Footy at Burnaby and Ladies night!!!

Saturday July 17th provided the perfect setting for Football in British Columbia, with the sun shining and mid 20′s temperatures, the Burnaby Eagles and Delta Bayhawks hoped to carry the momentum from the previous rounds performances and show why they should not be taken easily as the finals come closer.

The first game saw the Delta Bayhawks take on the undefeated Vancouver Cougars. With a few player out, Delta had some last minute call ups, including young first gamer, Nicko. From the first bounce it was obvious the Bayhawks had come to play. With Regen Daniel sitting in the forward line for the first time, and returning International cup players, Clay and Andrew in the line-up, the Bayhawks moved the ball quickly and efficiently from the opening bounce, getting the ball to a leading Regen (“Rigs) who kicked 5 straight for the game. In the backline, young stars JC and Connor where moving the ball out of defence against much more fancied and experienced opponents made to look slow and old. As the game wore on the scores became tighter and every possession counted, with the teams going goal for goal for much of the remainder of the game. With only seconds remaining in the game, the Cougars kicked a goal, leaving the Bayhawks short by 3 points.

In the Second Game, Burnaby faced a fired up Saints side, who had been embarrassed the round previous by a young Bayhawks side. The Saints came out strong, kicking the first 5 goals of the game, and Burnaby looked to be in trouble at quarter time, having only managed to put 1 goal on the board. Quarter time saw some changes made to the line up, and an urging from Coach Handley to concentrate on what they control, the contested possession. Burnaby came out a different side after this, laying some big hits and being the first at the ball at every contest. With Gino working tirelessly in the ruck, and Adam Kelly being everywhere, the game began to creep into the Burnaby Eagles favour. Despite a heavy tag and only one leg to run on, Bergs was able to break the game open with speed and skill, delivering the ball to full forward, where Chris P was taking multiple contested marks, and despite questions on his kicking, finished the game with 5 goals, 1 behind. The backline was able to come back from a poor start, with Lex P putting his body on the line at all contests, and Dave K getting his hands on the ball at every contest. In a last grasp effort, after the ball was pushed out of bounds in the Eagles forward pocket, back up ruckman Dale Handley tapped the ball down to a fast moving Paddy, who kicked the ball to the top of the square, with Chris P again taking a contested mark against multiple Saints opponents. The siren sounded moments later. Many players where unsure of the importance of the kick, with the score being so tight, as it turned out, the Eagles where down by 3 points, and the last kick of the game was going to decide the winner of this game. Chris P did not let the Eagles down, kicking the goal to give the Eagles a 3 point Victory.

Later that night was the annual Eagles/ Bayhawks Ladies night at Mooses Down Under. Always the biggest event on the BCAFL calendar, 2010 proved no different. With Multiple ladies showing up to have the chance to purchase a club player to be their slave for the night, and entertainment being provided by Bergs, including Musical chairs and whipped cream eating contests, all in attendance had a fantastic night. The auction saw a bidding war for multiple players, many players forced to remove articles of clothing and succumb to the Ladies needs.

A huge thanks goes out to the Mooses Down Under Crew, Dane Bergman, Lex Perry, “the Wiz”, Pete Taylor, Steve Gibson (who helped out with Blackjack) and all those that put their hand up to help out at the door and be auctioned off!!

Kelowna and Seattle Re Cap!!

The Last month has seen the Burnaby Eagles and Delta Bayhawks combined forces to take on teams both Seattle and Kelowna.

With the rental of Vans for player transportation, Players made their way out to Kelowna, a 4 hour drive from Vancouver, to take on both BC teams and Alberta teams. To prepare for this tournament, 16 players took to the Golf Course, playing best ball.

The evening saw players attending various nightspots and frequent hangovers where the norm on this trip, with some players refusing to stay at the chosen accommodation, choosing instead to cuddle their way through the trip.

The combined team, played Calgary and Edmonton, Narrowly losing the first game to Calgary after leading at the halfway point, and beat the Edmonton team despite inaccurate kicking, with a final score of 4 goals and 16 points. It also marked an opportunity for the Canadians of BC and Alberta to play against each other, with players from Burnaby / Delta including: Jimmy, Robin, Pat, Clay, Darren, Gino, Dan, JC, Connor all playing great, losing to the Alberta team by a point…

Seattle also was an opportunity to play against teams from outside BC, with games against Seattle and Portland. After getting through the border, players contended with the warmest weather of the year to beat the Portland side, and go into halftime of the Seattle game in the lead to lose by 5 points and miss out on the cup.

