World Footy News

The AFL Vanuatu 2014 Grand Final was run and won on Saturday by perhaps the underdog in Mele Eagles who overcame the Erakor Golden Star Tigers by at the end a comfortable 33 point margin.

Ryan Bonga who has represented Vanuatu and the South Pacific in Australia – took out the award for best on ground.

The final score – as the brand new scoreboard tells the story – was Mele 6.14.50 to Erakor 2.5.17.

The Olinda Ferny Creek Football/Netball club visit is a major undertaking in itself and sets a high standard for other clubs to aspire to - read more.....

For the second year running the Olinda Ferny Creek Football Netball Club - from the Dandenongs region on the fringes of Eastern outer Melbourne – have headed to Vanuatu for post season. They visit billed as a “Volunteer Development Program”, and from Septemer 22nd to October 5th the nearly 60 strong touring party has visited communities around Vanuatu.

The following is from AFL Vanuatu :
Over the last 2 weeks, the Olinda Ferny Creek Football Netball Club have been in Vanuatu doing some amazing work with communities in Vila, Nguna, Pele and Santo. On behalf of AFL Vanuatu, we would like to thank you for your ongoing support of not only AFL, but other sporting organisation, schools, hospitals, trades and the wider Vanuatu communities. Your hard work is greatly appreciated!
Close to 60 members of the Olinda Ferny Creek Football Netball Club, based in the Dandenong Ranges of Victoria, Australia, are in Vanuatu for two weeks to visit schools and communities around Efate and Santo to deliver sporting clinics in netball and Australian Rules Football. They have worked extremely hard to fundraise for their visit and secured an astounding 51.4 million vatu worth of donations to hand out to schools, communities and organisations. Items include sporting equipment, books, trade tools and medical equipment. The club has been working with AFL Vanuatu and the Vanuatu Netball Association to deliver its program of activities. This is a perfect example of how a small group of ordinary people can rally together to achieve something great. The visit provides a development opportunity for all involved and forges even greater people-to-people links between Australia and Vanuatu. Congratulations to Olinda Ferny Creek Club for your outstanding work.

The visiting Olinda Ferny Creek Football Netball club touring party - along with Vanuatu locals and the Australian High Commissioner HE Jeremy Breur and AYAD volunteer Blair Mortimer.

The OFC FNC describes their program as being a part of their commitment to providing personal development opportunities for their young players. The claim being that at a sporting club level that this is such an extensive volunteer program that makes the club unique within Australia. The previously existing partners of Vanuatu Netball and AFL Vanuatu were added to with Port Vila Hospital, Abule Trade School and other local schools.
The touring party being made up of members of the club from across the full spectrum, including President, coaches football and netball, trainer/manager/nurse and players.

The OFC FNC program is outlined here in a pdf, and is worth a read. Along with visits such as this and in Adelaide's Concordia College a couple of years ago (that included a young James Aish fresh off a SANFL GF) - they provide a blue print for other clubs and schools to engage more broadly with our near neighbours.