THIS year's NAB AFL Under 16 Championships will be held on the Gold Coast, marking the fourth year in a row that south-east Queensland will host the event.
There are teams from all States and Territories, bringing together 200 of the best young footballers in the country.
Vic Metro will be aiming for their fourth championship win in a row in Division One, while Queensland are chasing back-to-back titles and a fourth win in five years in Division Two.
The Northern Territory will take on NSW/ACT in the first match in Division Two on Sunday, 27 July, followed by the Tasmania-Queensland match later that day.
In Division One, Vic Metro will go head to head with Western Australia on the morning of Monday, 28 July, with South Australia and Vic Country squaring off in the afternoon.
There are several key changes to the NAB AFL Under 16s Championships program this year, all developed to fast track the development of players in the elite junior pathway program.
During the Championships, all players and officials will be involved in a Footy Forum and Luncheon on Tuesday, July 29.
This will ensure that activities normally only conducted as part of the AIS Academy program are offered to a much wider group, including key medical testing.
AFL Ambassadors, including Nathan Buckley, Mark Ricciuto, Luke Darcy and AFL Youth and High Performance Co-ordinator, Jason McCartney, will play an active role in the Championships, mentoring players and coaches from all teams.
And although finals will be played on the Coast on Saturday, August 2 and Sunday, August 3, a major change is that the grand finals of both divisions will be played as curtain-raisers to the 2008 Toyota AFL Grand Final on Saturday, September 27 at the MCG. This will give the players a chance to experience the excitement and pressure of the elite competition.
The NAB AFL U16 Championships are part of the of the NAB AFL Rising Stars Program, which supports grassroots players and football communities and helps young Australians fulfil their dream of playing in the AFL.
The NAB AFL Rising Stars Program provides recognition and a clearly identifiable direction for a player's career, and comprises the following elements:
- NAB AFL Rising Star
- NAB AFL Draft
- NAB AFL Draft Camp
- NAB AFL Under 18 Championships
- AIS-AFL Academy
- NAB AFL Under 16 Championships
