Junior Eagles hold sway over Junior Blues at Bluemont

The Jnr DC Eagles 6.3 (39) defeated the Jnr DC Blues 1.1 (7) in a game that was tighter than the final score indicated. The game played after a USFooty Kids clinic in Bluemont Park in Arlington VA just outside of Washington DC. During the clinic the players went through their hand passing, kicking and marking/catching skills, and then used their skills in a game of "keep things off" or "keep away". They also practiced "buttering up" after a spilled ball (no - I don't really know what it means either). The game started as the heat of the day started to burn off the dew on the grass.

The Eagles flew out of the gates quickly with a number of goals by Cullen who seemed to easily weave through the Blues defense. In only a few minutes the Blues were trying to regroup and work out a line of attack. For the Blues, Joe and Natalie were attacking the ball, as were Robbie and Patrick for the Eagles. The Blues defense settled as Allison was able to bring the ball out to Matt and Joe on the wings. However, Cullen and Luka were also strong in defense so that almost every forward movement was thwarted. Still, despite a stronger defense, the Eagles were able to keep their score going up with CJ contributing with a number of marks and one picture perfect pick up at full stretch. Finally, the Blues were able to get some attacks going with some big kicks by Matt and great play be Allison and Joe. The game ended with lovely goal by Joe on siren.

Next game is in conjunction with the USFooty Kids clinic at Bluemont Park in Arlington on Saturday July 14 at 9am.

USFooty Kids Clinic Saturday July 14

Where: Bluemont Park Soccer Field (601 N Manchester St, Arlington, VA 22203, USA).
When: 9.00 am to 10.30 am Saturday July 14.
What: A junior clinic for boys and girls aged 5 to 16.

The clinic will teach players the rules and skills of Australian football. The clinic will incorporate fun games and include a little no-contact match at the end. Snacks and drinks will be provided. The boys and girls are asked to bring a bottle of water, cleats or running shoes and either a yellow or blue T-shirt.

If you would like to register on-line click the link on the right.

Note that the Soccer Field is on the other side of the creek and bike path - in the trees.

Saturday Morning Footy

9 to 10.30am from June 30 to July 28

Bluemont Park #1 (601 N Manchester St, Arlington, VA 22203, USA)

To register for Saturday Morning Footy click link on right hand side.

• The cost $20 (or $40 with a jersey). Scholarships are available.
• No equipment is necessary.
• It is recommended that players bring a water bottle, sun screen, and a football (footy, soccer ball, or American football).
• For boys and girls aged 5 to 16.

The first three Saturday mornings will be "clinics" with fun games to teach skills.

Each session will end with a game.

The last two Saturday mornings will be scheduled matches (although the emphasis will be on learning, fun and participation).

Snacks and drinks will be provided and participants will receive a free footy and junior membership of the Baltimore Washington Eagles (valued at $20). For more information please email christopher_p_adams@hotmail.com or call 703-217-3625.

What is USFooty Kids?

USFooty Kids is the US version of the very popular junior Australian football program called AFL Auskick (www.aflauskick.com.au).

Auskick is a hugely successful junior sporting program that emphasizes fun and participation in order to develop a life-long love of sport and Australian football in particular.

• As with Auskick there is no contact in USFooty Kids.
• In 2006 Auskick had almost 150,000 participants in 2,500 centers across Australia.
• USFooty is the governing body of Australian football in the US. In 2007 USFooty celebrates its 10th anniversary. Australian football celebrates its 150th anniversary in 2008.
• The game dates to the 1850s in booming Melbourne, Australia. At the time "football" had no consistent set of rules with players used rules from various English elite private schools (Eton, Rugby) and their home towns. In Melbourne, players came from a wide variety of backgrounds and preferences for various rules. The result was a consensus code that incorporates rules that are now used in soccer, rugby, American football and Gaelic football. Some believe that the game was also influenced by the local indigenous game of Mangrok.
• Today, Australian football dominates Australia's sporting culture - particularly in its home town of Melbourne.

