The round ball will feature during the heart of the AFL season with the opening leg of a community football festival in Geelong next month.
A-League football’s newest team, Melbourne Heart, will visit the region to run a series of school and club clinics culminating in a friendly match against Victorian champion league side Wimmera South Coast Eagles at Elcho Park.
The series of events, part of a Westpac Community Football Festival, will run from June 15 to 17 as Melbourne Heart tries to pump up local support.
Well-known local football identity and Melbourne Heart football operations manager John Didulica helped Socceroo Kristian Sarkies launch the festival at Kardinia International College this week.
Melbourne Heart has signed a number of former internationals, including Geelong’s Josip Skoko, who will impart their knowledge to the Geelong football community.
A coach-the-coach program will involve Heart head coach John van‘t Schip and assistants Jesper Olsen and Ante Milicic hosting a seminar educating local club coaches on the latest tactical and technical innovations in the game.
Heart chief executive officer Scott Munn noted that Geelong had produced some of Australia’s leading football talents, such as Mathew Spiranovic, Joey Didulica and Skoko.
The festival was another way of furthering the cause of football and inspiring the next international to come from the region, Mr Munn said.
Out & about
Independent photographer Louisa Jones headed to the Geelong waterfront on Cup day to see who was enjoying the sunshine and warmish weather.
