Fifty gamers – Duel milestone marks key moment for Lethbridge JFC

TWO footballers have chalked up fifty games for the Lethbridge Junior Football Club.

The effort by Matthew Boyd, 11, and Max Love, 10, came in consecutive rounds and is a major marker for the club, which only retook the field a few years ago after the league it was playing in went under.

Matthew made the half-century mark the week before the Queen’s Birthday long weekend. He normally plays ruck but has been defending in the goal square due to an injury recently.

“It was nerve racking but good to hit 50 games for one club,” he said. “I just love it, it’s fun.”

Matthew and Max have only ever played for the Rosellas and the latter said reaching the major milestone felt “pretty good.”

An onballer Max said he plays football because, “Basically, I have no other sport I can play.”

It might sound a little dramatic, but the sentiment was echoed by Max’s mum, and Lethbridge JFC President, Rebecca Love.

“This is the only opportunity for sports in our area,” she said. “There’s very limited options, especially being where we are located. So the kids have found it difficult to involve themselves in sport.

“That’s why were so passionate about brining opportunity to our community. It’s not just the kids in Lethbridge, we’ve got children from She Oakes, Steiglitz, Meredith, Shelford, Teesdale, Bannockburn. They come here for that opportunity to participate in sport.”

It’s an opportunity that almost didn’t exist a couple of years ago.

The Moorabool junior footy comp, which had just four teams playing each other in a round-robin format, shutdown. It also lacked opportunity for player progression.

In 2016 the Lethbridge JFC was restarted by Sharon Boyd and Amanda Haby and the team joined the Barwon junior football league.

“Now that we’re joined in with the Barwon league we are playing through Geelong, so we’re playing right out to Port Arlington, which can be a bit of a challenge for an early morning start, but that just shows the passion of all of our families,” Ms Love said.

The volunteers who make sure the Rosellas can run onto the park each week don’t just look after games days, they also coordinate an Auskick program for younger players that runs in both Lethbridge and Meredith and puts on a community meal on Wednesday evenings.

Like pretty much every other grassroots community club in Australia, Lethbridge JFC is kept alive by the tireless work of those same helpers.

“We’re got a massive pool of volunteers,” Ms Love said. “Each week everyone happily takes on a role and helps out with umpiring, time keeping and first aid. Everyone puts in so that it’s not huge job for just one or two people.”

On Matthew and Max’s 50 games, Ms Love said, “It’s pretty amazing.

“These are the kids that started with the reform of the club. They were the kids who were passionate about wanting something to do.

“It’s also the passion from the parents who banded together to make it work.”