Gold Coast ruck Lauren Bella brings $2500 grant to Sarina junior football club for NAB Rising Star nomination
A Mackay product has returned home with a $2500 grant for the junior football club that helped develop her into an AFLW star.
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AFLW star Lauren Bella’s appearance at a junior football club brought more than just smiles to excited kids’ faces.
The Gold Coast ruck was a revelation for the Suns in 2021, earning a NAB AFLW Rising Star nomination in round seven.
NAB awarded Bella’s junior club, Sarina Demons JAFC, a $2500 cash and resources grant as a part of the initiative.
Bella said it was amazing to see the club’s progression since she was playing football in the red and blue.
“I always love visiting home and being able to come down and see the club I was at 10-11 years ago,” she said.
“Seeing it progress so much from that time is really amazing, it makes me really proud because they’ve put in so much hard work to get that club established.”
The Gold Coast side has developed a strong link with Mackay football clubs, with Academy players training and playing with the Suns’ junior sides throughout the year.
Bella said the pathways were really important for the development of grassroots football.
“I was very lucky to be born at the right time with the pathways coming in, but a lot of people didn’t have that opportunity,” she said.
“If people are aspiring to have a career (in football), there are really good pathways set in place.”
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Mackay product Alana Gee has been training with Suns Academy as a 17-year-old, and is expected to make the transition to the AFLW once she is 18.
Bella said the level of football had grown since her time at Sarina.
“Kids’ skills are getting so much better these days with funding, resources and lots of time and energy put into them,” she said.
“These kids now have an amazing opportunity where they’ll be able to develop their skills and have a way better experience and so much more exposure than we did back then.”
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Originally published as Gold Coast ruck Lauren Bella brings $2500 grant to Sarina junior football club for NAB Rising Star nomination
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