A new over-35s AFL club has launched for 2018 – and they’re looking for St George and Sutherland Shire players for the new season.
Southern Masters, who are affiliated with the Southern Power club, are a team simply looking to encourage the pure joy of playing footy with their mates.
Southern will play in the NSW Masters AFL over-40s competition run by AFL Sydney but are only allowed to play three 35 to 39-year-old players, meaning they are looking for more over-40s.
The club played a trial game against Balmain at Waratah Oval on Sunday and inaugural club president Matt Crowe said the enjoyment was already there.
“We’re not trying to win a premiership, we just want to get out of the house every second Sunday and have a kick,” he said.
“We had our trial and seriously I’ve never had so many laughs with such a friendly bunch of blokes on the sidelines.
“I’ve been involved in Victorian football for a long time and with a lot of the old boys who hang around the clubs. You see guys get married and have kids who then have their own sport and it’s hard for them to stay involved around a club.
“We figured this way you can come down for a kick on a Sunday. We’ll only train once a week and it’s optional. It’s very relaxed, family friendly. We had a good family crowd there on the weekend. And it’s the new facility as well, we’ve finally got a decent AFL oval in the shire to play on.
“We’re not limiting ourselves on numbers. And they are modified rules, it’s not crash and bash premier division football. We’ve got a couple of super veterans (over-55s) and there are a couple of guys in their late 60s who play in the competition. It really is for anyone who just wants to get out and enjoy themselves having a kick.”
Details: facebook.com/SouthernMastersAFL or 0417 586 761