USFooty Kids teaches a number of important sporting skills including punting and catching. Recently, the coach of the Welsh rugby team complained that Australia's rugby team (the Wallabies) had an advantage because of exposure to punting in Australian football from a young age.

In American football, a number Australians have made their mark on the NFL as punters.

• Darren Bennett and Mat McBriar were All-Star punters for the San Diego Chargers and Dallas Cowboys, respectively.
• Ben Graham is captain on the New York Jets and Sav Rocca is currently competing for the punting position at the Philadelphia Eagles.

However, the skill that USFooty Kids really emphasizes is team work. Game rules require that players pass the ball either by hand or by foot. It is amazing to watch kids who never pass the ball suddenly looking for team mates, running to position and call each other's names!

Saturday Morning Footy is in its second year after three very successful clinics in 2006.

The clinics will be run by:

• Chris Adams, an ASA coach for U7 Coed Hurts Hammers and former assistant coach for the Baltimore Washington Eagles.
  
• Denis Ryan, the National Coordinator for USFooty Kids and former Head Coach of the Baltimore Washington Eagles and the US national team the US Revolution.
  
• Rob Brunton, the President of the Baltimore Washington Eagles and former member of the Canadian Northwind.
  
• Matt Bishop, the current Head Coach of the Baltimore Washington Eagles.

Free Clinics and Saturday Morning Footy

1. Two FREE clinics
June 9: 1.30pm Field behind the Capitol Polo Club, on Hughes Rd Poolesville MD.
June 23: Time and Place TBA

Drinks and snacks provided. The clinics will run about 1 hour and will include fun games to teach skills followed by a short game. No equipment is necessary. Please bring a water bottle and either a yellow or blue T-shirt. We suggest a hat and suncream.

To register please email name, age and gender of the participant(s) to christopher_p_adams@hotmail.com. Pre-registration is not necessary but helps with planning.


2. Saturday Morning Footy
June 30 to July 28
9.00am - 10.30am at TJs Upper (to be confirmed by Arlington)

Drinks and snacks provided. The first three weeks will be clinics and the last two weeks will be matches. The clinics and matches will be no contact and no equipment is necessary. Please bring a water bottle and a football (footy, soccer ball or American football).

To register click here. The cost is $20 for which participants will get a footy and junior membership of the Baltimore Washington Eagles. For additional $20 the player may sign up and get a jersey. EVERY ONE PLAYS! If you need assistance please email christopher_p_adams@hotmail.com or call me at 703-217-3625. USFooty will provide free brand new jerseys to those who need them.

FREE USFooty Kids Clinics

The Baltimore Washington Eagles are hosting two FREE USFooty Kids clinics and Saturday Morning Footy registration is open.

June 9: 2.30-3.30pm Polo Ground (Ohio Drive Washington DC)
This clinic will be conducted between the USFooty double header. 8th ranked BW Eagles host 10th ranked NC Tigers at 12.30 and NC Tigers take on the Philly Hawks at 3.30pm.

June 23: Time and Place TBA
This clinic will be conducted during the first half of the USFooty game between 8th ranked BW Eagles and 5th ranked Boston Demons.

June 30: Saturday Morning Footy begins - register by clicking on first link to the right.

Snacks and drinks provided. No experience necessary. Clinics open for all kids aged 5 to 16. The games will be no contact and no protective gear is necessary. Clinics are designed for all levels to have fun and participate in a great sport.

Participants are asked to wear either a yellow or a blue T-shirt and bring a water bottle. Appropriate running shoes are required. We also recommend sun cream and a hat for when they are watching the big boys.

Please email christopher_p_adams@hotmail.com to register as it will help with planning.

Jersey's For Purchase

Email me at christopher_p_adams@hotmail to purchase a jumper/jersey. They come in three styles and three sizes: Eagles, Blues or Bombers in YS, YM or YL. There is some choice regarding numbers. Cost is $30. Note that if you sign up for the clinics/games then a jersey is included for just ten dollars more ($40).

