Northcote Junior Football Club acknowledges the Wurundjeri people of the Kulin Nation as the Traditional Owners and Custodians of the land on which they play football, and pays respect to their Elders past, present, and emerging.
Our club is enriched by the diversity of its players and families and the club strives to provide a fun and inclusive environment for everyone.
The Cougars is the only junior football club in Northcote with its home ground at McDonell Park. We play teams from across Melbourne’s inner suburbs, as part of the Yarra Junior Football League.
It is a community-based club with over 300 players ranging from 5 to 18 years of age across our Auskick program and club teams. Over 200 families make up the club and are local to Northcote, Thornbury, Preston and other nearby suburbs.
Our members and volunteers are committed to creating a strong future for the club through being welcoming and supportive of all children and teenagers (and their families) who want to learn and play football.
The club strives to provide a family-friendly environment where children and their parents and carers are welcomed.
All children are encouraged to have fun, learn the skills and disciplines of AFL and to learn key values of personal effort and teamwork.
All children, irrespective of gender, are welcomed at NJFC and can choose to join either girls-only, boys’ or mixed teams, where teams are available and depending on age group.
We value child safety across all of the club’s activities, whether it be game day, training or any other event and we expect all parents and carers to be actively involved in promoting and modelling a family-friendly environment at all times.
Girls’ Program
We are proud of our girls’ football program which includes a girls-only groups within the Auskick program for kindergarten and primary school aged girls as well as opportunities for football teams from Under 10 all the way through to Youth Girls.
We tailor our football programs to the needs of our female players so that they can be competitive within a supportive team and club environment.
We look forward to expanding our girl’s football program in 2024 and welcome all girls who would like to come and try footy.
Boys’/Mixed Team Program
Our boys’ and mixed team football program includes three Auskick levels for kindergarten and early primary aged boys as well as underage football teams from Under 9 to all the way through to Under 14s.
Above Under 14s, boys’ only teams are formed (with females directed to girls’ teams) through to the Youth Boys age group.
We tailor all of our football programs to the needs of our players so that they can be competitive within a supportive team and club environment.
Our values
Northcote Junior Football Club reflects the values of our local community:
Respect
Fairness, tolerance and discipline.Participation
Individual, family and community.Team
Co-operation, inclusion and enjoyment.Growth
Opportunity, development and improvement.NJFC is committed to providing our region’s children and teenagers with the support and facilities to learn, play and enjoy football. We do this by:
- Encouraging children to participate, improve their football and social skills while creating and building lasting friendships.
- Creating an environment where all children are equal and provided with the opportunity to achieve their potential.
- Promoting the values of Respect, Participation, Team and Growth.
- Promoting and providing child-safe environments for training and playing.
- Actively engaging with the Northcote and region community, including primary and secondary schools and other community-based organisations, to build and strengthen connections.
New players and supporters are always welcome at the Cougars. If you have any questions feel free to send an email to president@njfc.com.au
Kellie Burns,
President, Northcote Junior Football Club