National Pharmacies continues to team with SANFL Juniors

National Pharmacies Chief Executive Officer Vito Borrello, also at today’s launch event, said SANFL Juniors aligns strongly with the ethos of National Pharmacies to encourage and enable life-long health and wellbeing.

“SANFL Juniors set young people on the path to wellbeing and a healthy life,” said Vito.

“Playing footy or volunteering at a local footy club offers physical and mental relaxation and promotes social inclusion. National Pharmacies is proud to play a part in the growth of footy for girls and boys all over South Australia.”

After an extensive recruitment drive across summer, National Pharmacies SANFL Juniors umpiring numbers are also on the rise in another encouraging sign.

As many as 623 umpires are on the SANFL Juniors panel for selection weekly in 2023, almost double that of the 326 who officiated last year.

Of those set to blow the whistle this year, 327 will don the fluorescent green for the first time, up from 115 in 2022 while female umpires have also increased from 28 last year to 77 in 2023.

After a successful trial in 2022, there will be three ‘Sit Down to Coach Rounds’ held in Rounds 1, 7 and 14 to help stamp out umpire abuse and dissent. The initiative, piloted in all matches from under 12s to under 17.5s in one round last year, applies to coaches, assistants, team managers, trainers/first aid persons and interchange players in the ‘exclusion zone’.

Round 1 matches for all grades will commence this weekend (April 21-23), with the exception of the U7 Minis competition which kicks off the following weekend of April 28-30.

In a first for National Pharmacies SANFL Juniors, a First Nations Round will be held across the competition in conjunction with NAIDOC Week on the weekend of Sunday July 2.

The annual Sammy D Violence Prevention Round also continues, this season to be held on the weekend of June 23-25.