Nashville Kangaroos Tryouts and Recruitment Day

February means one thing to me as coach of the Nashville Kangaroos Football team: only one more month until training officially starts! We had such a terrific year in 2007 both on and off the field, that not even the cold winds nor the snow can dampen my enthusiasm for what is possible in 2008. As the entire administrative staff has been getting prepared to launch 2008, I feel like I have been more busy than a one-legged man in a butt-kicking contest!

First order of business has been to get the schedule set. We have locked in nine games for the year and what a challenging schedule it will be. We have welcomed back the Atlanta Kookaburras after a hiatus last year, with a home and away series. That makes good sense as they are close enough to drive. We have added Division II champions, the Minnesota Freeze, as they have stepped up to the MAAFL Championship level this year. They fairly well thumped us at Nationals last year and we are looking forward to avenging that loss. And finally, we have confirmed the Florida Redbacks, for a first-ever meeting between our two clubs. We will be returning this visit in 2009 and hopefully many of you, our faithful fans, will make a Florida weekend out of that game! In addition, we have our carry forward matches from last year: Baton Rouge Tigers, Chicago United, Cincinnati Dockers, Milwaukee Bombers, and the St. Louis Blues. Yes, this is a challenging schedule, but one that will provide great entertainment for our fans and prepare us for the nationals in Colorado Springs this October. See our Schedule page for full details.

Second order of business is to get our player roster shaped up. We have been doing some off season training with the Vanderbilt Commodores footy club. And several of our boys ran the Nashville Zoo 5K Run last month. But just returning the great group of boys from last year is not going to be enough. We are looking for more players to bolster our local league as well. While our official training does not begin until March 6, we are not waiting to get started. Thus, we are instituting a Tryouts and Recruitment Day, on Saturday February 23. This day is for all current players, and for anyone who has thought about playing with us. Come on out to Elmington Park (see our Training page on the website for full details - www.nashvillekangaroos.org

- Marty Thompson
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