On the eve of community football returning for 2024, the Bombers are joining forces with Dallas Football Club to promote involvement in local football.
Nic Martin, Nate Caddy, Archie Roberts, Alwyn Davey Jnr, Jayden Davey and Lewis Hayes visited Dallas to run a clinic with their footballers before their inaugural season.
Based at Jacana Recreation Reserve, the club will have under-8 and under-10 sides competing for the first time in the Essendon District Football League.
Essendon CEO Craig Vozzo said the Bombers' connection with local clubs is an important part of their influence on supporting grassroots football.
"Local football is the greatest foundation for our game and as a club, we can influence and impact the involvement from a local level all the way through to elite," Vozzo said.
"A key focus of the club is to strengthen our connection to our community, including the North West Corridor of Melbourne. The more we can get out to the clubs to strengthen our relationship with local sporting organisations and the junior footballers coming through, the more participation numbers will increase at all levels.
"Dallas Football Club is in its first year of competition and is working extremely hard to get children involved in the club. An initiative like developing a club can have a long-lasting influence on the future of these participants, from introducing them to the importance of exercise to learning how being a part of a team can impact so many areas of their lives.”
Dallas Football Club President Nabil Yassine thanked the Bombers for their support in the club's inaugural year.
"Having Essendon involved is an integral part of the development of Dallas. It can inspire young kids to play football, and as we've seen tonight, it has put big smiles on the children's faces," Yassine said.
"To have the players come to training and come to our events, it brings an AFL feel to Dallas and can encourage kids to get involved.
"This area has been football starved for a while, and many families have turned away from football, so we want to bring the fun back to football in the Jacana area."
To celebrate the return of senior and junior community football across the country, the AFL is leading an industry-wide campaign, 'Local Footy Week'.
Over the coming weeks, suburban football grounds all over Australia will spring to life, with goal posts going up and hundreds of thousands of junior and senior local footballers starting their seasons.
The Bombers are getting involved in 'Local Footy Week' by visiting junior clubs to promote participation before the 2024 season kicks off.
In addition to last night's clinic at Dallas, on Monday, Archie Perkins headed back to his junior club, East Sandringham Football Club, alongside fellow local and St Kilda player Liam Stocker, to catch up with some of the footballers there.
