Gungahlin Junior AFC

About us at the Gungahlin Junior Jets

G'day and welcome to all new and current Junior Jets players (boys and girls), parents, volunteers, supporters and Australian Rules Football supporters in general. Thank-you for checking out our site and whether you are new or have been following us for a while I trust you find what you want or uncover some treasure within - and if it is enough for you to come back again or recommend us to others then we have been honoured.

Should you choose to want to join our club I know you will be pleasantly surprised at our minimal registration costs and the value for your dollar we try to offer. We are basically made up of parents and footy fans all trying to help each other out while juggling the myriad of other activities (which have their own costs attached) so don't be too worried if the money, time, transport or competing interests are imposing some difficulties. Talk to us and the club will do what it can within reason in easing burdens.

The Junior Jets (like this website) are a work in-progress and since inception in 2000 we have steadily grown to the point that we are now well established in the Gungahlin community and well respected in the ACT Junior Australian Rules Football fraternity. Each season continues to see club foundations firmly laid down and our early years promise to be all about consolidation.

The foundations of this club can not occur, and would not have occurred, without the sacrifices made by those of the committee to see that the club develops and is sustainable. Each year tends to see minor changes to the committee with new contributors working alongside re-appointed members. I thank each and every-one for what they are about to give-up for the club and for what I anticipate they will bring to the club. As might be guessed for a young club, we are always looking for help so I would encourage those inclined to give their time to contact us and enquire about what ever assistance they can offer.

I would like to thank our Sponsors who have shown they are indeed in it for the long-haul by supporting a "real football" club - especially one so new. To show appreciation and gratitude to our sponsors I encourage all members and supporters to patronise businesses who support us. However, it is extremely important to everyone that if you are a purchaser of their products or services that you simply let them know you are a Junior Jets member/supporter so they get feedback. We are always hopeful to increase our sponsor numbers further and as this occurs we will provide news but in the meantime more specific information can be obtained from our sponsors page.

In 2004 we formally moved to Amaroo along with our senior club and have established ourselves in the playing fields behind the Amaroo Primary and High Schools (informally we call the ground Ken Zimmer Oval or The Z). This concentrates us now at what will be our home ground for the Junior Jets. The move here enables the Juniors to play games at or about the same time as the Seniors thus giving the kids & parents the opportunity to see the Seniors in action - and vice-versa. Our competition level teams will also train before the Seniors during the week at Amaroo thus giving them the opportunity to see how the big-boys train.

You should be able to find most of what you need to know about the competition we are in contained in this website, but briefly, we also run an Auskick centre for the littlies and those a bit older who would like to 'try-before-buy' as well as fielding teams from the under 8's through to under 16's.

However, in the true spirit of our game and our club charter towards the kids interests we are prepared to, and have merged with teams from other clubs where necessary to ensure the kids get a game. In 2005 we merged our U14's with Ainslie and in 2006 we merged the U12's with Yass.

We have adopted a concept called Clubstart (see below) for the under 8's and 9's. The Clubstart "testrun" back in 2003 proved quite popular and now the northside clubs see it as a winner.

One of the main philosophies we have here at the Junior Jets is that "We Play Fair and For Fun". The kids interests for fun and enjoyment are foremost but to achieve this we also believe their development is essential. It is not that much fun or enjoyable if the kids are not able to compete on a level comparible to other teams development. Therefore we have a linked philosophy of "Developed Coaches Equal Developed Kids" which implies we are just as interested in helping coaches develop as much as the kids. If you wish to be involved as a coach and have had little or no experience then please take the opportunity being offered - that is we are here to help.

Finally, if after viewing this site you are excited enough to want to be a part of the Gungahlin Lakes Junior Jets or wish to be more involved (comments & thoughts are more than welcome) then please drop us a line via our Contact page and we'll be in touch.

Go the Jets!

Regards,

Rohan Wilson
President Gungahlin Junior Jets

Major Sponsors:

• Ainslie Football Club
• The Marketplace

who have provided the financial base and continuous support from which the club has grown.

Our General Sponsors:

• Canberra Indoor Rock Climbing
• Magnet Mart (through their generosity in providing us with barbecue fund-raising opportunities), and
• Latham Independent Meats (providing discounted sausages for our BBQ fundraisers)

have also been fantastic in getting behind the club and helping out in many different ways.

We are also indebted to our Product Sponsors:

• McDonalds Gungahlin.
• Bakers Delight.

who provide support when we need it through game-day awards or a specific service.

We are in the process of attracting other Gungahlin businesses to support our club so please keep an eye out.

The Junior League has a significant sponsorship arrangement with ACTEWAGL and Canberra Milk. We are more than happy to promote these ACT companies.

It is the Clubs hope that when you are in the market for products or services our sponsors provide, you support those who support us. Please help build on what is becoming a real sense of community within the local Gungahlin area.

