Nyora Junior Footy Club grew from two teams to five in a single season

NYORA Junior Football Club have had outstanding success in bringing in the young ones this season, flourishing from having just two teams at the start to five teams by the end. 

They began with an Under 10s and an Under 12s side and went on to form an Under 8s side and two Under 14s sides – one of which was the first all-girls team for the club. 

They also had 17 kids registered for Auskick, who had the opportunity twice to play during the seniors game, at half time and run through a banner, like AFL players do. 

Not only this, but two of the club’s teams also made the finals – the Under 10s and the Under 12s.

“We made the finals, unfortunately lost. But it’s still, for a small town like us, it’s a pretty big achievement to actually compete against teams like Tooradin, Drouin, Koo Wee Rup and Warragul,” said

Shannon Galllagher, President of the Nyora Junior Football Club and Under 12s Coach – and one of the driving forces behind the club’s success. 

Creating a family-friendly and welcoming atmosphere in an inclusive environment, together with word of mouth and forming cross-league connections, have been some of the elements Shannon attributed to their success. 

“Families have said that they came to us because of our posts we do on Facebook, where they see that we’re very much a family-oriented club, and we do lots of fun things for the kids; like last presentation night we had people riding one of those bucking bulls,” said Shannon.

They also held a pie night, two pizza nights and a game day for Motor Neurone Disease (MND), raising over $9000 for 
the charity. 

They played a parents versus kids game at the last training session for the season, which was followed by a BBQ and the club will finish off with a presentation day in September, with inflatable activities organised for the kids and catered with souvlaki and HSPs.

The junior club also recently hosted the junior football finals at the Nyora Football ground, where six games were played, 12 teams competed and about 800 people came through the gates. 

Being involved in area agreements with other leagues has proved to be beneficial for clubs, young players and sides that may be struggling for numbers.

“Players from Nyora went and played for Poowong and Hallora, and then we had players from Poowong come and play with us this year as well, throughout the season, and Korumburra filled in at times as well,” explained Shannon.

Some of Nyora’s senior football players trained with the juniors on occasion to help bolster their spirits.

“When senior players come and do that, the juniors tend to lift their form a bit more. They train better and train harder. So that was great.”

The club managed to secure great sponsors for the season, which made things a little bit more affordable for families, explained Shannon. 

“The community is really getting behind us and seeing the development of how we’re going.

“It’s been a great community, and we’ve had the support of many volunteers at the football club. We’re really proud of the volunteers and the community that we live in.”