Club Newsletter- Season Welcome
 Welcome to Season 2023 at the Wildcats! A big welcome to all of our families and supporters. We are looking forward to a fantastic, fun and hopefully uninterrupted season of football in 2023. We have a new Club President for this season and we extend a big thank you to Stephen Taylor for taking on this role. Stephen has been a part of the Wildcats for many years as his son Liam progressed from Auskick to Junior and now Youth football. He will be going back to the beginning this year with his younger son Ethan joining Auskick so will no doubt meet many of the new families joining the club on Sunday mornings. Please keep an eye out for Stephen and say Hi! Come & Try Day- Sunday 5th March We will be firing up the BBQ on Sunday 5th March from 9am-12pm and would love to see lots of old and new faces at our Come and Try AFL day. Bring a friend or two, meet our Coaches and Volunteers and have a kick! Mobile Mouthguards will also be on site, taking digital scans for custom made mouthguards. We hope to see you there. Don’t Forget to Register! Registrations are open and teams are filling fast. Most age groups have started or are about to start training soon. Please register to ensure you are included in all of the communications from your Age Group Coordinator. AUSKICK Online Registration for Auskick in 2023 If claiming an Active Kids Voucher then visit Service NSW first to obtain your voucher code then Register here with the Willoughby Auskick Centre JUNIOR AND YOUTH FOOTY Online Registration for Junior and Youth Footy (U9s to U18s) in 2023 If claiming an Active Kids Voucher then visit the Service NSW first to obtain your voucher code then Register here with Willoughby JAFC Sibling discount: A discount of 10% will be automatically applied to all second and subsequent children of the same family. Can You Help? Willoughby Wildcats is a fantastic community club underwritten by our amazing parents. This year we need a few extra helpers to fill small roles to help the club deliver the amazing experience our kids enjoy this footy season. Below are a few of the roles we need to fill – please let me know if you can help! Every role will have someone to help learn the ropes, and there will always be plenty of support. We are mindful of people’s time, and each role is small without being consuming…… but the kids do love it when parents are helping out their club! Thanks for your support, Opportunities to help the Wildcats URGENT – CANTEEN COORDINATOR – The canteen is a popular service and club culture builder for Willoughby Wildcats players and supporters, something for younger players to look forward to after a game, and encourages members to stay around at GHO, interacting and supporting other teams playing later in the day It also provides a modest cashflow to cover game day costs such as ground manager and umpires. We are seeking a volunteer canteen coordinator from our parent base. This role should take no more than 2 hours a week. Ideally the volunteer will have some availability on week days to receive stock deliveries and be available to check in briefly at GHO / trouble shoot on Sunday mornings. Would very much suit an Auskick parent. The club is open to engaging a canteen manager / contractor to take on some or all of the required tasks, however we require a volunteer to identify and interview applicants, put appropriate arrangements in place and monitor them. CLUB SECRETARY – Oversee the Committee and perform important roles such as delegating tasks, keeping minutes for meetings, future planning and monitoring emails. Time: ongoing role SPONSORSHIP MANAGER – Source and manage sponsors for the Wildcats. Time: ongoing role FOOTBALL GEAR MANAGER – Oversee and manage the game day and training gear for players and coaches. Ensure teams have adequate footys, bibs, kit bags, training equipment throughout the year. Monitor the stock of footys. Time: Will require about 2 hours every week to check in with AGCs and keep an eye on the kit shed. AGE GROUP COORDINATORS U10 GIRLS & U12 GIRLS – A significant portion of this role’s success will come from early planning and coordination. Heavy lifting takes place early in the season, but once the season is up and running, it is mostly communication. Most importantly there will be a lot of support from other volunteers at the club. DIRECTOR OF GIRLS FOOTBALL – Wildcats are proud to have a diverse player list which includes one of the largest girls football programs in Sydney. The role involves supporting the Directors of Coaching, the Auskick Coordinator and the Girls Football Age Group Coordinators with a focus on developing and growing the recruitment, retention and overall enjoyment of the girls football program at the Wildcats. If you can help in any of these roles or in any other area, please contact John Valtwies: volunteers@wildcatsafl.com Willoughby Wildcats General Manager – Expressions of Interest Getting over 500 players on the field and enjoying fantastic footy every week requires significant effort behind the scenes. While most of the work is done by our many generous parent volunteers, the club is seeking expressions of interest from a parent, grandparent or community member to take on a paid part-time General Manager role to supplement our volunteers. The duties may vary depending on skillset and volunteer mix but could include responsibility for football gear, coordinating the canteen stock and staff, liaising with sponsors, managing volunteer rosters and arranging club events. If you are interested in discussing, please contact either Stephen Taylor on 0487 321 940 or Rachel Charles on 0411 166 471. Giving Back Willoughby Wildcats proudly donated 10 pre-loved footballs in various sizes to a community after-school AFL group in Fitzroy Crossing in far north-west Western Australia. The players meet twice a week for footy fun, cold water and fruit. Learn more here: Garnduwa Season Start Dates Round 1, Junior & Youth Football- Sunday 2nd April 2023 Auskick- Sunday 23rd April 2023  When you purchase anything at any Rebel Sports store or on their website, mention our name and 5% of your purchase will be credited to the club for us to purchase balls and other equipment. All you need to do is have a Rebel account or, if you don’t yet have one, set one up next time you go to Rebel Sports. This program applies to any purchase from Rebel Sports, not just footy gear. So if you are buying cricket gear, or a new basketball ring, or running shoes, or anything else, you have a chance to support the Club. |