Football Club

After 5 rounds of football, the Club's senior team is undefeated on top of the ladder and is generating more interest in the club than has been around for many years.  This could be because more than half the team have come up through the juniors, 8 or 9 of them starting in the Under 12's about 10 years ago.  This is what the Club is about; the kids can start in the Under 10's and as they get older and more confident progress to the higher grades.

The Reserves and Under 16's are also well positioned on their respective ladders.

It always seems to happen though when one section is going well, problems crop up somewhere else.  At the Club's AGM, 19 people put their hands up to serve on the Club committee, some haven't been seen since but there is at the moment an over-emphasis on the senior team, as people get on the band wagon and this leaves the other teams to look after themselves, it has been suggested that a separate sub-committee should be formed to look after the Juniors.  The only thing wrong with that is if you start with a sub-committee you can end up with a separate Committee and two Clubs the way most junior football is now run in Launceston.

We are always looking for more people to help and an ideal way to learn "the ropes" is to start with the younger grades and gradually move up, this is how some of our Committee have progressed, as their
children have progressed so have they.   Of the boys who have come up from the Under 12's to the seniors, four have fathers coaching the club's teams in Tom Whiting (Reserves) Les Arnold (Under 16's) Peter Tuthill and Larry Venn (Under 13's).  For the people who are prepared to have a go, just by taking small steps at a time a lot can be achieved in the long term.

To combat the problems of Parents using Football Clubs as unpaid baby sitters, in Launceston one Auskick Centre insists that the children must be
accompanied by an adult, similar rules apply to little athletics, junior cricket etc.

A  N.T.J.F.A club has a rule that where parents just turn up to drop off or pick up kids they have to pay at the gate.  It can be seen that Lilydale is not the only ones with these problems but we hope that common sense will prevail and they will not be necessary,
besides doing things together is good for the kids and good for the parents.

The N.E.F.U will be involved in combined games for Under 12's, Under 14's and Under 16's again this year on Sunday 22^nd June.  York Park is not available
because of the AFL matches so the games will be played at Scottsdale.  Dean Smith, senior coach at
Bridport has offered his services to conduct an Under 8's Clinic at the Hockey Ground, and this has been