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COMING TO TOWN: Port Adelaide AFL players with Sanjeev Gupta at last weekend's Alberton Oval community day.
More than 30 Port Adelaide AFL players will be in Whyalla next Monday for a series of appearances and activities.
The visit is part of Port’s Community Camp program and follows the announcement that Sanjeev Gupta will be personally sponsoring the Port Adelaide Football Club for the next five years. Mr Gupta is the executive chairman of GFG Alliance which owns the Whyalla steelworks and associated mines.
Port Adelaide Youth Programs Manager, Jake Battifuoco said about 37 Power players will be coming to Whyalla with just the indigenous players unable to attend due to a summit in Adelaide.
As part of the camp, on Monday February 18, the Port players will visit schools, hospitals, nursing homes, kindergartens and football clubs to connect with locals.
“Port players will be going to every school in Whyalla to spread our healthy lifestyles and right choices message.”
The players will then hold a free junior coaching clinic at Bennett Oval between 4.30pm and 6pm where kids can meet them, get autographs and have a kick and catch. To add to the party atmosphere there will be a jumping castle and face painter.
Across town at the same time, Port Adelaide assistant coach Jarrad Schofield and development coach Scott Thompson will be hosting an education forum at the Weeroona Bay Football Club for all junior and senior coaches. No bookings are needed, just turn up to the club on Cartledge Avenue from 4.30pm to 6pm.
Following the junior coaching clinic and the coach education forum, a Sportsman’s Dinner will be held at the West Whyalla Football Club - corner of Playford Avenue and Slee Streets - with arrivals from 6:30pm for 7pm start.
The dinner cost is $45 per head and bookings are essential by going to Eventbrite https://bit.ly/2RVVTUt with only a limited amount of tickets still available at the time of publishing.
“Port players will be going to every school in Whyalla to spread our healthy lifestyles and right choices message,” Jake said.
“Then we encourage everyone to come to Bennett Oval at 4.30pm to meet the players, get some autographs and have a kick and catch at the junior coaching clinic.
“Our session for coaches at Weeroona Bay footy club will be a great learning experience and it will be an entertaining sportsman’s night at the West Whyalla footy club.
“All money raised during the visit goes back into local football in the region, so we encourage as many people as possible to get involved.”
Jake said the community camp visit was a perfect way for the club and the players to connect with communities like Whyalla, especially now the bond has been made even stronger with Sanjeev Gupta’s sponsorship.
“All the players are looking forward to it, Whyalla has been a heartland for Port and now we have an even stronger connection with Sanjeev Gupta as a major joint sponsor,” Jake said.
“The boys love getting into the schools and having a kick with the kids, the whole club gets involved and it is a very rewarding experience for staff, players, and members of the regional community.
“We’d like to thank all the Whyalla footy clubs, the Whyalla Football League and the Whyalla Council for supporting and helping co-ordinate this camp.”