FOR the first time in three years, Western Bulldogs AFL squad will be in Ballarat for the club's community camp.
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Visits to schools, coaching clinics, a supporter function and reading some books will lead their three-day program, kicking off on Thursday morning.
City of Ballarat mayor Des Hudson will host the club's official welcome at Ballarat Town Hall before the Doggies get to work in the community.
Players are set to visit about 35 schools across the city on Friday with hundreds of pupils also expected to be on the sidelines for a captain's run at Mars Stadiums.
Due to popular demand from youngsters across the region, the Bulldogs will also put some AFLW players into action with AFLW players Daisy Bateman, Gabby Newton and Eleanor Brown expected to be in the mix.
The Bulldogs last visited Ballarat for an AFL community camp in 2020, before the pandemic restrictions came into force.
While the Bulldogs have hosted in-season AFL and AFLW matches at Mars Stadium when restrictions have allowed, including two AFL and two AFLW matches last season in each competition. As part of this, the Bulldogs' AFLW team hosted the first regional Pride Round match in October.
The Bulldogs are also keen to get to work on the ground with the club's suite of community foundation programs that they have been fostering since first forming a partnership with City of Ballarat in late 2014.
The club's move into Ballarat, ahead of the first AFL premiership season match in town in August 2017, has always had foundations in more than football with community development a strong focus.
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During the camp, some players will be involved in launching children's literacy program Bulldogs Read in Ballarat for the first time in three years.
The program, exclusive to Ballarat, is delivered in partnership with Ballarat Libraries and encourages children and players to share book reviews online and via Skype through the year.
Participants typically get the chance to visit Whitten Oval, the Bulldogs' home base, during the year.
Bulldogs Read has been primarily based online the past three years.
Western Bulldogs Community Foundations in Ballarat also include holistic men's health program Sons of the West, which starts next months, its sister program Daughters of the West, the youth leadership project and Koori youth leadership forum Nallei-Jerring.
The Bulldogs visit will culminate with an open, free intra-club session at Mars Stadium on Saturday morning. Hometown Bulldog and club mascot Caesar will be at the hit-out to meet fans.
Men's program Sons of the West set to bounce back in action
MEN'S health will be back in the spotlight with the Western Bulldogs-led Sons of the West to kick off again in Ballarat next month.
The program, delivered across the western suburbs, has been in Ballarat since 2016 in a partnership with City of Ballarat and grassroots sports advocacy body Sports Central.
In each session participants take part in exercise to their own ability and fitness levels.
Sessions also include a forum with health experts from the Ballarat region covering a variety of topics from nutrition and mental health to gender equity and masculinity.
The Ballarat program has also had a strong focus in helping connect men who might be new to the city or had become socially isolated.
Sports Central programs manager Andrew Milligan said his team was excited and proud to have been coordinating Sons of the West the past seven years.
"It is always great to see the men learn more about their health by engaging with experts across a range of topics...The men also have a lot of fun and gain a lot of satisfaction through participating in the weekly physical activity sessions," Mr Milligan said. "Through their involvement in the Sons of the West program we have seen men develop long lasting friendships, make positive lifestyle changes and become more involved in the local community."
Sons of the West in Ballarat will run from March 10 until mid-May on Wednesday nights at Phoenix P-12 Community College's Sebastopol campus.
Places are limited. Men must be aged 18-plus and attend at least seven out of 10 sessions.
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