Junior footy runs from autumn training in March to finals in late August, and the season ends with presentation night: the club rooms packed with families, trophies lined up on a trestle table, best and fairest, most improved, the coach's award and a medallion for every kid. Auskick centres hold their own end-of-season celebrations for the littlest players. Somewhere in the middle of all that, a team manager has been asked to put together "a video of the year".
Footy is great to photograph and hard to photograph fairly. The midfielders around the ball and the forwards kicking goals dominate everyone's camera roll, while the back pocket, the ruck who spends the game in a contest, and the kid on the wing can go weeks without a clear shot. A fair video needs a bit of planning from round one.
A footy season in order
Pre-season in March
Put the team's link into the group chat early. Pre-season sessions are relaxed and well lit, and the kids are happy to line up for a photo in their training gear.
Round one
Ask families for three things from the first game: the run through the banner, the huddle at quarter time, and the team song after a win.
The bye before school holidays
Use the bye to check the coverage list. Backs and rucks usually lag behind forwards; a reminder that names them goes to the team chat.
Finals
Finals bring the biggest crowds and the best photos. Ask one parent to stand behind each goal so both ends are covered.
Two weeks before presentation night
Close the photo window a few days before the night and watch the first cut with the coach.
Steps that suit footy
Use jumper numbers
Footy numbers are big and printed on the back of every jumper. Paste first names with numbers so photos from the boundary are easy to tag.
Mark consent from registration
Clubs collect photo consent when families register. Flag any player without it before sharing the link; those photos never reach other families or the video.
Rotate around the boundary
Suggest parents watch each quarter from a different part of the ground. Back-pocket photos come from behind the goals; wing photos from the boundary line at the centre square.
Photograph the quarter-time huddle
The quarter-time huddle puts the whole team in one circle facing the coach. One wide photo from behind the coach catches every face.
Name the finals chapters and export
Rounds become chapters, near-identical marking contests are grouped, and every player reaches the same minimum. Rename chapters such as "Round 9 v Tigers" or "Grand final" and export.
Footy moments to look out for
Junior footy has rituals that every family recognises: the team song in the rooms after a win, the coach's whiteboard at quarter time, the end-of-game guard of honour for the opposition, and the snags at the canteen afterwards. Ask families to photograph all of them. If the club holds a family day, a past players' day or a jumper presentation for a new season, those make excellent chapters. For Auskick groups, a turn playing at half time of a senior match on the big ground is pure joy. And a photo of the whole team on the ground at the end of the last game, arms around each other, is the image to finish on.
How long should a footy presentation video be?
Junior footy lists are big, often 22 to 28 players. With two appearances each plus team photos, a list of 25 needs about four and a half minutes. If the club shows a video for every age group, from Auskick to under-17s, aim for three to four minutes each.
How many photos do I need?Photos to collect for your team size and video length.The Pitch style's bold titles suit footy. Pick a rousing instrumental (the club song itself is better sung live), and mark players moving on to youth or senior footy as leavers for a tribute at the end.
Presentation night, footy edition
Before the night
- Test the club rooms' screen during the week; the bar TV is rarely the best option.
- Load every team's video onto one laptop in the order the trophies are presented.
- Play the video before the best and fairest is announced, while the room is quiet.
- Have the team sing the club song after the video; it is a great way to end.
- Share the private link with families afterwards.
Privacy and safeguarding
Faces are never scanned or recognised. Children are matched to photos by the tags their families add and the numbers on their jumper. Only first names are stored, location data is removed on the phone before upload, the season’s link is private and never appears in search engines, and anything inappropriate for a youth sports setting is hidden automatically. Any parent can report a photo, and the organiser has the final say on every photo in the video.
Footy questions
Can Auskick groups use it?
Yes. An Auskick group is a season like any other team; paste the first names and share the link with families.
Our under-12s field two teams. One video or two?
If they train and present together, one roster works. If they are separate teams with separate coaches, make two seasons.
Can we add the end-of-season trip to an AFL game?
Yes, if it happens before the photo cut-off. It becomes its own chapter by date.
Some kids play both footy and soccer. Is that a problem?
Not at all. Each team is its own season, so a child can be on several rosters.