Football Australia rewards Mindil Aces with MiniRoos gala day
A Territory club’s commitment to growing the game in the NT has been awarded by Football Australia with a huge MiniRoos gala day. Check out the photos.
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More than 200 of the Top End’s MiniRoos hit the field in a day celebrating Darwin football club Mindil Aces’ success in growing the game in the community.
The Mindil Aces Football Club is one of the fastest growing clubs in the NT, in both the junior and women’s spaces.
And as a member of the Club Changers program, Football Australia rewarded it with a gala day full of giveaways for young players as part of the AFC Grassroots Football Day.
Football Australia community programs manager Bridie Murphy said it was great to see how well the game was growing in the Top End, and that was in no small part due to clubs like Mindil.
“We really want to celebrate some of the hard work this club has been doing,” she said.
“They’ve had some fantastic increases in their registration numbers and are doing a lot to support women and girls as well.
“This club is one of the clubs that are part of the club changer program, which supports 1000 community clubs across Australia to create safe and inclusive environments.
“This was a moment to reflect on what they’ve done in the past 12 months, have some fun and get some giveaways out there.”
Those giveaways included AFC x Football Australia Community Grassroot t-shirt as well as a donation of balls for the club.
Mindil is one of many clubs who have seen a boon of participation following the Matildas run in the 2023 World Cup, and like many Darwin clubs kicks above its weight in terms of numbers.
“Darwin is a smaller place, but the numbers these clubs have put together over the past 12 months are really increasing,” Murphy said.
“The passion and excitement for football is well and alive up here, so it’s fantastic to see off the back of the Women’s World Cup how that has inspired a whole new generation of footballers.
“A lot of work goes into growing the NT game, but the community up here has been involved in football for as long as anyone and know things in the local context very well.
“It’s about the continued engagement in the FNT and FA programs, which we’re seeing through the club changer and MiniRoos kick offs and those have been fantastic.”
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