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ROAR | FEATUREseven Under 21 Sydney AFL RisingStar and three Sydney AFL leaguerepresentatives. Furthermore, the clubhad four players in the Sydney AFL Teamof the Year and had the Coach of theYear in senior coach Roger Moten (alsoSUSF Premier Coach of the Year). AlexLee won the Phelan Medal (PremierDivision League Best & Fairest), Tim Airthe Snow Medal (First Division Best &Fairest) and Monty Krochmal the KealyMedal (U18 Premier Cup Best & Fairest –first recipient ever from the club).The Sydney Uni Sport & FitnessElite Athlete Program, club sponsors,coaches and a highly dedicatedvolunteer member administration haveprovided terrific support to AustralianFootball athletes, which has helpedthe club to attract quality talent andgiven them every chance to maximisetheir opportunities. In recent years thissupport has been supplemented by thecontributions of The Trust Company,through the Fred P. Archer Foundation,who have provided scholarship fundsand contributions to the club tosupport junior development in the localcommunity. A key focus of this programis also to develop quality peoplethrough education and communityservice, in-turn creating leaders and rolemodels. Scholarship holders volunteertheir time with coaching and some alsomentor indigenous youth through AIME.Plans are afoot to establish stronger linkswith these community groups.General Manager Brett Pettersensaid: “Importantly the club is very activeconducting coaching sessions withlocal junior clubs, Newtown Swans andGlebe Greyhounds, and has traditionaland expanding ties to other schoolsand junior clubs within the Inner West,Eastern Suburbs and lower North Shore.Fostering the junior pathway is a criticalpart of the development cycle, as ishighlighting the power of combiningeducation and sport to reach yourdreams, no matter what socio-economicbackground you are from. The TrustCompany, Bendigo Bank, CplusCDesign Construct and Sydney CityToyota, in particular, have been pivotalin enabling us to establish thesecommunity programs.”Given the track record of the club,and the increased emphasis on its highperformance program, it is little wonderthat the club is now enjoying on-fieldsuccess at the higher levels and theyouth level, success it hopes to soontranslate into a senior premiership.Given the progress achieved, it is not“In the first twoyears since theclub startedits U/18 Coltsprogram theColts have wontwo Premierships.Several playersHAVE alreadyGRADUATED tosenior footballthis year.”surprising the AFL is courting the clubto consider a possible opportunity toparticipate in the NEAFL competitionin the near future. It seems, as ‘Yazz andthe Plastic Population’ famously sang,for SUANFC, the only way is up.Tom Young, SUANFC’s first ever AFL drafted player, plying his trade for the Collingwood Magpies in the VFL.Mitch Thompson, in action for Sydney Universityabove, will be spending plenty of time playingfor the Sydney Swans in the NEAFL this season.18 SYDNEY UNI SPORT & FITNESS