups for 2009. Jake Anson returns as Head Coach for his third season, with Dave Bauer and Matt Kidd supporting him as Assistant Coaches. Dave is returning to his role, while Matt will bring a lot of footy experience as a former Team Canada rep to his first season with the Kookaburras.
On the captaincy side, Kathryn "Gangles" Zakus has been reappointed as club Captain for the second year, with Holly "Witchy" Greatwich as Vice-Captain. Both of these girls bring a ton of footy experience to the team, and they will each captain Alberta Footy Women's League teams. Roxy Kelly and Lori "Boss" Bossert are Vice-Captains of the AFWL sides.
Kookaburras link with Aussies
A number of Kookaburras have taken flight recently. Meg "Ginger" Goodfellow moved to Melbourne over winter and has trained with a footy club there. Lesley "Zed" Zmurchuk flew to Perth and witnessed her first AFL match first-hand.
Vice President Elise "Robot" Botero toured Sydney and Melbourne, where she saw an AFL match with Ginger and signed a partnership agreement with the Sydney Women's AFL. Club President Jake Anson also travelled to Melbourne, where he met AFL CEO Andrew Demetriou and the Geelong and Collingwood AFL Presidents - Frank Costa and Eddie Maguire - to spruik the good footy development work being undertaken across Canada. On a grass-roots level, Jake signed a sister-club agreement with Diamond Creek women's football club and met up with former Kookaburra Kathryn "Mumf" Mumford.
Whilst Down Under, Jake also donated nearly AU$800 to the Kinglake Football Club, who were devastated by the Victorian bushfires in February. The "Lakers" were very appreciative of the money raised at our recent charity fund-raiser and were pleased to learn that footy is flourishing on the Canadian prairies.
Footy Season Coming Up Fast
Our first matches for 2009 will be held at Queen Elizabeth School on May 9th. With a bit of luck from the weather gods, we will have been training ball skills outside for a month on top of 3 months of pre-season fitness. We have a terrific group of new players and it's fantastic to see that our community profile is increasing. On top of that, we'll be launching a brand-new schools footy program in coming weeks. We are always welcoming new girls, so if you would like to join us, or know somebody who would, get in touch with us!
Coaches & Captains Appointed
Our club has appointed very strong and capable coaching and captaincy groups for 2009. Jake Anson returns as Head Coach for his third season, with Dave Bauer and Matt Kidd supporting him as Assistant Coaches. Dave is returning to his role, while Matt will bring a lot of footy experience as a former Team Canada rep to his first season with the Kookaburras.
On the captaincy side, Kathryn "Gangles" Zakus has been reappointed as club Captain for the second year, with Holly "Witchy" Greatwich as Vice-Captain. Both of these girls bring a ton of footy experience to the team, and they will each captain Alberta Footy Women's League teams. Roxy Kelly and Lori "Boss" Bossert are Vice-Captains of the AFWL sides.
Kookaburras link with Aussies
A number of Kookaburras have taken flight recently. Meg "Ginger" Goodfellow moved to Melbourne over winter and has trained with a footy club there. Lesley "Zed" Zmurchuk flew to Perth and witnessed her first AFL match first-hand.Vice President Elise "Robot" Botero toured Sydney and Melbourne, where she saw an AFL match with Ginger and signed a partnership agreement with the Sydney Women's AFL. Club President Jake Anson also travelled to Melbourne, where he met AFL CEO Andrew Demetriou and the Geelong and Collingwood AFL Presidents - Frank Costa and Eddie Maguire - to spruik the good footy development work being undertaken across Canada. On a grass-roots level, Jake signed a sister-club agreement with Diamond Creek women's football club and met up with former Kookaburra Kathryn "Mumf" Mumford.
Whilst Down Under, Jake also donated nearly AU$800 to the Kinglake Football Club, who were devastated by the Victorian bushfires in February. The "Lakers" were very appreciative of the money raised at our recent charity fund-raiser and were pleased to learn that footy is flourishing on the Canadian prairies.
Footy Season Coming Up Fast
Our first matches for 2009 will be held at Queen Elizabeth School on May 9th. With a bit of luck from the weather gods, we will have been training ball skills outside for a month on top of 3 months of pre-season fitness. We have a terrific group of new players and it's fantastic to see that our community profile is increasing. On top of that, we'll be launching a brand-new schools footy program in coming weeks. We are always welcoming new girls, so if you would like to join us, or know somebody who would, get in touch with us!
