Mt Lofty Football Club would like to welcome Michael Wilde as the U12 Boys coach for our Season 2022 HFL campaign.
Michael has been coaching most of this group since U8s, and again this year will be focussing on improving the skills, particularly the ability to kick and handball on the non-preferred side, understanding the game and most importantly, enjoying the game.
Stay tuned as preseason will start soon where we will do plenty of game sense training along with building fitness with running, push-ups, star jumps and planking!
In preparation for pre-season training and regular training for 2022, Mount Lofty District FC wants to ensure all players, coaches, volunteers and parents are aware of some important points in relation to the ongoing risks presented by COVID.
As the Omicron variant is now prevalent within our society, odds would suggest that at some point, our senior and junior football programs will be affected by someone contracting COVID or being a close contact of someone who has COVID – especially the Omicron variant.
If you contract COVID, you need to isolate away from the group for 10 days after your positive COVID-19 PCR / RAT test – SA Health guidelines.
If you are deemed a close contact of someone with COVID (living with/intimate with or have spent more than 15 mins without a mask indoors with someone who has tested positive), you are required to have a COVID-19 test immediately (RAT or PCR), have a further test on day 6 (RAT or PCR) and quarantine away from the group for 7 days. The day of exposure is counted as day 0.
We are now entering the pre-season phase of training where we need to do what we can to minimise the number of people who contract COVID, or who are deemed close contacts, at any one point in time.
The information provided in this letter has been sourced from the Adelaide Footy League, SANFL, SA Government and SA Health.
The club has an expectation that all players, coaches, and volunteers will do everything within their power to minimise the risk of contracting COVID, and minimising the people they come into contact with, in order to reduce the risk of being a close contact. On that basis, please consider the following:
All Players, coaches and volunteers must sign in on arrival. Either scan the QR code which will be provided at all training sessions (you must have the mySA GOV app downloaded onto your phone to do this) or see your Coach/Team Manager who will show you how to sign in manually.
Players will again be required to get changed in small groups or ideally, arrive at training dressed and ready to go and leave immediately after training.
Masks & Social Distancing
Maintain 1.5m distance always, other than while participating in training drills.
SA Health has now implemented a 1 person per 4m2 protocol while indoors.
Trainers/Coaches to wear Masks whilst at training.
Training
All outdoor main training sessions are full contact with no restriction on numbers, with the following guidelines:
Still to be no tight huddles at training.
No sharing water bottles/towels.
Keep tackling drills or close physical contact drills to a minimum and no more than 15 minutes.
Hand sanitiser to be made available at all training sessions.
Footballs and any other equipment used to be wiped prior to and after use.
Current Vaccination Requirement for Trainings
At this stage, the club has not mandated players and volunteers to be double vaccinated. We are confident and comfortable with the level of hygiene and COVID-safe practises we have implemented and continue to practise amongst our coaching staff and teams.
Should you wish to discuss any of these matters, please feel free to contact myself of the club Secretary
Mt Lofty Football Club would like to welcome Jess to the head coaching ranks, U11 Girls coaches for our Season 2022 HFL campaign.
Another exciting homegrown coaching announcement! Having come through the Senior Womens program, Jess will be stepping up this year to take her most exciting role yet! She has been learning under as the assistant coach under Louise who will be staying on but stepping back to help out as assistant coach, along with a player’s dad of Michael O’Connor who is another club legend and well established coach. Our young Devils are not only in great hands, but have a VERY bright future in Jess’ hands. Give ‘ em Hell Devs 👹
Congratulations again to our home grown Legend, Leith Dawes, for being recognised and rewarded for all of his hard work anddedication to grass roots football over 30 years this year, as the SA recipient of the the AFL Junior Coach of the year.
Presented at the SANFL Awards night at Adelaide Oval on the weekend, Leith now has his certificate and plaque to go with his tittle
Having been around Mt Lofty Football Club and being involved in volunteering roles for around 30 years, Leith’s passion and dedication to his community is so admirable and contagious it has been a big part of shaping our club into the place it is today.
Beginning his services to the club from his early playing days, Leith was giving back at any opportunity. A trait he has passed on to his own players. Even in 2020 Leith has been known to still throw the boots on to help when the boys are short!
Over the Past 3 years, Leith has been the Auskick Coordinator for the Mt Lofty Football Club, over those years he has mentored a large number of our up-and-coming senior male and female footballers to take over the program for the next generation of young footballers to come.
This is not the first time Leith has run the Auskick program for the club, 17 years ago he was the Auskick coordinator for 5 years, quite several of our now senior squads, male and female, started in the program under Leith all of which have a wonderful sense of community and football spirit.
Leith’s love of junior football shows in that he loves coaching juniors’ football. Just this year alone he also coached the U8 moddies and U17 Girls. Having been a past Mt Lofty A Grade coach these kids are getting a coach that truly understands what developmental skills are needed to take them through to the top tier. Leith takes the time to work with each player to get the best out of themselves, and makes it his main priority to ensure they enjoy the game, and want to keep playing next year.
Leith has also been on our football club committee for over 10 years, he donates endless amounts of time for the club.
Because of the time and effort that Leith has put into our players over the years, our senior footballers have a great understanding of what it truly means to be a community club footballer. Once you hit senior football it’s not just about playing the game, it’s about helping inspire the kids to stick around the club. This is evidenced by the rotation of male and female senior footballers that attend Auskick each week, and the senior male and female footballers that have taken on coaching roles, not only this year but in the history of the club, whilst also being playing members.
As a club Life Member and Hills Football League Life Member, it has been very clear to us that Leith’s passion has been to instill both his, and the club’s values into the upcoming generation of young footballers for the Mt Lofty Football Club.
On a side note, and unrelated to this award, Leith is also on the Sports and Social Club Committee, being an instrumental part in helping to work with the AHC to develop our new change rooms due ready for season 2022.
We at Mt Lofty appreciate all of his hard work and time that he puts into the club, players and Auskickers, the club wouldn’t be the same without him. We wish to thank Leith for all of his dedication to developing our youngsters into becoming great people and footballers.
Mt Lofty Football Club would like to welcome to the head coaching ranks as the Minis Colts coach for our Season 2022 HFL campaign, Brad Burch.
As one of our most exciting announcements of the year, 6x best and fairest, club legend Brad Burch is back for a head coaching role with the U14 boys this year. Having given his services a head coach in a junior role in previous year, well as an assistant coach in senior and junior teams as well as offering to play his part in mentoring role as a 300 A Grade gamer, Brad’s experience will be unmatched. Not only that he has kept 2021 coach Will on as an assistant coach on, also a Senior player. What a bright future for our boys! Give ’em Hell Devs.
