WorkSafe AFL Victoria Country Article – June 26
2015 Laguntas Program kicks off
AFL Victoria’s Laguntas Program continues to go from strength to strength in the push to provide opportunities for young indigenous footballers.
The 2015 Laguntas Program kicked off earlier this month with a new batch of emerging stars, the vast majority from country Victoria, eager to begin a curriculum that centres not just on developing their football skills but also their personal attributes.
Over the course of three camps, the boys aged 16-18 will train under the guidance of expert coaches, learn about their cultural heritage, develop as individuals and hopefully become young leaders in their local communities.
This year’s squad is bursting at the seams with country Victorian boys, with players from Ballarat, Hamilton, Mooroopna, and the Gippsland region figuring prominently.
The focus of the program remains on helping indigenous youngsters make the most of their football ability and to ensure they have the opportunity to thrive in the mainstream talent pathway.
So far this is has been overwhelmingly successful.
The number of indigenous players in the TAC Cup is significantly higher thanks to the programs such as Laguntas (U18) and Kickstart (U15), with 17 boys who have been part of the Laguntas Program over the past few years, now on a TAC Cup list.
Triple Brisbane Lions premiership player Chris Johnson returns to be head coach of Laguntas in 2015, and along with assistants Ricky Coburn and Daniel Charles, is charged with developing the squad’s on-field skills and knowledge of the what’s needed to reach the highest level.
In partnership with the Korin Gamadji Institute and YMCA, 30 boys from across the state attended the first camp in June, eager to begin a well-trodden football journey.
Over the course of four days, the boys faced fitness testing similar to that conducted at the National Combine and also undertook education sessions on pre-game nutrition and healthy eating in general.
The camp also involved a number of cultural activities, including boomerang throwing and listening to traditional indigenous music with Ron Murray.
On the final day of the camp after three days of getting to know one another, the squad took to the field wearing the Richmond indigenous jumper against the Victoria Country U16 side.
In a highly entertaining contest, it was Vic Country that eventually emerged victorious but not before the Laguntas Squad showed just how much talent lies within its ranks.
AFL Victoria Indigenous Programs Manager Aaron Clark said he was thrilled with the way the boys attacked the weekend.
“It’s a pretty a big thing to take these guys out of their comfort zone and it’s an intense weekend full of learnings,” he said.
“Just to meet a whole group of other indigenous boys from different parts of the state is great opportunity and in the past we have seen long term friendships develop that really help as they grow into young men.”
“On the football sides of things, we were really impressed with the level of improvement from Friday to the match against Vic Country and there is doubt a number of these guys have the potential take their football a long way.”