IF ACT Gridiron has their way, Goulburn could be fielding a brand new American football team within a few years according to Association president Cody Field.
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“What we want to do is promote to the regional areas a little bit more because we believe that Canberra can support a team in outlying regions Goulburn or Cooma,” Field told the Post.
“The Sydney competition supports the Newcastle and the North Coast area, and that’s what we sort of want in the ACT. I don’t think we can support any more teams in the ACT, but regional areas like here is probably the way to go.”
Field, along with Gridiron Australia chairman Darrin Mitchell, were on hand for the gridiron gala day held at the Workers Arena on Saturday.
The two watched from the stands as the Diamonds women’s team took on the Bondi Raiders and the Centurions men’s team played the Newcastle Cobras.
“There is plenty of opportunity available for the ACT competition to expand. It’s quite a closed area so I could see a team being set up in a place like Goulburn,” Gridiron Australia chairman Darrin Mitchell said.
“People just have to know about the sport, which is why we come out to these areas to promote the game.”
Mitchell explained that Gridiron participation numbers were rising and that most players who took part in the gala day were new comers to the sport.
For the Diamonds it was their first match ever as a club. They drew 24 all with the Bondi Raiders.
“None of us have played it before,” said Diamonds defensive captain Toni Abbott.
“In fact most of us have never really played in a team sport before. At least not full contact.”
She explained she had joined the team after the club’s information stall at the multicultural festival in Canberra caught her eye earlier this year. “There are a few things I like about it,” she said.
“There’s the camaraderie of it, and people of all shapes and sizes can play. So you don’t have to be a particular weight or have a particular skill set.” The Diamonds join the Spears, the Sirens and the Wildcats in the women’s ACT competition.
It’s a competition that three years ago didn’t exist according to Association president Field.
“What we’ve seen in the last few years is a lot more interest in the sport, and for our women’s team, it’s probably the fastest growing sport in Australia,” he said.
Field believes the sport is even capable of sustaining a men’s national competition. “I think we’re not very far off. There’s a lot more interest.
“For gridiron in Australia I’d like to see us have a national competition that’s probably more based on the Australian ice hockey league that’s a mid level professional competition.
The concept is something that Gridiron Australian has been working on.
“We have a competition, we currently have every second year that is going to move to an annual basis called the Australian Gridiron League,” Mitchell said.
“It use to be a week long tournament, but the last two years we’ve had it as a fly in fly out every weekend in March and April.
“There was mixed reaction, but it seemed to work quite well.”