Up next is the Calgary stampede, which always provides many stories to be told for a long time after returning back to Vancouver.

Bayhawks players play in Under 16 NAB Cup in Australia – UPDATE

Andrew Roosdahl and Clayton Lund, both players of the current Delta Bayhawks team are currently in Australia for a once in a lifetime opportunity to represent the International football team in the NAB under 16 cup, playing against various states from Australia.  The teams they will be playing against are Queensland, New South Wales, Tasmania, Northern Territory and pacific Islands.  Coaching the team, and taking them through an intensive training course is Michael O’Laughlin and Chris Johnston, both former AFL stars. 

Upon Arrival the Canadian players were given the opportunity to travel to Sydney to see a game there, and meet the coach, Paul Roos, and the only Canadian player in the AFL at present, Mike Pike.  They also had the chance to take in games in Melbourne during their 2 weeks there.

The team was introduced to open the doors to potential players hoping to enter the AFL from outside of Australia. 

Clay and Andrew answered some questions regarding their growth to making the International team:

Describe yourself briefly (age, current work/ schooling, family, place born and live, ambitions etc.)

Clay:  I’m 18 years old, I’ve just finished my first year of engineering at UBC, and I live at home with my younger brother and parents, although I will be living in residence next year. I was born and raised in the lower mainland of beautiful BC and my ambitions right now are to graduate from university as a mechanical engineer and to play on the 2011 Northwind team in the international cup.

Andrew: My name is Andrew Roosdahl. I’m sixteen years old and I’m from North Delta, Vancouver, BC Canada. I am just finishing the eleventh grade and I’m a cashier for Safeway. I started playing footy when I was 11 years old so I’ve been playing for 5 years (3 of those years I’ve played for Team Canada Wolfpack Juniors and I am going to Australia in August 2012 for an international cup). I would like to eventually play for the Team Canada Northwind and maybe play some footy in Australia as well.

Tell us about how you got involved in football? Describe the North Delta Junior program that you started in.

Clay: I got involved in footy thanks to Mike McFarlane, the father of one of my friends and classmates in elementary school. He came in to teach the sport to our PE class and there was enough interest for it to evolve into a league. Initially we had only two teams, but the program has been expanding rapidly ever since.

Andrew: My coach Mike McFarlane is the person who got me into AFL. He had clinics that he did at the local schools in order to get kids interested and I got hooked on the sport and I’ve played ever since. The program that I started in and am still playing in to this day is an intramural league made up of 3 divisions; U13, U16 and U18. We practice on Wednesdays and play our games on Saturdays. I also umpire this league for the U13 and U16 divisions as a volunteer.

What aspect of football has drawn you to continue playing?

Clay:  What I love about football is that it combines all of my favourite elements from other sports. Footy involves precision and accuracy in aspects like kicking, as well as physical contact, jumping, running, strategy and team work. I also appreciate that it is the only sport that offers me amazing opportunities such as the world XVIII team and the possibility of representing my country in international competition.

Andrew: Footy is a very unique sport with its technical skills and rules and its unique way of training. The uniqueness is pretty much what keeps me hooked on the sport. It’s not one of those popular sports where everyone plays, it’s a sport that makes people interested to watch. It’s also a great sport to just kick around a field or beach.

What aspect of football did you find most difficult when you started playing?  How did you overcome these obstacles?

Clay:  When I started playing footy the hardest aspect was the unique skill set needed to play the sport. The kicking style, and in particular hand passing and bouncing were skills unlike any I could really take from other sports, but with practice and repetition it didn’t take too long to pick up.

Andrew: The most difficult skill that I found trouble with was bouncing. I practiced every skill every day but still couldn’t do it right. My skills coach Jason Stratford eventually taught me how to do it properly.

Who are the people that you feel have influenced you the most when playing football?

Clay:  I would have to say that my two biggest football influences would be Mike McFarlane and Jason Stratford because they were the ones who introduced me to the sport and really sparked my interest in the game. Stu Grills and Scotty Sheen were also big influences because they helped me transition out of the junior league and build my game into what it is now.