If you are a lucky recipient of a sponsor's products or services then please tell them you are a supporter of the Junior Jets.

The following represents a small overview of the club's genesis and fledgling existence. To see how we went in terms of the footy you may wish to browse the Archive pages or go direct via the navigation menu. It's also a chance to read and (possibly) see some very young faces in action.......

2000
The Gungahlin Junior 'Jets' were formed in 2000 but the seeds were sown a few years earlier through the Gungahlin Australian Football Club (our 'seniors') volunteering to run Auskick clinics in the Gungahlin area. It was simply a natural progression to take the kids from Auskick and introduce them to the junior league competition (the ACT Australian Football Junior League Inc).

To kick the juniors off, the senior Club appointed Matt Blythe as the Junior Administrator. With the assistance of John Byrne and Peter Nolan, a submission was put to enter teams in the junior ACT competition and work commenced to raise the necessary funds for equipment and other running costs and to establish the framework to operate as a junior club. It was then simply a matter of recruiting and while the first registration day was not a huge success and the first training run even worse, with word of mouth and continued efforts all of a sudden come 1 April 2000 the Junior Jets had two teams running onto the paddock.

As indicated, the 2000 season saw us field just two sides as well as running the Auskick program. The Under 8's were coached by Jim Phasey, the Under 10's by John Byrne and Auskick by Steve Efford. Our home game umpire was Steve Crawford. By the end of the year we had 39 registered players and moderate successes on the field. Highlights were the performance of our squads that went to a carnival in Cootamundra and winning the teams event in the Gungahlin Community Fun Run. At our first ever presentation day we recognised the achievements of all who had taken this infant club through its first year and contributed both on the field and off. Terry Greaves was awarded the Junior Jet of the Year perpetual trophy for his contribution to establishing our Club newsletter and yearbook.

2001
Saw the Junior Jets field five teams in the junior competition. The jets were represented by two sides in the Under 8 competition (Jets Blue coached by AJ Baker and Dean Pearce) and Jets Black coached by Mark Walker), an under 9's coached by Steve Crawford, under 10's coached by Mark Bateman and an under 12's coached by Paul Priestly. A formal committee structure was put in place with Matt Blythe elected as President. Again, all our teams performed creditably and we were particularly strong in the Under 8 division. Under 12's was our first taste of fully competitive junior football. Although not winning a game and finishing last in the competition we always turned up and gave the opposition a run, even when our numbers were not at full strength. What we lacked in talent we made up for in spirit. The season was not all defeat however with the 12's travelling to Sydney and having a win against Orange at half time in a Swans match. As a junior Club we hosted Tumut, travelled to Gundagai, were present at half time Ansett Cup and AFL matches played in Canberra and were represented at other various AFL and Junior League events.

We again ran a successful Auskick program under the stewardship of Steve Efford and John Bink and with the appointment Graham Bonnett as our Junior Development Officer, were a lot more involved in promoting both the game and our Club in schools in the Gungahlin area.

Our presentation day again recognised the achievements of all those involved with the Club from players, to officials, parents and sponsors. Our Club policy is to recognise all players but from under 12 up, given that they compete in competition and finals football individual trophies, are awarded to those that excel or deserve special mention. The first ever Best and Fairest trophy was awarded to Greg Legge. Matt Blythe was named Junior Jet of the Year.

2002
Witnessed the Jets first ever competition points as the Under 13's notched up a history making win. They finished up with with 2 wins in an up and down season and have set a foundation for future Jets grades where competitiveness and desire against greater odds will ensure that no Jets team is regarded as an easybeat. In that sense we've really arrived as a club.

This was evident in the way we went about our purpose as a club with support, once again, of the Auskick activity and strong numbers turning out for the Under 8, 9, 10, 11 and 13 year grades. The 13's continued the trend of being a composite team of 12/13 & 14 year players. We were able to provide an avenue for several more Goulburn players (even having a training session in Goulburn) and late in 2002 we were locked in to support Yass for it's introduction of a couple of teams for the 2003 season. Then, there was the continuation of our "friendly" game with Tumut - which had extended to include Cootamundra in a tri-series game-day.

It was a great honour to have a couple of our most precious assets in John Byrne and Graham Bonnett recognised by the Junior League for their contribution to junior football and later on the club itself was honoured by being awarded a cash donation from the Sydney Swans through the recommendation of the Junior League as the club most worthy for 2002. Furthermore, the beginnings of a possible long term sponsorship arrangement was occurring that would potentially assist greatly with the club's financial stability and future player development prospects.

2003
Continued the development of the club by seeing our first lot of 50 game players, our first Junior Jet ACT representative player was selected, all coaches were Level 1 qualified or above and the club signed a historic sponsorship deal with Gungahlin Lakes. Hiccups occurred with the unfortunate disbandment of the under 11 and under 14 teams due to player deficiencies. However, a bright shining light was our association with the fledging Yass club - a resounding success with both clubs receiving great benefit from the growing relationship.

