THE Northern NSW AFL Championships ran in Coffs Harbour from 17-19 July, with six young football stars from Camden Haven in action.

The carnival, which ran for three action-packed days, brought together teams from the Illawarra, Central Coast, Hunter and North Coast regions.

In total, 27 representative teams competed across three age divisions: Under 13s, Under 15s, and Under 17s.

More than 600 players participated in a total of 81 matches.

The ultimate goal was to secure the Simon Smyth Cup, an prize bestowed upon the region with the highest winning percentage across the duration of the carnival.

Local AFL athletes Scarlett Simmons, Isaac and Ruby Luke, Brenton and Luke Mance, and Max Fellows all made their mark at the tournament.

Scarlett Simmons, competing in her fourth Northern NSW AFL Championships, told News Of The Area (NOTA) that participating in this year’s carnival was “bittersweet” as it marked the end of her junior representative playing career.

“When I first participated in the Northern NSW Championship I represented the Central Coast and it was a great introduction to representative AFL,” Simmons said.

“However, the following year my family relocated to Camden Haven, which meant a change in representative teams.

“I had to trial for the North Coast Youth Girls Under 17s team as a fourteen-year-old as this was the only girls’ team in their program at the time, however I was lucky enough to be selected.”

This year, Simmons was selected in the Central Coast Under 17s Youth Girls, as she has returned to playing weekend football in that area.

Her selection in the Central Coast representative squad meant competing against several of her old teammates from the North Coast.

“I was not looking forward to this match because it saddened me to play against many of my former teammates, especially as I had only played alongside some of the girls in January this year as part of the HEAT representative AFL program,” Simmons said.

AFL Community Football and Competition Manager for Northern NSW, Brad Greenshields, commented on the growing participation levels in the championships.

“This year we have fifteen boys teams and twelve girls teams in total,” he said.

“A couple of years ago we only had one girls team in the North Coast squad but this year we have filled teams in the 13s,15s and 17s.

“Football is really taking off in the girls’ space.”

Since 2017, the Northern NSW AFL Championships has run every July during school holidays.

The Illawarra region earned the Simon Smyth Cup this year, making them back-to-back winners.

By Kim AMBROSE