Albany Junior Soccer Association

The next two weeks we've got a couple of jam-packed days at McLean Oval being hosted by Denmark Junior Soccer Club. Games being held in Denmark and Mount Barker are crucial to the growth of football in the region and to making our competition a truly 'Great Southern' competition, so we look forward to seeing how these days go and continuing to support all clubs in the region ⚽️

A reminder as well about packing up at the end of games, please make sure we're all checking to see if we're the last game on a pitch, there's the full list of games in the images below and these are printed and placed around the pavilion. Please make sure Nets, corner flags, pitch signs and the bins get brought into the storeroom of the pavilion. There should be a second trolley for the miniroos goals, can we ask that all pitches signs go neatly into the basket of those trolleys and that once the trolleys have 8 goals on them, that they can please be wheeled up to the storeroom.

Good luck to all teams for this weekend, and good luck to the Socceroos tonight!! 🇦🇺⚽️

Congratulations to the following players who were selected for the U13 Green Team for Country Week! 🎉

Congratulations to the players who were selected for the U13 Gold Country Week team! 🎉

This weekend, Albany Caledonian Football Club will host a Mental Health Match in support of Beyond Blue.

The initiative was brought forward by Under 14s Rampant coach Nathan Millar and his wife Dee, who are passionate about raising awareness of mental health and encouraging important conversations within our community.

This cause is particularly meaningful to many within our Under 14 age group. Earlier this year, a close friend of several of our players died unexpectedly. He played alongside many of them throughout their primary school years, and his loss has been deeply felt by young people and families across our community.

Football is about more than the result on the scoreboard. It creates friendships, support networks, and a sense of belonging. Through this match, we hope to encourage young people to look out for one another, to know that it is okay to speak up when they are struggling, and to understand that support is available. We also encourage parents, coaches, teachers, and trusted adults to continue creating environments where young people feel safe, valued, and heard.

A simple conversation, checking in on a friend, or taking the time to listen can make a meaningful difference.

This Saturday, our Under 14 Thistle and Under 14 Rampant teams will come together not just as opponents, but as teammates in a cause that matters.

Together, we play for awareness. We play for support. We play for our community.

Saturday 20 June
Under 14 Thistle v Under 14 Rampant
10:10am | C1

If you would like to support Beyond Blue and the important work they do for Australians experiencing mental health challenges, a donation can be made via the link below.

https://www.mentalhealthmatch.com.au/albany-old-boys-fc

The Knowlson Youth Grants

The Albany Junior Soccer Association is proud to support young people not only through football, but through initiatives that strengthen our whole community.

The Knowlson Youth Grants will provide funding each year for projects led by individuals, teams or clubs within the AJSA community that make a positive difference for young people. These grants encourage young people involved in AJSA to show leadership, contribute to their community, and support important causes affecting youth.

OUR INSPIRATION
These grants were inspired by the Knowlson Family. After more than a decade of dedicated service to junior soccer through their roles on the AJSA Committee, Grace and Jamie Knowlson have given so much to the sport and to the young people in our community — and that generosity is exactly what this program is about.

GRANT FUNDING
This year AJSA is making available up to $1,000 in total. Funding may be awarded as one grant or shared across several projects, with individual grants expected to be between $200 and $500. The number and size of grants will depend on the quality of applications received.

WHO CAN APPLY
Applications may be submitted by AJSA affiliated clubs, AJSA teams, individual players, and groups of players involved in AJSA competitions. Where an application is submitted by an individual or team, club endorsement may be required.

ELIGIBLE PROJECTS
Projects should show a positive impact on young people, and may include:
• Youth mental health awareness programs
• Fundraising events for youth charities
• Community support initiatives
• Youth leadership programs
• Health and wellbeing activities
• Inclusion or participation programs for disadvantaged youth
Applicants are encouraged to submit innovative ideas that benefit young people in the community.

APPLICATION TIMELINE

Applications open - 16 June 2026
Applications close - 31 August 2026
Recipients announced - 12 September 2026

HOW TO APPLY
Applications are designed to be simple and accessible. You will be asked to provide a short description of the project, who it will benefit, a basic budget showing how funds will be used, and the outcomes you expect. Applications can be submitted using the Knowlson Youth Grant Application Form on the AJSA website.

GRANT CONDITIONS
Successful applicants must:
• Use the funding only for the approved project
• Provide a simple acquittal report after completion
• Provide evidence of how funds were used

CONTACT
For further information, please contact the Albany Junior Soccer Association at [email protected] or through the link to our website below.
https://ajsa.com.au/knowlsonyouthgrants/

Tomorrow night (15th June) we have our next AJSA delegates meeting. Very important for all clubs to have 1 member in attendance for the delegates meeting.
Prior to the meeting itself, we will conduct the Cup draw for the U12-18s competitions and we also have a very exciting announcement to share with everyone.

If any clubs would like to have more than 1 clunmember at the cup draw then you're welcome to.

Cup draw and announcement will start at 6pm sharp, remainder of delegates meeting will start from about 6.25pm.

We have a new trolley starting it's first day on the job today, it'll be joined by it's twin next week, thanks to Evertrans.

***Very importantly, can we please ask everyone to make sure their kids absolutely do not climb on the trolley!!***

At the end of the U7 games, a reminder for all pitches (goals, cones, discs and pitch sign) except for S2 and S3 to please be packed up and for the goals to be placed on this new trolley, and the rest of the gear neatly in the basket at the back of the trolley 🙏

Have you got the linesperson job for the team tomorrow or do you just want to understand what the signals mean?

Here is a quick guide to what each signal means.

The AJSA 2026 World Cup Sweepstake is complete and ready to go! 🥳
Whether your team has been allocated to a powerhouse like France, or to a lesser known but equally beautiful Curacao 🏖️ There's something to learn for everyone about the country or it's football history.
We hope everyone has a bit of fun with it, and good luck! May the best team win! ⚽️

In case anyone wasn't aware, the FIFA men's World Cup begins next week!! 🥳

With the expanded 48-team format we thought, what better way to celebrate it and have a bit more fun than we already do, than by having a bit of skin in the game?

So with that in mind, we've set up a sweepstake which is completely free for everyone, we will randomly allocate all 151 teams (yes that's right, there are 151 teams in the AJSA 👀) plus a team of referees to a country that is competing in the World Cup, which includes Australia 🇦🇺.

We will look at potentially having some small prizes which would be finalised by Thursday this week, otherwise it's all for a bit of fun and a chance to get the kids engaged with the biggest show on earth and a chance to teach them some more flags and geography 😂

There's nothing required to enter, every team will be allocated and we'll share the draw tomorrow or Sunday.