We managed to field teams in 8, 9, 10 and 12 year old grades, while our efforts in Auskick continue to reap dividends. We had Auskick teams play at the SCG and Manuka oval at the half time break of AFL matches as well as at our Senior club matches, our Auskick development program was a rousing success and continued to grow. Most schools in the area have had clinics held by our Development officer, Graham Bonnett who has been one of the club's best assets in promoting the club within the Gungahlin community. There is hardly a school kid in Gungahlin who has not met or knows Graham now.

With the coordination from Rodger Braid and the wonderful support of the coaches, managers and parents we were able to sustain weekly newsletters that contained round-by-round match reports, so much so that every team for every round has tabled a report (you can see this via the 2003 Main page). Not bad for our fourth year.

The club also sported a new guernsey (see below). While some apprehension existed in some committee members about altering the design, the new strip has been an eye-catcher and certainly distinguishes us from the rest.

We were able to consolidate relationships with our sponsors and financially we are becoming more confident to deliver on our vision of providing quality football facilities for the kids.

And, significantly, everyone is having a great time.

As the saying goes: "From little things, big things grow"....

The Jets play in the AFL Canberra Junior League competition which administrates Auskick, Aussie Footy and Competition level Australian Rules in Canberra (and immediate region). Previously it was known as the ACT Australian Football Junior League but has since merged with AFL Canberra in late 2003.

Details of the teams we will be playing against (draws, grounds & times) will appear in each of the team/grade pages (see below). The junior competition in Canberra is a mixture of teams representing those associated with AFL Canberra Senior League clubs, Primary and Secondary Schools (mainly Private) and regional areas (such as Yass).

Auskick and Aussie Footy level games are played under modified rules and conditions that emphasise the participation and skill component items necessary for developing young players - and also with limited physical contact (i.e. no tackling!!) The youngsters do not play for "wins and losses" and League/Club awards such as Best and Fairest awards are not provided, however we do provide recognition trophies at season end as well as game day recognitions.

ClubStart. A new concept introduced in 2003 by the Junior League was to have clubs play locally in a sort of super day where teams at the under 8 level met at a single ground (on a rotational basis) and played their games. Thus for us on the Northside we joined with Belconnen Magpies, Belconnen Cougars, Ainslie and Yass in playing each week at a ground hosted by one of the clubs. This meant less travel for parents and gave the clubs an opportunity to benefit from canteen takings. The concept was adopted again in 2004 and extended to include the under 9's. Download an information sheet on ClubStart Frequently Asked Questions <here>.

Competition level games (under 12's through to under 16's) are played according to the laws of AFL plus any localised rules. They are also played for competition points, have finals and players compete for League and Club individual Best & Fairest awards.

Grades other than ClubStart are played on a home and away basis that involves travelling to all parts of Canberra, Queanbeyan and now Yass. We have a list of grounds and locations in our Grounds Guide.

Further information about the League is contained in the By-Laws of the ACTAFJL Inc plus supplement a and supplement b.

Amaroo District Playing Fields. Off Horse Park Drive (behind Amaroo Primary and Good Shepherd Primary School).

Amaroo Oval (or as we are unofficially calling it: Ken Zimmer Oval or The "Z") is the home ground of both the Seniors and the Junior Jets teams. Full ground lighting and amenities allow junior teams to train on a regular basis from Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday evenings. Below the main AFL ground are grounds initially set up for other codes but these will be used by the club for the non competition teams where it is practical to do so.

Our aim is to support as many Junior teams in the Gungahlin area as possible. Since 2000, when we began supporting junior footy, the 8's and 9's have been our development source for our future thus giving us the good numbers now.

*** Teams for 2009 to be determined soon. In 2007 the concept of Double Age Progression (DAP) was introduced for the competitive age groups. Information on DAP can be found at the following links AFL DAP Information Paper Feb 07 and AFL Double Age Progression 2007

You can see some more generic information about each grade by clicking on the links against the images to the left.

Registering players.
To know a little bit more about our registration process then please go to our Registration page. If you wish to register a child then you can download a registration form and return it signed to the address given in the form. Otherwise turn up at a club registration day or training session (see the page for each grade as to training times or the Events page) for the particular grade, with the form, and speak to one of the coach/managers. Please feel free to contact us though if you would prefer we got back to you.

We have a fairly simple approach as a club to the players and that is:

"The club exists to promote the game of Australian Rules and its benefits to all juniors"

Those benefits include skills and qualities such as loyalty, respect, commitment, discipline, teamwork, individual improvement, coordination, socialisation and self-awareness. It covers boys and girls within and around Gungahlin as well as those places further away.