Free Clinics and Little League Games

On June 9 and June 23 the Baltimore Washington Eagles will be conducting Free USFooty Kids clinics with "little league" games to be played at the half-time of the senior games.

On June 9, the Baltimore Washington Eagles (8) host the North Carolina Tigers (9). The free clinic will be conducted during the first half of the senior game with the kids game at half-time of the senior game. This is a double header weekend with North Carolina Tigers (9) taking on the Philadelphia Hawks for Eastern Australian Football League Points.

On June 23 the Eagles host the Boston Demons (6). Again there will be a free clinic during the first half with a kids game at half-time of the senior game.

To register for the free clinic email christopher_p_adams@hotmail.com.

USFooty Kids Roll Easter Eggs at the White House

(Washington DC) On Easter Monday, participants in the Washington DC USFooty Kids/Auskick program and their families spent the morning the the South Lawn at the annual White House Easter Egg Roll.  The theme of this year's Easter Egg Roll was childhood obesity, physical activity and fitness (which my wife thought was very funny given the amount of chocolate on hand for the kids).  Melissa Johnson, Executive Director of the President's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports, was gracious enough to give USFooty Kids 25 tickets for the event.  Denis Ryan, USFooty Kids National Director, passed the tickets onto the local chapter.


USFooty Kids parents were very excited to get the opportunity to participate in the event as it is extremely difficult to get the few publicly available tickets.  Families are known to camp out over night to get tickets for the event. Despite a very cold Spring morning, everyone was very excited about the opportunity to get up close and personal with the White House.


Sporting footy jumpers, USFooty Kids T-shirts and Auskick Baseball caps in lieu of spring dresses and pink sweater vests, the families had a great time rolling, finding and painting Easter Eggs, watching magic shows and keeping an eye out for our host, Mrs Bush.  For those not aware, an Easter Egg roll involves a wooden spoon, a colored egg, a grassy hill and some marked running lanes. The kids push the egg down the hill to try to be first, although everyone is a winner!  Some of the USFooty Kids were pretty excited and may have been penalized for "throwing" rather than "pushing" the egg down the hill. Other USFooty Kids were lucky enough to be read to by Mrs Bush and Mrs Cheney.  For fans of "West Wing" it was cool to walk past the actual West Wing of the White House and imagine President Bartlett out there chatting with his closest advisors.

Spring and Summer are Coming!

Spring Events:

1. School Visits: We are talking to a couple of elementary and middle schools about visiting and teaching Footy in the PE Classes. If you are interested in such a visit or would like to help, please email me at christopher_p_adams@hotmail.com.

2. "Little League Games": The Baltimore Washington Eagles are hosting two Eastern Australian Football League (EAFL) games. The first against the North Carolina Tigers on June 9 and the second against the Boston Demons on June 23. We will be organizing to play "Little League Games" at the half-time of these EAFL games. There will be a FREE clinic during the first half and then the kids will play a game during the half-time break of the EAFL game.


Summer Events

1. Saturday Morning USFooty Kids Clinics: We are planning to have three USFooty Kids Clinics in the Summer beginning on Saturday June 30. These clinics will be for kids 6 to 16 and will be designed to teach the skills of Footy in a fun and safe environment. Each Saturday morning session will end with a game, with the kids broken up into teams in appropriate age groupings. Participants will receive a Goodie Bag with cool Footy stuff. Drinks and snacks will be provided after the clinics.

2. "DCFooty Kids Premiership": Saturday July 21 and 28 teams will compete in round-robin and knock-out phases to crown the inaugural DC Footy Kids Premier (in each age-group). While providing some competition the emphasis will be on team-work, sportsmanship, skill development and having FUN!

To register for the clinics and the league games go here ($20 for the clinics/league (without a jersey) and $40 with a jersey)

Ben Graham Visit

The Baltimore Washington Eagles are currently working with New York Jets Captain and Punter, Ben Graham, to visit some Arlington schools in the Spring. Ben Graham is the 33 year old second year punter and co-captain for the New York Jets. He is formerly the Captain of the Geelong Cats in the Australian Football League.

