Masters Australian Football
 

Patron's Message for 2006 Carnival

The Australian Football League is delighted to welcome participants from around the country to the Sunshine Coast for this year’s Masters National Carnival.

The staging of such a large event on the Sunshine Coast has been made possible due to the development of the new Maroochydore Multi-Sports complex which provides three fully-serviced Australian Football ovals.

The AFL is appreciative of the vision and support of both the Queensland Government and the Maroochy Shire Council, especially Cr Joe Natoli, the Mayor of Maroochy Shire, who has been pivotal in the development of such an excellent Australian Football facility.

Australian Football has experienced continuing growth in Queensland over the past five years with participation growing by a remarkable 107 per cent from 30,120 in 2000 to 62,599 in 2005. Facility development is a major priority for the AFL in South East Queensland to ensure our code has the capacity to cater for current and future growth. We are committed to the continued investment in the development of the game in Queensland to make Australian Football the sport of choice and we have openly said our objective is to have an AFL match played each week in South East Queensland by 2015.

By staging events such as the Masters National Carnival on the Sunshine Coast it will assist in highlighting the growth and development of the game and I commend the organising committee – and all those associated with this event - for their foresight and their support of the game.

I would also like to take this opportunity wish all participating players and official a safe and enjoyable carnival

Andrew Demetriou

Chief Executive Officer