Andrew: People that have influenced me playing the sport have been my coach Mike McFarlane and Scott Fleming from the West Coast Saints. Scott started in Mike’s intramural league and eventually made it up to the Team Canada Northwind which he currently plays for and also almost made it onto the Sydney Swans draft team. He has been a great influence to me.

Describe the process undertaken to play in the international team?

Clay:  The application process for the international team was very intensive and under fairly short notice we did our best to prepare for it. Our fitness was tested with a timed 3 km run and 20 m sprint, as well as a beep test and an agility test. We also had all of our body measurements taken and were tested for flexibility and our standing and running jump. They also filmed our skills in a few drills and a during kicking accuracy test to add to our application. Once everything was submitted it just came down to waiting nervously for the AFL’s selection.

Andrew:
It was actually quite a random process. At first it was a “Let’s try this out and see if I make it” to a “Oh look I actually made the team!” It was an amazing feeling seeing the email a couple weeks ago saying I had made the team along with Clayton Lund my teammate from the Bayhawks and Wolfpack 2008. The tryout was a combination of agility, cardio and skills tests in order to test us and see who was the most fit for the team. Now me along with the rest of the World XVIII team are in the middle of a training program sent out from the fitness coach for the team in Australia. Clay and I are scheduled to leave for Melbourne, Australia on June 23rd, 2010.

What is it you are most looking forward to about participating in the international team?

Clay:  The aspects that I look forward to most in participating in the international team are being able to play some good competitive footy with people my own age, as well as meeting new people with the same passion for the sport that I have.

Andrew: I’m excited about a lot of things on this experience. For one, I get to meet people my age from around the world! I get to hear many accents and languages and different builds of people. I get to go see Sydney, Australia which I have not seen before (I have been to Melbourne in 2008). I’m also excited for after when I get to stay in Central Sydney with my Mom, my brother and Clay. It’s going to be an amazing experience and I’ll have many great pictures, videos and memories to show/tell my friends and family when I get back.

How do you feel the Delta Bayhawks will finish the season now that we are halfway through the season?

Clay:  I think the Bayhawks are just hitting their stride and after a few more wins in the second half of the season we will be in shape to take on any side and give it a good run in the finals.

Andrew: Well to be honest I don’t exactly know how well we are doing right now in our league but I’m hoping that by the time I come home we’ll have won the cup or going for the win.

Diary
June 27th 2010
First morning at the university, we’ve officially met the whole team and we’ve also had our first training session as a team. Apparently it was a ‘light’ training session, which in other words to Aussies would be a normal Canadian training session. After training we had to do a 3.2km (2mile) time trial which was a bundle of fun. After a dinner of spaghetti and meat sauce we went to the common room of the college and did a team bonding session with a team bonding leader named Alea. It’s officially the beginning of the World XVIII coming together as one team.

June 28th 2010
Today we had a 7:00 o’clock wake-up, breakfast was at 7:30, good old cereal and toasts with some hard boiled eggs. At nine we had a team meeting, coach Michael O’Loughlin took us through our team rules; beat your opponent, use the ball, play for the team, and most importantly, Compete. Training started after the meeting, we played on the artificial hockey fields because the footy field was recovering from the rain. Coach took us through some drills, basic lanework, mad ball, a drill where you are covering a man and trying to prevent him from getting the ball while they are running around to different stations trying to get the ball, it was tiring. Greg Everett, our team runner, took us to the pool for a recovery session, it was more than helpful. We ate lunch and then went to the National Sports Museum, which was in the MCG stadium. There was an interactive part to the museum, and for sure the best part, where there was a place to simulate goal kicking, hand-balling, and other random sports. We then got an inside tour of MCG, we saw the changing rooms, the box seats, the newspaper and radio rooms. After that, was dinner and then a small team meeting and then sleep.

June 29th 2010
Today we had our first practice match against South Pacific. Not many people were very optimistic about how the game would go, but when it was underway we realized we could compete. We were competing and fighting for the ball and it was just a real team effort. Our team wanted to give em a run for their money. We lost only by a couple goals, but if the team just comes together some more we can tune our skills and actually have a good crack at beating the boys.
Afterwards we went and had dinner, and met Shae McNamara of the Collingwood F.C, who is an American who chased his dream and sent the club a video of himself doing skill work. His playing with the VFL side at the moment. He told us his story of how he came about into footy, and now he’s playing some good footy. He had a choice between a basketball career, and a footy one, and he chose the footy. He’s been watching games all the time and just trying to do what the big players are doing and such. Pretty inspiring story alright since he’d never touched a footy till seven months ago.