Free USFooty Kids Cllinic and Metro Grand Final on October 28

USFooty National Champions, the Baltimore Washington Eagles, hosted a free USFooty Kids clinic for players 6 to 12 on October 28 and at the Capitol Polo Club in Poolesville, MD. This clinic was followed by the championship game for the Baltimore Washington Metro League. A great time was had by all the kids and congrats to the DC for winning the Grand Final!



More photos on the Flickr site.

Arlington Clinics

Twenty two boys and girls aged 6 to 12 participated in two USFooty Kids clinics held in Arlington, VA on July 8 2006 and July 22 2006. Chris Adams and Denis Ryan (USFooty Kids National Coordinator) conducted the clinics with the help of players and coaches of the Baltimore Washington Eagles. Judging by the big smiles on the faces of the players, coaches and parents everyone had a great time!



The clinic started with some warm up games including "scarecrow tag" and "sharks and minnows" and some "ball stretching". The players worked in pairs to pass the ball from one to the other.



After the warmups and a cool drink (as the day was starting to get hot), the players, coaches and some parents worked on some skills in pairs. We did some catching, some handpassing and some kicking. The players were shown the basics of the drop punt and practiced kicking the ball back and forth with their partner. After practicing these skills we also practiced some bouncing, first with one knee down and then from a standing position.



This skills part of the clinics was followed by games to teach field awareness and practice kicking and picking up the ball. We played a game of "get the ball" in which four teams compete to be the first to get 4 (or 5) balls to their base. In the basic version, each player ran to get the ball, and then we did some hopping and finally we allowed handpassing back to the coach at each base.



After a drink of water everyone was ready for the big game. The players were split into two teams, the yellow team were the Eagles and the blue team were the Blues. The game started well for the Blues with some great shots at goal but nothing on target. The Eagles were the first to claim a major with great work and persistence by Cullen Boone. The Blues countered with some great passing and ball movement by Parker Magness.



The Blues were able to draw closer with a brilliant (if I don't say so myself) handpass to Will Siegal who finished off with a great goal. Not to be outdown the Eagles kept pressing with great work by C.J. Adams in collecting the ball and putting shots on goal. Despite great efforts by the Blues, the Eagles were able to hold on to win the game.



After a great game the players collected their goodie bags including AFL Auskick backpacks and caps (generously provided by Denis Ryan and the AFL), AFL Eagles and Blues goodies and junior memberships to the Baltimore Washington Eagles.

Thanks to everyone who took part and helped make these clinics such a great success!

Check back for information on future games, clinics and events.

More Photos at Snapfish (accounts are free!).

Video on the side (more coming soon!)

First Clinic Awesome

Approximately 15 boys and girls turned up on Saturday for the first Arlington USFooty Kids clinic. The coaches, Chris and Denis, were helped by a number of players from the Baltimore Washington Eagles including Club President Rob Brunton and Eagles Senior Coach Matty Bishop.



The clinic started with some warm up games and some "ball stretching". The players worked in pairs to pass the ball from one to the other.



After stretching and warmup we went through some skills, inluding catching, hand passing, kicking and bouncing. This was followed by games to teach field awareness and practice kicking and picking up the ball.



Finally, we were ready for the big game. The players were split into two teams, the yellow team was the Eagles and the blue team was the Blues. The junior Eagles played some impressive football but the junior Blues were able to pick up some great goals.

More photos on Snapfish and two short videos on the right.

DCFooty Kids Coaching Staff

Chris Adams (Manager)

Chris grew up in Melbourne Australia and is a 4th generation Carlton supporter. He has been a junior soccer and basketball in Arlington and an assistant coach for the Baltimore Washington Eagles. He has been coaching junior football for 4 years.

Jay Levesque

Jay is an elementary school PE teacher in Northern Virginia. He plays for the Baltimore Washington Eagles and represented the USA as a member of the US Revolution at the 2008 International Cup. Jay played soccer for Bishop O'Connell, Frostburg State and the Northern Virginia Royals.