Port Adelaide Football Club currently recruits more than 50 per cent of its players from the Eyre Peninsula region and is responsible for junior development programs across the region.

Leanne and husband Glen ‘Grub’ Gray joined a handful of local families for a community meeting at Port Lincoln last month to highlight the need for regional support of the development program and, as a result, the Magpies.

“It’s not about which team you support, it’s about promoting football for our youth on Eyre Peninsula,” Leanne said. “The Magpies have a strong and proactive junior development program which many local players have benefited from.”

Two of Leanne and Grub’s sons have already benefited from the Magpies’ junior coaching program.

Sam, 18, is currently living in Adelaide and training with the SANFL side while Tom, 14, is involved in their Under 15 development squad.

“We have a very personal interest because our boys are playing football, but we want to see other kids and other families in the future be able to take advantage of these programs.”

Concerned that the collapse of the Magpies may have devastating repercussions for local footy, Leanne is now calling for locals to put aside their SANFL loyalties and throw their support behind junior football as a region.

“With the Magpies’ future in doubt, it’s important to recognise the amount of time they commit to local development,” she said. “As much as the club relies on Eyre Peninsula players, so the players depend on the the club and its development program for future pathways into football.

Cleve and Arno Bay alone are well-represented in the Port Adelaide development and academy squads, without counting the number of players, past and present, from other Eastern EP regions and teams.

“It’s great that a little area like this is being noticed,” U17 development squad recruit Jo Fauser said. “Thanks to this program, so many of us have the chance to play football at a higher level.”

“It’s very important,” country academy player Wade Mason said. “I hope to go on and play football as a career and I’m pretty proud to be part of this program.”

Leanne is now calling on the Eastern Eyre Football League as a whole to join the fighting fund and shake the tin in their local communities.

“We’ve already had a positive response from Cleve businesses and the Magpies have now provided me with a professional sponsorship package to allow these sponsors to come on board,” Leanne said. “It’s not about whether you hate the Magpies, or you love them – they are our zone representatives and provide an important training opportunity for our footballing youth. Sponsors can even choose to support an individual in their country academy program.”

“If Cleve can support the cause through small donations, perhaps other towns will take up the call and it will snowball,” Leanne said. For more information, contact Leanne Gray – 8628 2417.