Kensington Baseball Club to add football teams in SANFL juniors this winter
A local baseball diamond will soon transform into a football oval as the club adds Australian rules to its repertoire.
Local Sport
Don't miss out on the headlines from Local Sport. Followed categories will be added to My News.
- Adelaide Crows, Adelaide Bite partnership helps young guns re-sign
- How to get the most out of your Advertiser digital subscription
A local baseball club will now add junior Australian rules teams to its repertoire – with the aim of boosting membership numbers and getting more youngsters involved in both sports.
Kensington Cardinals Baseball Club will transform into a football club in winter and is set to field under-7, under-8 and under-9 boys’ and girls’ sides.
SANFL junior competition administrator Nik Byrne has been running Auskick – a program which teaches the basic skills of Australian rules to children between 5 and 12 – at Burnside Primary School.
Watch every match of the 2020 NAB AFLW Season LIVE & On-Demand on KAYO. New to Kayo? Get your 14-day free trial & start streaming instantly >
He said starting a football club in the area would give youngsters a team to transition into.
The football teams will also be known as the Kensington Cardinals.
Byrne said a partnership with the baseball club was struck up to make good use of the oval and clubrooms all year round.
“We put the proposal to Kensington Baseball Club, what it could look like and what it would mean for them in terms of having people here in winter and giving kids in the area an opportunity to play footy,” Byrne said.
“There’s not many (junior) clubs around.
“They (the baseball club) were really keen.
“The baseball club is already here and we don’t want to just come in and take what they’ve already got.
“It gives kids a chance to play baseball in summer and footy in winter – it just makes the local community stronger, I think.”
The partnership between a baseball and football club follows the Adelaide Crows taking over as owners of Australian Baseball League side Adelaide Giants, then Adelaide Bite, in 2018.
Burnside mother-of-three Kat Barreto believes linking baseball and football is a great way to get families and children in the community connected.
Her middle son, Samuel, 7, played in a junior boys’ baseball team with Kensington this past summer.
She hopes now to get him involved with the club’s new football side.
“It’s brilliant that it’s all in one place and it’s a great transition from Auskick,” Barreto said.
Samuel’s 11-year-old brother, Sebastian, had played baseball at Kensington – and Samuel “just wants to do everything his big brother does”.
The club is still on the hunt for players and volunteers to help run its junior football component.
For more information: contact Nik Byrne on 8424 2231 or kensingtonjfc@gmail.com