And if all eyes weren’t on the Bombers already, a showcase arriving later this month ensures they will.
Kyabram Football Netball Club’s hosting of the round eight fixture against Shepparton has been chosen as one of six marquee games for 2025 as part of the WorkSafe Country Club Series in partnership with AFL Victoria.
A statement released by AFL Victoria confirmed the marquee match acquisition.
“AFL Victoria is delighted to confirm the return of the WorkSafe Country Club Series for another year, with WorkSafe Victoria celebrating country footy clubs across the state through six marquee games throughout the 2025 season,” it read.
“The series supports country football clubs by providing them with a week of activations and events, culminating in a traditional WorkSafe Country Club game and match day experience.
“The program celebrates and recognises the important role footy and netball clubs play in the community, helping to highlight the unsung volunteers who selflessly donate many hours of their own time to supporting their local football and netball club.”
So, what does a “marquee match” experience actually entail?
In the lead up to the game, Kyabram will welcome a WorkSafe Mental Health Workshop, a Country Club Footy and Netball Training Night with WorkSafe Ambassador and Western Bulldogs premiership hero Tom Boyd as well as a Melbourne Vixen player, who will be confirmed next week.
Kyabram Football Netball Club president John Guinan said the announcement was a relative surprise, but has been welcomed with open arms at Bomberland.
“I think they just hand-pick the clubs; they contacted us through AFL Goulburn Murray asking if we would like to participate, and once we found out some of the basic information, we’ve gone ‘yeah, let’s do it’,” he said.
“I know they come to training that Thursday before (the game), we have a dinner and there are some speeches that are going to be made. I think Tom Boyd and one of the Melbourne Vixens girls takes training.
“On the Tuesday before that, they have a mental health talk as well.”
The club is also being provided with WorkSafe pads for football and netball goal posts, while money will be allocated to the coffee van and the Thursday night meal.
Kyabram will join a select number of clubs from the Goulburn Murray region to be chosen as part of the WorkSafe Country Club Series in recent years.
Numurkah Football Netball Club was a beneficiary of the scheme for its Anzac Day clash against Nathalia last year, while Rochester Football Netball Club welcomed Boyd and co in April 2023.
Meanwhile, in other news, AFL Goulburn Murray has announced a host of clubs within the region have secured funds through the Telstra Footy Country Grants’ second round.
Shepparton Swans Junior Football Club will upgrade its goal post padding, Rushworth Football Netball Club is set for a new line marker, while Rochester Football Netball Club will roll out new electronic POS systems.
Further afield, portable electronic scoreboards are on the way at Echuca United Football Netball Club and Deniliquin Football Netball Club will be able to update its defibrillator.
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