It would be easy to assume that preseason at Collingwood is all about football, fitness and high-performance but that’s not all that happens in the early months of the year.
Every year a certain number of players and staff from across the Collingwood Football Club are lucky enough to head to the Northern Territory for a five day community camp in the Barkly region.
Jack Ginnivan, Josh Eyre, and Bassirou Faye flew the nest and landed in Alice Springs ready to immerse themselves alongside Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Programs Manager Debby Lovett, Cultural Development Manager Leon Davis, and Head of Academies/VFL Assistant Coach Harmit Singh.
For some, the red dirt, humid air, and lack of cell-phone reception was reminiscent of trips gone by but for others, this was their first time experiencing Australia’s red centre.
“It was my first time in the NT and the experience I had was a very special one. I have a lot of gratitude and memories I'll remember forever.” Josh Eyre
From Tennant Creek to Elliott to the remote community of Ali Curung, it was clear that for everyone in these communities, footy is life and for the younger generations, it is their life.
Despite players being available for autographs and photo opportunities, attention at each school visit remained firmly on the football as it was kicked and handballed around each grassy patch.
“The kids show some very exciting raw talent with primary schools standing out the most this trip, particularly in Elliott. It was also great to see increased levels of participation from the girls in the region.” Harmit Singh
Collingwood is dedicated to supporting these communities with the focus of each trip being about giving back, connecting, learning, and reinforcing positive messaging to children around school attendance, engagement in sports and healthy eating.
“Off the back of the pandemic, we weren’t able to be as visible in these communities as we would have liked so maintaining this is a focus for us moving forward.” Harmit Singh
The Club aims to be present and engaged in these communities at least one more time in 2023.
