The Organising Committee
17 Jan 2023
Latest updates for the Sydney IGLFA 2023 Tournament
There’s just over one month to go until World Pride begins Down Under in Sydney, so it’s time to start getting into the detail! Firstly, if you’d like to read any of our previous updates we’ll be publishing all previous updates on our website over the coming days: https://www.sydneyiglfa2023.com.
Tournament Schedule
The Group Stage draw will be published in Dribl this weekend. We hope this gives you plenty of notice to plan your visit and some of the great things Sydney has in store for you. If you have any questions about the draw please let us know once it’s published.
As a reminder, we have two divisions in each side of the draw. Each team will play each other once in the Group stage (Monday and Tuesday) before progressing to seeded knockout games (Wednesday and Thursday).
We’d also like you to hold some other important times in your diary.
MONDAY 20 FEBRUARY
9 – 10am: Welcome to Country and Official Tournament Opening, including Compulsory Site & Safety Briefing and Tournament Group Photo. (Team Captains at a minimum are expected to attend). The briefing will give you the info you need for a fun and safe experience. Special guests will be in attendance so you don’t want miss it!. Venue: Tempe Reserve (Address: Holbeach Avenue, Tempe)
7pm – Late: Official Welcome Party. Please ensure you have RSVP’d via this link ASAP so we and the venue can plan ahead. If you’re travelling with a +1 they’re more than welcome, but this event is primarily for players in the tournament. Venue: The Beresford Hotel, Upstairs (Address: 354 Bourke Street, Surry Hills)
TUESDAY 21 FEBRUARY
5.15pm: Diversity in Sport Panel. We will gather together ‘pitch side’ immediately after the final whistle of our last games on Tuesday for a special guest panel. Join famous faces from Australian football to discuss the way forward for diversity and inclusion in sport and football. Venue: Tempe Reserve:
THURSDAY 23 FEBRUARY
3pm: Trophy presentation to winners. Please join us to celebrate the winners of our tournaments, Golden Boot winners, and Fair Play award winners. We also hope to announce a very special guest for this presentation soon. Venue: Tempe Reserve.
5pm: Informal post tournament get together. Venue: The Beresford Hotel.
Registrations
While team registrations are now closed, we know a number of teams are still registering individual players. Please make this a priority over the next week or so. If you have too many players, there are a couple of teams who will find a loving home for them! Just let us know.
Visas
Please make sure you have the appropriate visa for travelling to Australia, and ensure this is sorted well before your visit. We really don’t want you ending up on an episode of Border Force Australia! If you’re unclear about which visa you need, The Australian Department of Home Affairs has this guide. Please let us know if it’s still unclear and we can help.
What is a Welcome to Country?
On Monday 20 February we’d love you to attend the Welcome to Country to officially open the tournament. For our international visitors, a Welcome to Country is a practice that has been part of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples’ cultures for thousands of years.
Our tournament is being held on Wangal and Gadigal Lands and we acknowledge and pay our respects to Elders past and present. You can read more about the Welcome to Country and Acknowledgment of Country and its importance here and here. Please make the time to attend on the Monday morning.
Thank you to our sponsors and supporters
Questions & Any Other Business
And finally, we’ll have photography and videography on site throughout the tournament. If anyone doesn’t want their photo taken or objects to images of them being published on social media or online, please let us know so we can make arrangements.
Please keep the questions coming either via email or at our Facebook community.
Cheers
Chris, Sarah, Ky, Sophie, Gus, David, Dean, Kenan
The Organising Committee