What Does Local Footy Mean To You?

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I love local footy, try to go most weeks and didn't miss a game for 6 years until Akermanis came to town and ****ed everything up for me and my mates (20year regulars) but that is a story for another time.
 
I took my son to watch my old local club play a game and he loved it. At his age (9) there isn't a hell of a lot of difference between watching the AFL and watching local footy.Its all the game he loves and the kick to kick on the ground is an added bonus. He also liked going in the rooms after the game and hearing the song. I"m really impressed how much more professional local footy is these days. Idiotic behaviour is not tolerated as it was in my day. Great family outing. The standard of footy is good too. Coaches are better and most of the players are fitter. Look forward to getting to a few games ( when Hawks are not playing) in 2015.
 
Well, where I grew up, local footy was pretty big in school - not with everyone, people didn't attach themselves to teams if they didn't play themselves, but those who did were pretty crazy into it. There were always disagreements that carried into school that stemmed from the footy field, though generally it was friendly banter. Thing was though, joining a footy team wasn't open to everyone. If you were just a rogue kid with a passion for footy and a drive to play, local football wasn't your gig. Footy clubs would ultimately be the culmination of cliques attaching themselves to a specific club that fitted the level of their social hierarchy. At my school, the popular, big and athletic kids were all a member of either Bayswater or The Basin, the suburb over was generally East Ringwood who, unsurprisingly were the most imposing and winningest clubs. I'd feel bad for the kids who would play for a backbeat team simply because they'd love footy, and precede to be beaten by 200 points week in week out.

I do have one fond memory, from when I was about 16 - the team a lot of my friends made up Heathmont Jets, who, yknow - were generally just normal kids, not massive ones who'd train like nuts - ended up just scraping into the finals, then made a great charge into the granny, beating Bayswater by 3 points in the prelim... they ended up going down to The Basin by ~20 points, a team made up of said popular body builders, but they really gave it a shot. The next week at school there was a real sense of newfound respect, I felt anyways.
 

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An ex colleague of mine plays in the EFL and I enjoy watching a few of his games a year.
I prefer going to Box Hill Hawks (VFL) games rather than Hawthorn games as it's bit more old school footy like and not so sanitised.
 
Left "the circle" after hanging the boots up...so nothing now.
 
Never played League footy but I'd love to at Heatherton or Chelt, always wondered how it would be. Just a matter of taking the plunge as a 23 year old
 
Get along most weeks, love it. Have a few mates who still play for our old local club.

Met a few of their mates from the club and know them a bit from out and about, seem like a good bunch of fellas.

But it's not so much the social thing, it's just a great Sat afternoon for me. The skills are reasonable, the game style a little more traditional with players holding their actual positions more, so I find it pretty attractive to watch.

Also proper beer in a can and real food straight off the BBQ, head out at listen to the coach while the kids have a kick around you. Good times. Whenever the AFL fixture comes out the first thing I check and get shitty about is if Essendon is playing on a Sat arvo, as I like to go to both.
 

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I will always have a soft spot for my junior side. I never felt urged to leave them or play for another club but as injuries got the better of me and I had to retire while still a teenager, I kind of grew away from them both physically and I guess spiritually. I moved two hours away and as the years went by, I had nothing left to do with the club which I just accepted and moved on. The club has now merged with another club I liked but I'm not sure if I'll ever, I suppose, "return" in any way shape or form.

I didn't find local footy as exciting as AFL as a kid. It was the exact opposite for others and maybe it was just the Collingwood in me but I could never understand how people took local footy so seriously.
 
Next to nothing.
 
Was massively passionate about my club as a kid. Several players were as big as heros to me as any I saw on the TV each week. Sadly however I grew up and got sucked into the political circus that is a local football club and became extremely disillusioned with people in charge. I then moved away and kept a casual eye on results.

When I came back home I had every intention of rejoining them but heard stories about the club and people and became even more disillusioned with them. Joined another club in a different league and found a group of people I'm happy with.
 
ManOfClay said:
Mine's a bit of a long story. Was born very prematurely and with cerebral palsy. Thankfully no mental disabilities but had a very pad pigeon toe. Stopped playing footy in the early 2000s once I was too old for mini-colts. Had massive corrective surgery in 2009 and returned to footy for the last eight game of 2011 while living in Adelaide. Moved to the country for work in 2012 and have played for the same small country club ever since.

I live in a town of about 6000 with its own football team but play for a club about 25 minutes away from a community of around 30 people. Very small, tight-knit community that would love us to get a flag in a very big and well-resourced league. They know we are well behind the eight ball.

A senior flag will mean so much to me in my personal journey but also a hell of a lot to the farmers and everyone out there involved in the club.
Click to expand...

Dude, don't know you, but * I want that flag for you
 
I was always a s**t footballer, but in the few games I played nothing matched that feeling of running into the ground with your mates

Close to a suburban ground now, and walk the dogs by there every day.

Have to admit the pull to watch a game with the mutts and a beer and a snag is bloody strong
 
It's good fun most of the time but there's one thing that rears it's head from time to time make it less so; people who take it to seriously/ think they're better than what they are.
 
The only thing that gets me with it is the "she'll be right, mate" attitude of some players when it comes to the extra work off the field.
it's not hard to help out the bbq or come set up before a game.
 
Class thread:thumbsu:

Grew up in country SA, where the footy club runs the town 8 months a year. Played country footy in all mainland states & the NT (NSW & Vic were covered in one 8 game stint for Wentworth). Local footy clubs are the best places to meet good people & enjoy being part of a community.
 
I introduced my best mate's little bro to the great game and attend his games most weeks. Also have some younger mates who just finished year 12 that might be returning to play seniors in 2015.
 
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