Countdown to 2024 Think! Road Safety Country Football Championships

By SANFL.com.au

The countdown is on for one of the largest annual regional sporting events – the 2024 Think! Road Safety SA Country Football Championships, to be staged this weekend in Victor Harbor.

More than 250 of the State’s best country footballers, together with 200-plus officials from regional leagues across the State, will descend on Victor Harbor to represent their zone in matches across Victor Harbor and Encounter Bay ovals.

A feature of the weekend also will be the Round 14 Hostplus SANFL League regional match between South Adelaide and North Adelaide in the Panthers’ regional zone at Victor Harbor Oval on Saturday afternoon.

In a first for the event, Friday night footy will kick off the Championships with a double-header between South East and Eyre Peninsula men’s and women’s sides under lights at Victor Harbor oval from 7:20pm.

The SA Country Championships will see representative teams from six regional zones – Central, Eastern, Eyre Peninsula, South East, Northern and Southern Districts – compete across the weekend.

Eastern will be hoping to defend its historic 2023 crown in the men’s championships, while Central will be seeking back-to-back glory after also taking out its first women’s championships last year.

At the conclusion of the Country Championships, a men’s and women’s team of the carnival will be announced.

A men’s State country team also will be finalised after the weekend, ahead of the annual SA Country v WA Country clash, to be played on Sunday, July 28 at Adelaide Oval as the curtain raiser to the Adelaide v Hawthorn AFL match.

SANFL Head of Community Football Shawn Ford said pre-purchased ticket sales for the event had been strong, with at least 4000 spectators expected to attend across the weekend.

“The Think! Road Safety SA Country Football Championships not only provide a great opportunity to showcase the State’s best country footballers, but also will provide a boost for tourism and the local economy,” Ford said.

“The Championships are a great opportunity to celebrate all the great things we love about country footy and leave a lasting legacy for everyone involved.

“In addition, the SANFL regional match has been played as part of the Country Championships for the past few years and gives locals and everyone involved an opportunity to experience SANFL footy up close.”

The event comes on the back of Victor Harbor being recently named SA’s Top Tourism Town for the second consecutive year in recognition of the town’s amazing visitor experiences and commitment to developing tourism.

City of Victor Harbor Chief Executive Officer Victoria MacKirdy said the Council was pleased to see the championships return to the region.

“The countdown is on, and we are extremely excited to welcome the Country Football Championships back to Victor Harbor. The championships were last here in 2021, delivering an estimated economic impact of $1.25 million to our region,” MacKirdy said.

“While footy fanatics are visiting our stunning coastal city, I encourage them to explore the many wonderful things on offer across Victor Harbor. Our town has changed a lot in recent years, and there is plenty to discover.”

The Think! Road Safety SA Country Championships event also is a vital platform to increase awareness and drive home the vital message and education about road safety to our football community.

Minister for Police Dan Cregan said the road safety messaging was vital as players, fans, parents and friends head to the region and would help spread awareness across the state.

“This partnership supports the Government’s commitment to improve safety on our regional road network, connecting with local football communities to spark conversations and reduce road trauma.”

This weekend’s championships are set to be a crowd winner on and off the field, featuring SANFL Super Match activations including:

• Think! Road Safety marquee with giveaways
• AAMI Lucky zone with deck chairs for spectators to sit back and watch the action
• McDonald’s giveaways
• Kick and catch on the oval during breaks and the Coles Mini League half-time game.

Online tickets for the Think! Road Safety Country Championships and Hostplus SANFL League game are on sale via the SANFL website.

Every match from the carnival this year will be exclusively live streamed for free on SANFL Now

The South Adelaide v North Adelaide Hostplus SANFL League match commences at 2:30pm and will be live streamed for subscribers on SANFL Now, as well as AFL.com.au and the AFL Live App.