The Cats opened their doors to families who are new to Australia on Sunday as part of ‘Welcome to Geelong’ day. Welcome to Geelong forms one of the many Community programs at the club, which supports and encourages Geelong’s newest Australians to enjoy our game, and provides an opportunity to connect to other Australians through belonging to a club.

As a way of welcoming those to Geelong and to the game of AFL, families were given the opportunity to participate in a clinic ran by SEDA Geelong on the hallowed turf of Simonds Stadium, followed by a delicious Iraqui lunch hand made by the Al-Naseri family, along with a classic Australian BBQ cooked by our very own Cheer Squad.

Players Mark O’Connor and Jamaine Jones were joined by crowd favourite, Half Cat, to assist with the day, while putting kids and their parents through basic AFL skills and drills. The Cheer Squad kicked off the day with chants and the singing of the theme song which everyone enjoyed and clapped along to.

A range of activities were provided throughout the day including face painting, a visit from the Street Surfer Bus, show bags, giveaways and a reading & craft area hosted by Reading out of Poverty.

General Manager of Community Development, Sarah Albon described the day as ‘a sea of smiling faces’ and added that the Club was ‘proud to host over 100 of Geelong’s newest residents at the home of the Cats’.

Welcome to Geelong is one of the Cats 10 community development initiatives. For further information on the Community programs, click here.