Dogs appoint Next Generation Academy Manager

[Ozza]

The Western Bulldogs today confirmed David Newton as the Club’s new Manager – Next Generation Academy.

Newton joins the Club after 10 years as General Manager – Football Operations at the Western Region Football League, and brings an extensive knowledge of the local football landscape in Melbourne and Victoria’s west.

Newton’s role will focus on improving the current talent pathway offering for participants aged between 11 and 15, with a view to providing an opportunity for the Bulldogs to identify, develop and nominate for drafting of elite talent within its nominated regions of Western Melbourne, Wimmera, Mallee, South West Victoria and Ballarat.

Bulldogs Director of Football Chris Grant welcomed Newton’s appointment.

“David has a wealth of experience in the football operations space but most importantly he has built great relationships with important stakeholders in the west of Melbourne and Victoria.

“We look forward to having him as part of our team, and driving our Next Generation Academy strategy.”

Set up by the AFL earlier this year, the Next Generation Academies assign each Victorian-based AFL club a region in Victoria or the Northern Territory, with the objective of attracting boy and girls who are not currently playing football or are underrepresented in the AFL.

Newton will transition into the role full time from January 2017 but will continue to assist with planning for the Club’s Next Generation Academy while remaining in his currently role at the WRFL.

Newton will also work closely with both the Western Jets and the North Ballarat Rebels in the TAC Cup competition – who currently manage and provide the elite talent pathway for young AFL talent between ages 15 and 18 within the above regions.



Exclusive to westernbulldogs.com.au

[LostDoggy]

Good stuff. Gee it's going to be good identifying very talented kids early on in our region and watching them develop knowing we have the inside running. Like having hundreds of potential father/sons.

[bulldogtragic]

I've just spent 15 minutes trying to find anything about our academy, any players we might have lined up generally and specifically this year (if any) and there's next to nothing that I can see. Does anyone have an idea about anyone we may available access to this year?

[Twodogs]

Apart from it being great to have the Western region of Melbourne back under our banner the real plum in our allotment is Ballarat. A lot of very good players come from Ballarat.

North must be seething.

[Ozza]

As I understand it, the lack of accessible info out there about the NGA is mostly by design.
I believe there will be something on the website in the next couple of weeks about it - but there has been plenty happening in the early stages of the program getting it up and established.

[bulldogtragic]

As I understand, much of the early stages of this program are around identifying talent in the younger under-age groups (under 14s and 16s for example) as well as running

Fair enough in that case, I was hunting for that and eligible category B rookies this year and couldn't find either.

[Axe Man]

The Dogs’ next generation (http://www.westernbulldogs.com.au/news/2018-01-08/the-dogs-next-generation)

“The West” is a big, big place, and Dave Newton, the Western Bulldogs Next Generation Academy Manager has seen a lot of it over the last 12 months.

After a decade as General Manager – Football Operations at the Western Region Football League, Newton was appointed to manage the talent in the Bulldogs’ backyard; including most of inner western Melbourne and the better part of regional western Victoria.

When the announcement came in February, 2016 to establish ‘Next Generation’ Academies, then AFL General Manager of Operations Mark Evans said that for the game to prosper, the League and it’s clubs needed to invest in new and emerging communities, and reinforce pathways for Indigenous Australians

“The academies will look to build strong links between local communities, grassroots football and the elite level, to ensure our game is representative, inclusive and embraces gender and cultural diversity,” he said.

And that’s what’s been happening in the Dogs’ zone, led by Newton.

“Through the academies we’ve set out to attract, retain and develop talented players from all backgrounds, whilst growing participation in underrepresented segments of the community, particularly in our heartland markets,” Newton told westernbulldogs.com.au

“We are achieving this in many ways but mainly through collaboration with existing football programs in schools, community and AFL Vic pathway programs.”

Peppered across this vast region are Academy Hubs set up and run by the Bulldogs that deliver a skills development curriculum supported by education programs off the field. Based in Ballarat, Hamilton, Horsham, Warnanbool and Footscray, the hubs are focused on boys and girls aged between 11-15, after which they’ll then look to transition into the TAC Cup Development program.

“Through this collaboration we had 50 boys and 25 girls represent the Western Bulldogs NGA at the 2017 AFL Victoria V/Line Cup Championships that was held in Gippsland in September, and close to 15% of these participants were from Indigenous or Multicultural backgrounds.”

Newton says he’s had around 400 kids go through the program in 2017, but he emphasises that the program is bigger than football.

“There is an overarching principle of identifying and developing kids who would otherwise not play the game or are underrepresented in AFL Talent pathways,” he says, “specifically multicultural kids from Asian or African backgrounds and better developing and preparing Indigenous players for AFL.”

The NGA is already providing individual development programs for future prospects, including South Sudanese born Buku Khamis who suited up for the Western Jets in 2017 and has spent December training with the Bulldogs at VU Whitten Oval.

With the Academy still technically in development, Newton’s role is a demanding one where no two weeks look the same; most of it spent on the road, meeting with stakeholders, attending academy training sessions, and taking in TAC or representative games over the weekend.

But it’s all for a worthy cause, for club and community, and he’s full of optimism about where the academies are heading.

“I would expect to have a number of our NGA futures players on our AFL List or at other AFL clubs, and I would also envisage more players from our Academy Zone graduate onto AFL Lists via the Western Jets and Greater Western Victoria Rebels,” Newton says.

“That, as well as an increase in the percentage of indigenous and multicultural players involved in our under 11-15 year old program.

“It’s a really exciting time to be involved.”

[Twodogs]

I think the plural of acadamy might be academia. From the Greek...

[Axe Man]

I think the plural of acadamy might be academia. From the Greek...

Maybe you should change your user name to Twodogia?

[Topdog]

Found out yesterday that a friend's 14 year old boy is involved in this

[AndrewP6]

I think the plural of acadamy might be academia. From the Greek...

Nah I am sure it's academies. Academia refers in general to institutions involved in higher learning.

[Twodogs]

Maybe you should change your user name to Twodogia?


Nah, that'd be too dodgy...

See what I did there?


Nah I am sure it's academies. Academia refers in general to institutions involved in higher learning.

One of us needs to adjust our sarcasm radar.

[AndrewP6]

Nah, that'd be too dodgy...

See what I did there?



One of us needs to adjust our sarcasm radar.
Probs me. I'm on holidays, brain is too!