Eagles fly into Senior stratosphere

The Macleay Valley Eagles in 2016 when the club last played in the reserves competition.

FOR the first time in a decade the Macleay Vally Eagles will play in the Senior Mens competition.

Jim Stirling Oval at South Kempsey will host senior matches after an influx of player interest over summer.

The Eagles played seniors in 2015, winning two games at home that year before a final season in 2016 when Macleay Valley played in the reserves.

Many of the players who’ve been training with Macleay Valley since Christmas are players who were a part of the Macleay Valley Eagles’ junior program when they were teenagers.

Club president Justyn Hope said being back in the fold of senior footy will be a boost to the community.

“We’re pretty excited to be back in the competition but the main thing is we want make everybody feel like they belong and get the local community involved in the club,” Hope said.

Anybody interested in being a part of the Eagles this year as a volunteer or a player should call Justyn Hope on 0488 220 379.

The AFL North Coast Community Football and Competition Manager Brad Greenshields said the other senior clubs were excited about the return of the Eagles.

“When I spoke to the other clubs about the possibility of the Eagles returning to senior football the unanimous response was the more teams the better,” Greenshields said.

“The real positive point for me is the people in a town like Kempsey with a population of 15,000 people will be able to see that if they start playing football at the Auskick and junior levels, there’s a pathway for them to stick with the game and be able to play in their home town as an adult.”