The Senior Jets with support from the Junior Jets took on the responsibility of providing an Auskick program for Gungahlin which covers the lower level entry. Auskick allows kids as young as 5 or older to learn the basics first before venturing further. A lot of our juniors have started this way.

We have purposely not set out to attract or take players who live in the Gungahlin area and have established themselves within surrounding clubs - especially those who have done so previous to the Junior Jets fielding junior teams. One of our principles is in teaching juniors about loyalty and commitment so it would seem rather hypocritical to entice players contrary to that. However, as a club, any player who wishes to leave another team to join us because they want to play in the best club in Canberra will be welcome. The Junior League does not have a transfer restriction so as long as kids are registered they are free to move about.

While we are essentially competition for other codes, we are also more than happy to have players join us while they 'experiment' with finding the right game (or more significantly, Parents get to learn too the joy of AFL). The main thing for us is that ultimately the young person will get something out of their time here and continue to participate in a team sport - naturally we hope it will be in AFL and with the Jets.

As far as Coaches are concerned we also want to be known as a great club for its support to coach development. We have another philosophy that says "Developed Coaches = Developed Kids" therefore attention to our coaches is the foundation that will really benefit the juniors.

Note about Girls: If you are wondering about whether girls are allowed to play, then yes they are. At the entry level (Auskick) and lower junior ranks (8 thru 11's) girls are welcome. We have a reasonably tolerant approach to girls and boys playing together which is also encouraged by the AFL Canberra Junior Football League. In fact, the League's rules allow girls to play right through all the junior levels - up to 16 and in fact several girls play in the competition level teams. However, as the nature of the game changes past the under 11's, the coach(es) will consult with parents regularly in regard to girls playing in the maturer age levels. We would prefer that a common sense approach is maintained.

The club also has a strong focus on being firm with training and game day activities. The coaches are encouraged to have at least an AFL level one coach certificate and conduct their teams along reasonable lines to ensure each player is given ample time to develop. Kids being kids, they will want to muck around but the tolerance for this is at the coach's discretion and in extreme situations offender(s) will be asked to take a spell away from the training or find themselves sitting on the interchange bench.

Finally, we also follow a code of conduct aligned with AFL and AFL Canberra principles that is also fairly simple. It essentially means we respect everyone's right to participate in a fun environment without having imposed on them any negative and unproductive pressures. We aint playing for sheep stations here!! We strongly encourage you to read the Jets Object and Rules and Code of Conduct principles please.

Taken from the clubs Objects and Rules:

The colours of the Club, which shall be displayed on the Guernsey's of all players in football teams under the auspices of the Club shall be White, Royal Blue and Black and shall feature the Club Logo. Shorts shall be black and socks Royal Blue and Black hooped.

As of 2003 the Juniors have adopted this new design in line with the Seniors:

To the tune as sung for the North Melbourne Kangaroos......

So join in the chorus and sing it one and all,
Join in the chorus Gungahlin's on the ball,
Good old Gungahlin we're champions through and through,
Gungahlin is the team that plays to win for me and you!

Go You Good Things Jets!!

The Jets Juniors relies solely on the efforts of Mums and Dads and very generous sponsors to sustain us. We are always happy to be offered more support to assist us though and in doing so we hope that you, the volunteer, get just as much back in return.

Positions in the committee, activities requiring logistical and organisational support as well as game-day support such as boundary umpiring, goal-umpiring, timekeeping, runners and managers assistants are the types of things we continually struggle with. We have also received some very generous offers by people to assist the club with running raffles and canteens etc. If you wish to offer your services to us then please fill out the Coach/ManagerVolunteer form and return to us.

To those already performing these functions, we say a big thanks!

In fact, there is also the opportunity for you as a parent or supporter to show your appreciation for a Coach or Manager by nominating them for an ACT Sports Award. Nomination forms are located on the ACTSPORTS website. We don't suggest any criteria for this other than the fact that you are moved enough to fill in the form. Feel free to contact the club if you have someone in mind.

To those who might be considering, or waivering on, whether to assist the local Gungahlin team then you couldn't wish for a better club to support with some really great people already putting in an effort. In fact, if you are serious about having a go at coaching then you need to read this document we've prepared about the Aussie Footy Coach . For those already helping out doing the goals or boundary you might wish to see this document about guidelines for the Goal and Boundary Umpire . For those more serious in their approach and would find useful some information we have available on the coaching role, then please visit the Coaches Box.

As you'd expect, these people are quiet, unassuming and gentle souls; all the traits for achieving nervous breakdowns after a couple of seasons with their charges. If you have an interest or desire to be a Junior Jets Coach or Manager then check the Coach Role page for information on what we are looking for. From there you can obtain a nomination form.

More about the coaches can be obtained from each team's "home" page.

Coaching staff confirmed for 2009.

Under 11's

Junior Development Officer