The Tigers Next Generation Academy (NGA) recently held its first 3-day residential program since January 2020, with 22 boys joining from across the state. The program coincided with the inaugural AFL Victoria NGA Under 15’s Carnival held at Mont Albert. The Tigers were in the Eastern Conference of the carnival and played 3 games, with wins against St Kilda and Hawthorn and a loss to a highly credentialed Melbourne team. The Richmond Football Club and KGI were thrilled to finally have an NGA residential program to connect in person with our new talent.
The NGA Carnival is for Indigenous and Multicultural boys, with the Tigers having 14 Indigenous boys and 8 All Nations boys from right across Northern Victoria. The carnival was a selection trial for the AFL’s Under 15 Kickstart program to be held in September 2022. We were thrilled to have Andrew Walker as our Head Coach, who is the Head Coach of Echuca Football Club, and Levi Power as an assistant from the Murray Bushrangers. The Tigers Academy players came from the Sunraysia region, Goulburn Valley and Northeast Victoria and although this was their first time coming together, they made lifelong friendships and connections throughout the carnival.
During the NGA Under 15’s program, the boys participated in a number of activities and workshops including a training and skills session, a nutrition workshop, a session focusing on social and emotional wellbeing for athletes, a pool recovery session, a yoga workshop and our well-known KGI connection games. Facilitators included Dr Justin Trounson – Indigenous Psychologist, Michael Chiovitti – Education Manager for Health and Performance and Nathan Palenkas – Strength and Conditioning Manager at Richmond Institute of Sports Leadership. All facilitators shared valuable knowledge in their fields of expertise, passing on skills and learnings that were extremely beneficial to our cohort. The program was well supported by our KGI Program Staff, Brady Cooper, Joel Garner and Samantha Bice and our wonderful volunteers Pez Kirirua and Dani Armstrong.
We look forward to our next Tigers NGA Program and to supporting our young players in the Kickstart program next month. We thank everyone who helped with the program, collectively ensuring it was a great success.
