And in a year where very little senior football will be played, a continued outlet for exercise and mateship could prove crucial for regional players.
With teams made up of an over-35 line-up, the league positively champions the mental health of its players.
“Originally the league started due to men’s health. When people leave the football world, they can lose that outlet” Goulburn Valley Giants president David Davis said.
With north-east teams such as Shepparton’s Goulburn Valley Giants, the Benalla-based Samaria Suns and Echuca-Moama United among the league, Davis encouraged anyone in Seymour and district interested in playing masters to reach out.
While Seymour may not necessarily lend itself geographically to the Shepparton or Benalla-based teams, Davis said the flexible fixtures made it easier to fit matches into a busy lifestyle.
“We are always looking for more players. So maybe you live in the Seymour area but work in Shepparton. We usually play every second weekend, and for family or personal reasons not all our players can get to training,” Davis said.
“We have a lot of retired guys, we have a goal kicker who has kicked centuries across three different leagues, we’ve got an ex-AFL player floating around, we’ve got players who have never played before. It’s a very wide mix.”
With players ranging from 35 to over-60, the Giants and Suns also proudly function as family-friendly clubs.
“It’s definitely a family environment. Our kids run boundary and our wives can sit back and have a glass of wine,” Davis said.
Initially the 2020 AFL Masters season was a goer after it was confirmed last month matches would begin on the weekend of July 25-26.
But with continuing complications with COVID-19, including the recent rise in infections in Victoria, the league, which also features metro teams, followed many others in pulling the pin on its sanctioned season.
Even though the season failed to get off the ground, Davis said the regional clubs were still hopeful of playing a number of games later this year.
“In our northern region, so Shepparton, Benalla, Echuca, Albury and Kerang, where we’ve had a cleaner run with COVID-19, when we are allowed, we’ll still look to play,” Davis said.
“We’re all keen to have a kick, so we still envision playing depending on restrictions.”
Samaria Suns coach Kyle Pugh said in an ideal world, the north-east-based teams could hold a mini carnival later in the year if restrictions allowed.
“We’re still hopeful of playing some footy. The last round we had scheduled a mini carnival at the end of September. In an ideal environment we could have the mini carnival early spring,” Pugh said.
Unlike local counterparts such as the Goulburn Valley League and Kyabram District League, the structure of AFL Masters should assist in playing through COVID-19 restrictions.
“Unlike the GVL and KDL, we don’t need to draw crowds and raise money to play, so we have an upper hand. We can continue to function as is,” Davis said.
The Giants train every Wednesday from 6 pm at the newly-refurbished Kialla Recreation Reserve, while the Samaria Suns train at the Benalla Garden Oval on Sundays from 10 am, with newcomers more than welcome to head down and have a kick.
● Head to the Goulburn Valley Giants Masters or Samaria Suns Facebook pages for more details.
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