Show Your Support for the USAFL in 2020
Submitted by Usafl Admin on August 18, 2020 - 4:53pm

To All USAFL Members, Players, Officials and Supporters,
 
As most of you are aware, the Executive Board has made the decision to cancel the 2020 National Tournament in accordance with the Safety Task Force recommendation. Those of us who have attended a Nationals know how unique and amazing the tournament is and canceling the event was the hardest decision we have been faced with in our 23 year history but we are looking forward to coming back stronger than ever in 2021.

Remainder of 2020 Season

Following strong interest in the Spring USAFL webinar series, we will be continuing the webinars with a Summer/Fall webinar series on weeknights covering a variety of topics such as club management, strength and conditioning, and men and women's US Representative football programs. We will be sending out more information on social media and the USAFL website shortly.
 
Additionally, recognizing the importance of player recruitment and retention during this challenging year, we will soon release a USAFL pathway to competitive footy, which will provide clubs the framework and guidance to safely progress to metro and competitive games wherever and whenever possible, pending USAFL Safety Task Force advice.
 
Even though we are unable to host our usual Nationals this year, we are currently creating a virtual Nationals event the weekend of October 10 - 11 so that we can give our community an opportunity to come together and compete. We are exploring several formats including fitness, skills and running, and agility competitions as well as educational and social events.
 
We welcome creative and fun ideas from our clubs and members. Please submit your ideas, suggestions to Doren James at doren.james@usafl.com by Friday, August 28. We plan to announce the final format and prizes for the event in early September.

What Your Membership Contributes To

The Executive Board and Membership Committee have been assessing how we handle this year's Player Memberships - which make up nearly half of the league’s revenue each year with over 1,300 paid Members. The faithful and loyal backing of our Members each year ensures we are able to offer the level of service, events and support needed to keep our great game growing.
 
We understand that Regional Tournaments and the Nationals Championships are the most visible example of your player memberships at work, but it goes so much further. Membership is essential for creating, developing, and supporting a range of services and programs including: 

  • Creation of player development resources and clinics 
  • Providing grants for club development, tournaments, player exchange in Australia, and umpire development at the International Cup 
  • Supporting the Women’s Association through an annual grant to facilitate the growth of women’s teams across the league 
  • Ongoing support of the Umpires’ Association, which manages umpire development and ensures competitive and safe matches 
  • Funding for the US Men’s and Women’s National representative programs including costs of training camps, staffing, and International Cup travel and competition 
  • Providing liability Insurance for fields for practices, games & tournaments 
  • Website and League Management System development and hosting 
  • Producing media coverage that increases visibility for our sport, players and league 
  • Funding our 4-person staffing team who play a crucial role in the daily operations and success of the League 
  • Supporting an Executive Board, Australian Advisory Board and a base of passionate volunteers that continue to help grow the game 

Each one of these important projects is essential to the mission of our league - to grow the sport of Australian Rules Football in the United States. As members, your support can help us continue to pursue that mission.

With the inability to host tournament football in 2020, the USAFL have pivoted focus towards programs that support players and clubs through this challenging time. This includes establishing the Safety Task Force to assist guiding our safe return to football process, online player engagement forum/channels to provide a platform for sharing information and experiences, and webinars and development resources including Coach and Umpire accreditation access to help continue growth and knowledge of our game.

We have more Player Webinars in development, and we are also planning to hold virtual Nationals events the weekend of October 10/11 so that we can all get a fix of footy and connect with our mates across the League.

We are already looking towards 2021 and the ways that we can make the season, programs, and tournaments extra special. 

2020 Membership Options

We understand this year has taken a financial toll on many of those in our community, so we are offering opportunities for members to support in the way that makes most sense for them. All membership payments for 2020 are tax-deductible (minus gift value). See below for Memberships levels:
 
$100 Membership: 
  • Access to all 2020 events and webinars
  • USAFL 2020 sticker
  • USAFL 2020 koozie
  • USAFL 2020 T-Shirt* 

$50 Membership:

  • Access to all 2020 events and webinars
  • USAFL 2020 sticker
  • USAFL 2020 koozie 

Custom Membership:

For any amount of at least $25 members will receive the following:
  • Access to all 2020 events and webinars
  • USAFL 2020 sticker

We are asking that you take a moment to reflect on what footy and the USAFL mean to you. Please consider renewing your Membership this year and show your support for our incredible sport and community. In doing so you will be helping to safeguard our ability to continue to offer our programs and events and to set up a successful 2021 and beyond!

Renew Your USAFL 2020 Membership

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