INSIDE AVONDALE – Issue 04.
UPGRADE YOUR HOME WITH CARBON SAVERS
As we continue to celebrate our partnership with Carbon Savers, one lucky member will have the chance to win a complete home energy upgrade, professionally supplied and installed, valued at over $23,000.
Simply click the link below to enter today for free.
Thank you Carbon Savers for your support.
COMMUNITY EVENTS WITH GULCAN
Avenger in Schools Program Launch
We have officially launched our Avenger in Schools Program, with schools now able to apply for funding through Sporting Schools to bring the program directly to their students.
Recent School Visits
St Margaret’s Primary School, Maribyrnong
Bruno joined us for a recent visit, connecting with students and introducing them to the Avenger in Schools Program.
Rosehill Secondary School
Our full senior coaching team — Germane, JK, Bruno and Sienna — joined the visit, providing a fantastic opportunity to engage with students and share more about football and the program.
It has been great to see the program gaining momentum and creating new opportunities for Avondale FC to connect with schools and students across our community.
Community Program Support
A big thank you to Gioca, who generously donated football uniforms to support our community program. The donation will help children experiencing disadvantage feel included, confident and proud to wear their football colours.
MINI ROOS
U11s Continue to Impress
A fantastic performance from Mo’s U11 side, recording an impressive 21–0 win.
(Photo)
U9 Player of the Week – Cristian
Congratulations to Cristian, our U9 Player of the Week!
Each week, the award recognises a player who demonstrates a positive approach to football through their hard work, development, attitude and support for those around them.
JUNIOR BOYS
Parent to the Rescue
A great example of the Avondale community looking out for one another came during a recent match against Essendon Royals.
After an opposition player unfortunately suffered a broken arm, an Avondale parent — who also happens to be a doctor — was able to step in, provide support and help care for the injured player.
A fantastic display of sportsmanship and community spirit beyond the football pitch.
JUNIOR GIRLS
Our Girls Pathway in Action
Our female player pathway continues to provide opportunities for young players to challenge themselves and take the next step in their development.
Eliana Karlovic, from our U13 Community A team, was recently selected to step up and play with our U15 NPL side against Eltham Redbacks. It was a fantastic opportunity for Eliana to test herself at the next level and continue her development within the club.
U13 VYPL player Ava also earned the opportunity to step up, representing our U17 VYPL Girls against Eltham Redbacks.
These opportunities are a great reflection of the pathway at Avondale FC, giving our girls the chance to develop, challenge themselves and progress through the club.
Congratulations to both players — the future is bright for our Avondale girls! 🌟
SENIOR WOMEN
The Senior Women are building strong momentum heading towards the finals, currently sitting inside the top four and just six points from first place.
With plenty of football still to be played — including a clash with the league leaders — there is everything to play for as we approach the business end of the season.
There have also been some fantastic individual achievements across the squad:
- Aideen Keane was selected in the A-League All Stars squad to face Chelsea FC.
- Hannah Wilkinson was named NPL Player of the Month.
- Olivia Lazarevska and Alana Bogers were selected to represent the Emerging Matildas in upcoming matches.
We have also welcomed two exciting additions to the squad:
- Aideen Keane has joined us from Melbourne City’s A-League Women side. Many of our members will already know Aideen through her coaching role within our Junior Girls NPL program.
- Teodora Djuric has joined us from Heidelberg United.
We’re delighted to welcome Aideen and Teodora to the senior squad and look forward to seeing their impact throughout the remainder of the season.
With the team in great form and plenty still to play for, we’re excited for what lies ahead.
SENIOR MEN
The Senior Men are building plenty of momentum heading into the finals, highlighted by an epic win over Heidelberg.
With two away fixtures remaining, the team will then return to Avenger Park to close out the regular season against Hume City.
We encourage all members and supporters to get along and make our final home game of the regular season one to remember! 🔥⚽
SPORTS SCIENCE
1. GPS: Understanding the Physical Demands of Youth Football 📍
An exciting development at Avondale FC has been the introduction of GPS tracking across our five NPL teams, giving our High Performance team greater insight into the physical demands placed on players during matches.
GPS technology allows us to track key metrics including total distance, high-speed running, sprinting, accelerations and decelerations.
This information helps our High Performance team better understand the physical demands of matchday and use those insights to individualise training, manage player workloads and continually improve our training environment.
2. Hydration: A Simple Performance Habit 💧
As the weather begins to warm up, staying properly hydrated becomes increasingly important for young athletes.
Players should aim to arrive at training already hydrated rather than relying on drinking large amounts of water during the session.
A simple guide is to monitor urine colour throughout the day. Pale yellow generally indicates good hydration, while consistently darker urine may indicate that more fluids are needed.
Players should also bring a full water bottle to every session and make drinking water regularly throughout the day part of their routine.
Good hydration supports physical performance, concentration, temperature regulation and recovery, making it one of the simplest areas players can control to help perform at their best.
3. Strength Progress: 5+ More Push-Ups 💪
Twelve weeks ago, our U13–U15 boys completed their initial strength testing, and we are already seeing some fantastic improvements.
On average, players have increased their push-up performance by more than five repetitions over the past 12 weeks, demonstrating clear improvements in upper-body strength and muscular endurance.
Even more encouragingly, some players who were previously unable to complete a chin-up are now progressing towards — and in some cases completing — their first repetitions.
These improvements are the result of consistent training, good technique and progressive development over time — exactly what we want to see from our junior athletes.
THE RUN INTO THE FINALS
The business end of the season is here, with both our Senior Men and Senior Women preparing for a huge run towards the finals.
We encourage all Avondale members and supporters to get behind our teams throughout the final rounds and continue showing their support for the Avondale FC family as we head towards finals.
