Eyes on the ball

Eliza from Carnegie can't wait to pull the boots on for her Under 9 Glen Eira Football Club team.
With the slow and careful lifting of social restrictions across the state, most of us are excited about a gradual return to, something like, our lives pre-COVID.

One part of the community that is undoubtedly a little more excited than the rest are our children, who have done an amazing job with school and social restrictions for nearly two months.

After eight weeks with no sport, no play dates and lots of family time, our youngsters are understandably excited to get a little taste of normalcy - albeit, socially distanced.

Eliza from Carnegie is no exception as she looks forward to the return of community sport in the coming weeks where she can pull on the boots for her Glen Eira Football Club Under 9s Ibinis team.

Eliza said she found lockdown hard, but took every opportunity she could to get out and kick the football with her dad for exercise and to break the monotony of being indoors.

Eliza proudly displays the new Glen Eira Football Club uniform (or 'kit').
"I love playing soccer with my friends, so can't wait to get back to training and games on weekends.  Kicking the football with my family was nice, but it just wasn't the same as playing properly," she said.

Eliza said she understood the need to do things differently when football resumes. 

"There will be changes to the way we train and play because of social distancing, but it will be worth it to be a part of the team again," she said.

Glen Eira Football Club is one of a number of sporting groups across the community preparing for the 2020 season under new social distancing guidelines.

Sports like soccer have proven a good way to exercise during the COVID-19 restrictions as well as supporting good mental health, for adults and kids.

Connect Health & Community's Family, Youth and Children's team is available to help families who may be struggling with issues arising from COVID stress or general life concerns.  Call us on 03) 9575 5333 for an appointment.

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Supported by the Australian Government Department of Health and the Victorian Government.