Australia’s emerging football stars coming to Ballarat

Australia’s best young footballers are about to descend on Ballarat for an event that will attract significant national interest.

The School Sport Australia 15 Years and Under Australian Football Championships will get under way on Saturday, for a week-long event that is certain to feature many future AFL and AFLW stars from across Australia.

More than 450 players and officials will call Ballarat home for the week, with additional families and supporters expected to provide a significant financial boost to Ballarat.

The event is expected to contribute more than $1.25 million to the Ballarat economy.

The matches will be played at six different City of Ballarat venues, all of which are home grounds for Ballarat Football Netball League clubs.

The tournament will feature both boys and girls representation from every state and territory in Australia, except for the Northern Territory, and will also have the keen eye of recruiters from elite clubs throughout Australia.

The opening ceremony will be held at Mars Stadium on Saturday, 22 July.

There will be 24 matches played across the week, with the first fixture scheduled for Sunday 23 July and the grand finals to be held on Saturday 29 July.

City of Ballarat Mayor, Cr Des Hudson said it was an honour to be able to host the football festival, which was made possible by the substantial investment that had been made in bringing football ovals to an elite standard.

“Years ago people would’ve thought we were crazy to host a week-long football event in Ballarat,” Cr Hudson said.

“However, with the facilities we have now that have been transformed in the last 10 years or so, we are more than capable of providing outstanding venues to host events like this.

“It’s extremely exciting to know that Australia’s best young footballers are going to be calling Ballarat home for a week and many of them could look back at this event as something that shaped their AFL or AFLW careers.

“We are a proud football city and have produced some of the best players to have played the game, so we think we are a perfect fit to host.”

The event relates closely to Goal 2 in the Council Plan 2021-2025: A healthy connected and inclusive community.

It will be held in partnership with School Sport Australia, the Department of Education, School Sport Victoria and AFL Victoria.

School Sport Australia Executive Officer Phil Reeves said he was thrilled to bring the event to Ballarat.

“School Sport Australia are delighted to celebrate 100 years since the very first National Australian Football School Championship in such an historic and leading event region as Ballarat,” he said.

“Just like in 1923 the championships will continue to give students an unforgettable educational and sporting experience and opportunity which will be remembered by them for many years into the future.”

The full fixture of matches can be found on the School Sports Australia website.