AFL partnership kicks goals for Iona and community

Last Thursday night, AFL Head of Venue Network Enhancements and Partnerships Shayne Ward, AFL Head of Venue & Government Partnerships Queensland Damien Mitchelmore, AFL Schools & Innovative Venue Growth Lead – QLD Trent Ryan and officials from Morningside Panthers joined Iona College staff and guests for an official ‘lights on’ ceremony at St Eugene’s Park.

In January, an exciting new era for AFL at Iona began with an historic partnership between the College and the AFL when Iona became the first Queensland school to benefit from AFL investment into community infrastructure to increase green space capacity and participation.

The “Breaking New Ground’ program has delivered six new light towers to St Eugene’s Park, meaning Iona’s world-class playing fields can now be utilised after dark in a bonus for local clubs including the Morningside Panthers and Wynnum Vikings AFC.

Mr Ward, who flew in from Melbourne for the event, said the partnership with Iona and its impact on the growth of the game in Queensland could not be overstated.

“It’s a really significant night for the AFL,” he said. “Several years ago, we created a strategy around ‘Breaking New Ground’, which is about innovating ways to create more ground capacity for our fastest-growing clubs like Morningside.

“This is a prime example of what can be achieved when you are able to work with a school like Iona who have been just brilliant to work with. The school has such a big community focus  this organisation, and they are willing to be innovative themselves. 

“(St Eugene’s Park) has twice as much grass as the MCG. It will produce 10,000 hours of use just for our sport, and many more hours of usage for other activities, sports, events, festivals. 

“This is a really significant moment. I have had the pleasure of working on many thousands of projects over the past 17 years for the AFL. This is right at the top in terms of the impact that it will have on our sport.

“Iona’s set-up in our sport is second to none, with the coaching structure, facilities, and now lighting.” 

Mr Mitchelmore said the partnership between Iona and the AFL was part of the ongoing legacy of Brisbane hosting the 2020 Toyota AFL Grand Final at the Gabba during COVID, and was a fantastic collaboration between the AFL, Iona and the Queensland Government.

“It is an incredibly satisfying moment. To see the lights on and kids out there kicking footies is sensational,” he said.

“For this project we have been very fortunate to have the legacy of the 2020 Toyota AFL Grand Finals in Brisbane continuing to support grassroots footy in Queensland. 

“The Grand Final Facility Fund, with great support from the Queensland Government and the AFL has been a big contributor to seeing this project get to lights on, and we are grateful for the government’s support in that.”

Richard Witting, the Director of Infrastructure at Morningside Panthers, said the partnership and lights at Iona were a “game changer” for the club and growing participation numbers locally.

“We’re ecstatic,” he said. “There has been a lot of work put into this – probably three to four years of development. 

“This is a real game changer for Morningside, this infrastructure investment. It is so exciting, but we couldn’t be growing at the level we are without the support of the school as well as the AFL.”

Brayden Teece, representing the Iona Leadership Team, said the lighting project was an example of fostering relationships and partnerships with the AFL at a national level to create genuine benefit for local families and their community.

“This is a really proud moment for Iona,” Mr Teece said. “We exist to serve our local community and this is a great demonstration of that. 

“This builds the capacity of our facilities within the AFL space, but also for the wider sporting space in our local community and will provide so many options for our local families. 

“For our Iona families, pathways are being created there and there are relationships that we now share in, but also for our wider community there is a chance to experience a little bit of Iona College through Morningside Panthers, Wynnum Vikings or other sporting organisations that will get use out of what is now a really great facility. 

“Over the past two years … the relationship between the AFL and Iona College has really grown, and there has been a lot of trust. 

“We are incredibly proud to be the first school to partner with the AFL to launch this program. I know how important it is to the AFL, and it is just as important for us.”