Adelaide embrace the red centre
Adelaide United FC has wrapped up its inaugural visit to Alice Springs, the club deeming the trip a great success.
The travelling Reds, which included Captain Travis Dodd, Lucas Pantelis, Iain Fyfe and Michael Marrone, took in the sites of the Red Centre and made a number of community appearances to promote the game and Adelaide United in the region. The visit took place to officially launch an exciting new partnership between Adelaide United and Football in Central Australia (FICA), in conjunction with Football Federation Northern Territory.
On arrival into Alice Springs, the United contingent received a traditional Aboriginal welcome to the land, before attending FICA-s Street Soccer Program and visiting a number of local schools. The four day stint also included a visit to the Alice Springs Hospital, clinics with junior players, a coaching seminar and goal keeping training session, as well as a formal function with FICA and government officials to launch the partnership that will see Alice Springs as United-s secondary supporter base outside of South Australia.
Taking the opportunity to taste some traditional kangaroo from Overlanders Steakhouse, the guys even tried their hand at playing the wobble board.
“It was my second time (to Alice Springs). I went up there when I was five but I can-t remember much of that,” Fyfe said.
“It was a very successful trip. We took a lot away from it and I think the community up there did as well.”
The former Sydney FC defender was also impressed with the skill and enthusiasm of junior footballers in the town, and said there was a lot of potential, particularly among some of the Indigenous kids.
“There is a good football community up there, a lot of passionate people and a lot of kids who really enjoy the game and want to learn more,” Fyfe said.
“There are a lot of good quality young Indigenous kids who are naturally gifted.”
“We-ve seen it in the AFL and the rugby league in how naturally talented they can be and I think it will be good for the community to get into the round ball game.”
From this initial visit, United hopes to continue to strengthen its ties with Alice Springs and build a significant following as well as provide benefits for the football community in Central Australia.
“There is a genuine interest, a lot of people knew who we were, they are passionate about the club and that was great to see,” Fyfe said.
“When you-re in Adelaide you don-t think too much about what-s going on in the middle of Australia, so it was great to go up there and see that we-ve got a bit of a following.”
While the main objective was to get amongst the local community and promote Adelaide United as the Hyundai A-League team in the ‘Red Centre-, Fyfe and the crew also made the most of the opportunity for some sightseeing.
“It was interesting to see some of the old historical land marks like the Red Sand Dunes and Anzac Hill and the original buildings out at the Telegraph Station, so it was really good.”
The Adelaide United Football Club would like to thank FICA and the people of Alice Springs for their hospitality and generosity throughout the trip.