June 30th 2010
Today, as per usual, we went to breakfast at 7:30am however, it was with an ominous feeling, as fitness testing was right after breakfast. Approximately 45 minutes after breakfast all four Canadian boys left for the fitness center with Yuta who works for the AFL and is one of the assistant team mangers. As both the World and Pacific team were doing fitness testing the bus was full so having Yuta mean’t we didn’t have to catch a taxi. Once there we got dressed in our training gear, supposedly in our World Team training shirts but only half the team had them. The tests consisted of a 20 meter sprint, which Riyad had the best time of 3.04, an agility test, which Riyad won again, with 8.28. There was also a vertical jump, that measured how high one can jump (not the actual top height) and then a running jump, which measured straight height. There was also professional weight and height measurements, the max height was 200cm, and a whole new measurement had to be set up for our ruckman. We also had to do the beep test, Coach Michael O’Loughlin and Greg Everett ran with us they both got an 11 which is pretty good considering the aren’t in prime shape. Our lone Irishman had the best time with 14.13 (peak AFL players get 15).
We had a warm down in the pool and then we returned to the College for lunch. After lunch we went for two hours to a large local mall to do some shopping. Clayton was the only Canadian who bought anything which was a footy. Riyad and Clayton won small prizes from the arcade. At the end of our shopping one of our Argentinean players juggled a soccer ball majestically, to our general enjoyment and awe. On the way back Riyad and Jono sat next to our charming, intelligent, athletic little australian rover, who told us they celebrate Christmas on the beach. We ended the day by watching the movie Invictus.

July 1st 2010
After breakfast this morning we went out to the campus ground for a warm up and short training before our second practice match against the South Pacific side. We went down by a few goals early in the match due to some miscommunication and lacking man to man coverage, but play was more even in the second half and we even managed to score the last goal. Even though the score board was quite one sided, there were many improvements and positives to take from the game and we are all confident that we can compete when it comes to the important matches in Sydney.

We had a cool down walk around princess park with a stop off at Carlton’s training ground to check out the gift shop and grab some food. We then had free time followed by an early dinner before we jumped in the bus headed to Etihad stadium for the Carlton vs.Brisbane game. Representing our colors for Canada day (Andrew was even wearing a flag as a cape) we watched the game from the 2nd tier with a great view of the whole field. In the end it was a solid blow-out for Carlton but everyone enjoyed the footy and the atmosphere of the crowd. When we got back to the university it was time to pack up and get to sleep before our trip to Sydney tomorrow.

July 2nd 2010
So an early wakeup this morning, precisely 5am to be exact where we got downstairs for 5.30am to get on the bus to Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. We got a nice little packed breakfast which included a muffin, a power bar, some fruit and a bottle of orange juice. The drive to Sydney took 10 hours for the first bus, but the second bus took about 11 hours due to an unfortunate, but eventful detour route. First of all we stopped around 10am just outside of Melbourne in order to stop for a breather where there fortunately was Free Wi-Fi at McDonalds to check our e-mails and facebooks. Second stop was around 1230pm for lunch where we all got either KFC, Subway or something at the local burger shop (All the Canadians but Jono got KFC). Third stop was at a gas station about 3 hours away from Sydney in order to just get gas for the bus and have another stretch for the last few hours of driving.

While the first bus arrived at St. Ignatius’s College right on schedule at 5.15pm, the second and smaller bus did a slightly longer, unexpected detour route. First of all we were supposed to take an exit called Pacific Hwy, but instead we took an exit about 15km down the road which took us to downtown Sydney instead of the outside of Sydney where we needed to go. So after we figured that out, thanks to Kevin our trusty assistant from the AFL, we got back on track, or so we thought. We eventually started searching through the right neighborhood but missed the entrance by about 3 blocks and ended up down by the river. Our bus had a trailer on the back and the parking lot is about only 3 times the size of the bus. So in other words we had to get the whole team out of the bus, take off the trailer, hold the trailer up and wait until the bus driver to turn the bus around slowly but surely and hook it back on and go to dinner. Eventually at about 7pm we did get there and we went into dinner where we had steak, potatoes, salad and cake for desert. After that we got our rooms and we put all our luggage in the rooms and came back down to the common room to watch the Hawthorn vs. Western AFL game on the big screen. Fortunately Hawthorn won and now we’re going to have our first sleep in St. Ignatius College. Part 2 of 2 of the the journey begins, The Tournament.

