Tigers punt on Johnsonby Riverine Herald
December 02, 2016Echuca's Hakeem Johnson was one of 11 footballers from the Goulburn Valley region who attended an academy screening day run by the Richmond Football Club on November 12.
The AFL club hosted the event at its Punt Road oval headquarters as part of its Next Generation Academy Program, which has actively engaged in a number of sporting events within the Indigenous community including Echuca’s Reconciliation Cup Day.
Johnson, 15, played the 2016 season for North Bendigo in the under 16s and was selected in this year’s under-15 Victoria-Tasmania kickstart squad to play in a tournament during the national Indigenous and multicultural championships in April.
Sixteen footballers aged 11-17 were selected for the screening day and were chosen based on their performances at the Richmond academy come and try talent days during September in Swan Hill and Shepparton, identified through the Murray Bushrangers or Bendigo Pioneers in the TAC Cup or nominated by their community.
Players were exposed to the Tigers’ elite sporting environment and completed a number of high performance testing activities which focused on speed, agility, vertical jump and endurance through a beep test.
Johnson and the other participants also received a tour of the club, a personal identity session, a lesson on nutrition and strength and mobility programming, and enjoyed basic skill training in kicking and ball handling.
Richmond’s football talent general manager Dan Richardson was eager to see the academy program grow and engage more participants over time.
‘‘We hope to provide significant opportunities to both boys and girls who are not currently playing football or are under-represented at the competition’s highest level,’’ he said.
Players will return to the club in January, having built on their skills and progressed as young players.
Hakeem Johnson is the one at the back right.http://www.riverineherald.com.au/2016/12/02/4693/tigers-punt-on-johnson
