FOOTY fever hit the Coffs Coast this week as the Sydney Swans came to town as part of an AFL Community Camp.

C.ex Coffs International Stadium was a sea of red and white, as the Swans ran a Super Clinic for juniors and a Coaching Development Session for local coaches.

The Swans also prepared for the upcoming AFL season by playing an intra-club practice match.

Swans player Isaac Heeney highlighted the importance of his club visiting regional areas such as Coffs Harbour.

“It’s amazing to come up here and bond as a team, but just to put smiles on kids’ faces, they don’t get the opportunity to see too many professional athletes in these sorts of ways,” he said.

“Growing up in Newcastle and never really having that many professional AFL players come to Newcastle or visit the schools or my club, it’s nice to come out here and put smiles on kids’ faces.

“You see how energetic they are running around and how much they love it, and it just makes you want to give back.

“And me being a NSW lad, it’s good to see the growth within NSW and what’s happening at the moment, I’m excited and it puts a smile on my face.”

The former All-Australian said Coffs held a special place in his heart.

“I actually got recruited from up here in the Under 12s, we had a representative carnival in Coffs when I first got signed to the Swans Academy,” he said.

After a finals berth last year, Heeney was looking forward to the season ahead.

“I’m excited, and I think the best thing about us over this preseason is that we have recruited really well, we have four key personnel to come in – Brodie Grundy, Taylor Adams, James Jordon and Joel Hamling – and they are going to play some big roles for us this season,” he said.

By Aiden BURGESS