Beginners Help...?

[thereabouts]

Hey all,

I dunno if this is the place to ask such things, but I couldn't think of anywhere else to do so, so I hope you can all tolerate a bit of n00biness. I made a new friend at uni at the start of this semester, big German dude who's here for a bit to study abroad. He asked me if I knew where he could play Aussie Rules (the uni coach told him the team's full, but if there's a dropout\injury he can play for them). I thought about it and honestly had no idea.

The thing is, I've often thought about playing myself too. I used to play basketball before hurting my back a couple of years ago and never got back to it. I often wondered about playing footy but honestly had no idea to start.

I suppose the main question (without the crap filler) is...Where does a guy who's never played football before, in his early 20's, do so in Melbourne? Are there any beginner leagues? Beginner division\grades? Leagues\teams that are more tolerant to bringing in the absolute clueless?

Obviously you wouldn't look at joining so late this year, but for next year...?

Many thanks for any help, and sorry if this is the wrong place.

 

[billybrownless16]

Any local suburban clubs in the lower leagues would give you a run I reckon, there are always teams short on players.
Heaps of people only start playing footy in their late 20's.

 

[thereabouts]

Any local suburban clubs in the lower leagues would give you a run I reckon, there are always teams short on players.
Heaps of people only start playing footy in their late 20's.

Thanks. Was more wondering where a good league would be to start. Everyone's telling me to steer clear of the DVFL lest I welcome death. Problem is no one's offering any alternatives. I'd wondered about the amateurs, but I've no idea about it in general. Just feel hopeless about it without a starting point. But I'll start making some calls about it the moment I get time.

Appreciate the reply all the same.

 

[hansie]

Thanks. Was more wondering where a good league would be to start. Everyone's telling me to steer clear of the DVFL lest I welcome death. Problem is no one's offering any alternatives. I'd wondered about the amateurs, but I've no idea about it in general. Just feel hopeless about it without a starting point. But I'll start making some calls about it the moment I get time.

Appreciate the reply all the same.

Ammo's may be the go for you - plenty of sides have Club18 teams for guys such as yourself. Having said that, if you choose a lower grade club, you may go straight into the twos. Check out www.vafa.com.au and look at the Clubs page, pretty much every club has a website that you can have a squizz at and see what you think. Good luck with it all.

Cheers,

 

[no31]

D4 ammos would be a good start, don't worry about playing Club 18, as the vast majority of those teams have plenty of players (some have 6 senior teams), where most D4 teams struggle to get two teams on the track for the whole year.

 

[Hampton Hammer]

Hey thereabouts,

Good question. I am the senior playing coach of the Hampton Hammers in the SFL and we are always looking for new players to build on our list. Our club has only seniors and reserves in a midst of a number of clubs so it is hard to compete for players. We welcome new players and are more than happy to help your progress at training with individual assistance if need be. Our senior team is very competitive and will finish just outside the finals. Our reserves team needs more depth and hence new players to the game are more than welcome. This season we had 5 players from Denmark join us aswell as an American. It was a great learning experience for them and they have improved immensely. Our pre-season will commence in late November. Look us up at www.hamptonhammers.com