July 3rd 2010
So today, everyone woke up as cold as ice. There is no heating at all in this place we are staying at. We all went to sleep in our skins and extra layers with 3 or 4 blankets. So then we all headed up to breakfast where we quickly ate and then got ready for some training.
Training was focusing on main areas needed to improve in. We covered handballing, but when we had numbers to the ball so we could dispose of it. Then we covered shepherding after handballs and just protecting your teammate. As well with when getting tackled getting your arms out so you can handball if the option comes. We also covered what our plan was to do from our kickouts. Just a simple walkthrough to get it covered so everyone understood where they needed to be.
Afterwards we headed down to the Blacktown to watch the Division 1 games of the U16’s. The teams were really strong and our team really enjoys watching the footy.
We headed then to a superstore to get heaters for our rooms! We really needed them and they were only $10! They sure as hell saved us. We headed back and prepared slowly to get ready for our first big game. Hopefully all goes well and our team pulls through.

July 4th 2010
Up and ready to go early this morning for our first big match vs. the South Pacific at the Blacktown Olympic park oval. We got to the field and prepared ourselves before an inspiring pep talk by Mickey O’Laughlin and Johno (Chris Johnson). We came out hard and took the first goal early but after that we had trouble converting leaving us with a score of 1.0.6 for the world team and 1.5.11 for the South Pacific.
In the second quarter we stood our ground with more possessions than the south pacific but unfortunately we still had issues getting the ball through the goals when we had it in their 50. Half time score left the world team trailing by six points, 24 – 18. The third quarter was by far our best even though we fell back by another goal. We dominated possessions and controlled the game taking away the vast majority of the pacific’s opportunities at goal with our stellar defense. Down by two goals going into the last quarter we lost control of the game and let in a few quick goals. It was a disappointing loss in the end, with a final score of 54 to 21, but we were all proud of our effort none the less.
After our cool down we stuck around the pitch to scope out our next opponent, Tasmania as they played Northern Territory and we were all very impressed. Once back at the college and all fed we sat down in the common room to review the tape of the game and discuss our strengths and weaknesses before bed. Watching ourselves on the screen is very helpful for analyzing how we play, very effective for seeing what we can do better next time.

July 5th 2010
Today we were at breakfast by 7.30am, eating a variety of delicious morsels; cornflakes, raisin bran toast and peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. After breakfast we went for a walk down to the harbour, as they call it, but it seemed like it was just a river, and we had a stretch to help heal our overworked muscles. After the walk we had showers, a maximum length of three minutes due to the regulations of the school, and then the team hopped onto our personal coach to go to an information session for all the athletes in this Under 16 tournament.
This information session involved the rules surrounding the AFL, such as drug use, alcohol use, sexual crimes, respect towards women and gambling. It specified the length of time a suspension could last for different indecencies and indiscretions, such as a two year suspension for being caught positive on a drug test. We were provided with lunch, consisting of various different sandwiches, chicken with lettuce and tomato wraps with green leaves and egg rolls. After lunch came a version of “The Panel” with former players: Michael O’Laughlin – Sydney Swans, Chris Johnson – Brisbane Lions, Scott Lucas – Essendon Bombers and Gary Lyon – Melbourne Demons. They told us about their careers and how they got started and were asked questions about their careers from players from the state teams. In all there are 10 teams consisting of over 300 players.

After the session we went to a wildlife park, where there were several native Australian animals. We saw dingoes, kangaroos, wallabies, koalas, stilts, eagles and a four meter long crocodile. It was enjoyable. After the park we returned to our cold home in Riverview, ate dinner and then enjoyed a jolly good sleep.

Eagles fall just short as sister club Delta thrashes Saints

Eagles vs Cougars

The Burnaby Eagles fell just short of causing the upset of the round going down by 9 points to the Vancouver Cougars after leading at every change.  With 13 players unavailable including last year’s best and fairest winner Dane Bergman, the Eagles’ endeavour was outstanding and outclassed their more fancied opponents for the first three quarters.

The signs are very positive for the remainder of the year and finals.

Eagles     12      9   81

Cougars  12   17   89

Goals:  Shawn, Handley 4; Aaron 2, Paddy, Sam

Best: Sam, Adam, Gino, Freemo, Shawn, Dan, Handley

Delta Bay Hawks vs WC Saints

Delta smashed a complacent Saints team on Sunday by over 100 points.  The Bayhawks completely outclassed the Saints from the bounce and had winners across the field bot Canadian and Australian.  In their last hit-out before touring Australia with the International All Stars, Clayton and Andrew put in confidence boosting performances on the back of a dominant midfield performance from the Whistler crew.

Scores:

Delta   21   17   143

Saints    5    6     36

Goals:  Too many to name

Best -  Whole side but standouts included:  Shaun, JC, Connor, Wolfy, Gibbo, Matt, Payne, and a new guy called Chris

Calgary Stampede Weekend! July 9-11

Hey folks the Stampede weekend is locked and loaded and looking to be an absolute cracker.

To secure your place contact Lex at lex.perry@colliers.com or 604 506 5852.

The hotel is booked and we are staying at:

Four Points By Sheraton Calgary Airport

At this point we are looking at $60 per night per person but that could change depending on numbers.

Kelowna Trip Update

Kelowna is ready to rock with a great Albertan turnout  – two Calgary teams and a team from Edmonton.   We’ll be sending a combined Eagles/Hawks squad so we should have a strong team. Plus with some momentum going in after the win on Sunday we should be able to notch up a few more.

Places are filling fast so talk to Chris Freeman 778 353 824 to book your spot – It promises to be a great weekend.

Date:  June 4 to June 6 (Some folks are going down a night early to play golf on the Friday)

Teams: Calgary Bears, Calgary Cowboys, Edmonton, Vancouver Cougars, Eagles/Hawks (combined) and West Coast Saints.

That is six teams plus maybe a Northwind game of some kind slotted into the day.   We are still finalizing schedule that tries to keep everyone happy with a day of footy from 10am – 5/6pm.

The field is the same as last year. Find the map here.

Look forward to seeing you there!

Pre-season Practice Match and Jumper presentation

After a gruelling pre season, the Burnaby Eagles and Delta Bayhawks have their first opportunity to take the field and play in the BCAFL’s inaugural pre season practice match series on Saturday March 27th.  Please see below for details on the game.  All new players are welcome to come and have a kick, with a BBQ and drinks during the intermission of the first game.  It is also a great chance to check out the Canadian talent from out west as the Northwind West national team play against a combined side to show their skills in front of newly named team Canada coach, Emile. 

UBC Rugby Fields. – Wesbrook Mall and 16th Ave. (the times are 1pm to 2:30pm and 4pm to 6pm)

Eagles/Bayhawks vs Cougars 2x15min halves with 5min break = 35 min (+ 10min change over = 45min)

Eagles/Bayhawks vs Saints 2x15min halves with 5min break = 1hr 20 min

This give us a couple of minutes to run late . We have to start right on time to fit it in.

At 4pm :- Cougars vs Saints  2×15 min halves.

Last game :- Northwind West vs Combined team 2×15 min halves.

Also on offer on this night is the naming of the 2 sides at major sponsor, Moose’s down Under.  The night will allow for players, families and friends to get together and view the Collingwood Vs Western Bulldogs game.  With the season only a few weeks away, the committee has been locked in a board room for weeks now deciding on the fate of many players futures, as to whether to join last season regular season, BC footy cup and Kelowna cup champions, or the up and coming superstars of the game in the Delta Bayhawks.  The night will commence at 7pm, with a $15 entry fee, allowing for a buffet of some of Vancouver’s favourite food!!

On top of that it will be a chance to thank all those involved in the Olympic Volunteer work during the 2010 Vancouver Olympics, with 20 members donning blue uniforms for the betterment of the supporters and athletes in Whistler, proving that no task was too gruelling.

2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics

2010 has been a busy year thus far for the Burnaby Eagles and Delta Bayhawks. While Coach, Dale Handley, has been putting players through a series of fitness tests and skill testing, many members took time away from their work and families to work in Whistler for the Olympics. Players were shuttled up to whistler first class; with players catching sky trains, driving minivans or waiting for buses at BCIT from 6 in the morning to make the trip to the luxury accommodation of storage containers in a campsite.

Despite this, no stone was left unturned in the presence of the “men and woman in dark blue”. While the Carlton Football club, commonly referring to themselves as the men and woman in blue, was off on a boat on the Yarra, or looking for their clothes at the Crown Casino, Burnaby and Delta players where a fully functioning cleaning machine at the medal ceremonies’ plaza. Players managed to rehydrate on a nightly basis at the various watering holes, or found themselves stumbling around on the face of a cliff only meters past their back door. Members where often mistaken for the participating athletes, such has been the athletic ability of these members, and one player was swamped for Autographs as the spandex he was wearing in the pub could only have belonged to a “luge” athlete. As musicians played nightly on stage, in the crowd there could be seen brooms, shovels and bobbing dark blue toques.

A huge thanks to Chris Freeman for organising this once in a lifetime opportunity, and to CleanEvent for allowing the club a chance to take in the full Olympic experience.

A thank you party is on Saturday March 27 at Moose’s down under, 7pm. All are welcome to attend.

New players wanted – 2010 football season

The Burnaby Eagles are currently seeking players, new or experienced, for the 2010 BC footy season.

In 2009 the Burnaby Eagles went through the regular season undefeated, fielding a side with former AFL, WAFL, SANFL, VFL and VSFL players, as well as players brand new to the game, and members of the Canadian Australian Rules football team.

The Eagles also won the BC Footy Cup, Kelowna Cup and narrowly missed the perfect season, losing in the grand final by a mere 7 points.

Also new to the 2010 season will be the addition of the Bayhawks playing out of Burnaby. This addition will allow for greater opportunities and game time for all involved, and an exciting opportunity to play with the future of football in Canada as these players come through the Junior ranks and make the move to senior football.

So for anyone looking to have some fun, get fit, go on road trips and play some footy, get in touch with Dale Handley, coach of the Burnaby Eagles, via either, e-mail, cell  (778 995 6069), or come down to pre-season training and get to know the team.

2010 Burnaby Eagles Pre Season Schedule

The Burnaby eagles are excited to invite all players, new or old to pre season training starting January 21st. Sessions will be fun, a great chance to get to know each other, get our hands on the ball and help build some fitness as we enter the 2010 season!!

January 21st

7:30 – 9:00pm

Meet at Nathans Grill, then to all season fields at Burnaby Lake

6390 Darnley Street, Burnaby

(Behind Synthetic fields and Burnaby 8 rinks)

Sunday January 23rd

1:30 – 2:30pm

Stanley park Rugby Fields (Quick kick and get together)

3:00pm – late

Moose’s down under (Australia Day Celebrations)

Tuesday January 26th

12:00pm – Late

Moose’s Down Under (Berg’s Birthday and Australia Day Celebration)

January 28th

7:30 – 9:00pm

Meet at Nathans Grill, then to all season fields at Burnaby Lake

6390 Darnley Street, Burnaby

(Behind Synthetic fields and Burnaby 8 rinks)

Saturday January 30th

1:30pm

UBC Rugby Fields followed by Mahoney’s Pub

February 4th

7:30 – 9:00pm

Meet at Nathans Grill, then to all season fields at Burnaby Lake

6390 Darnley Street, Burnaby

(Behind Synthetic fields and Burnaby 8 rinks)

February 7th

10:00am – 12:00pm

Location TBD

12:30 – 4:00pm

Super bowl

Location TBD

February 11th

7:30 – 9:00pm

Meet at Nathans Grill, then to all season fields at Burnaby Lake

6390 Darnley Street, Burnaby

(Behind Synthetic fields and Burnaby 8 rinks)

With the Olympics starting 2nd week of February training will re commence at the end of the month in Burnaby with details to follow. There will still be opportunities in this time to go for a run and have a kick.

March 13th

Abbotsford Heat Hockey Game

12:00pm Moose’s Down Under – Bus to game

Please await further details.

March 20th

Basketball Tournament

Please await further details.

For those needing a ride out, unable to make training or more information, please contact Dale Handley via either e Mail mailto:handley_dale@lilly.com or Cell 778 995 6069.

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