Saints required to come marching in

By RUSSELL BENNETT

HE LIVES just a short distance from Beaconsfield’s St Francis Xavier campus, he loves his footy, and he’s a St Kilda Fan. Lucas Sagi and the St Francis Xavier Saints FIDA team are a match made in heaven.
Beaconsfield’s newest footy club will play in Division 3 of the Football Integration Development Association (FIDA) competition in 2015. They’ve got a team, they’ve got a jumper, and they’ve got a home. Now all they need is more players.
Lucas, a lifelong Saints fan, is counting down the days until the Saints’ first official training session on 25 March. It’s hard to imagine anyone more passionate about their footy than him, but he hasn’t had the chance to play in an organised team since he was at the Emerson School.
“A friend of mine said if you don’t have the passion, there’s no way the game is going to live up to expectations – and he’s right,” Lucas said.
“I train on Mondays and Wednesdays for two to three hours at a time.”
Lucas mainly practices in-game situations, to be as prepared as possible for his debut game for the Saints.
He can’t understand why anyone would come along to a Saints training session and not want to get involved with the great game of Aussie Rules.
“It doesn’t matter how big you are, or how old you are,” he said.
“There’s no point going to have a look and just forgetting about it.
“There’s a talent in every one of us!”
Lucas doesn’t care where he plays on the ground, he just wants to have a crack.
The new St Francis Xavier team is the brainchild of Paddy and Jen McKenna, who’ve been heavily involved in the local footy landscape for years.
They’ve had nothing but support from the local community, councils and AFL Victoria along the way in setting up the new club.
The team isn’t just for people with a disability – it’s for anyone who feels they don’t necessarily fit into the mainstream football community.
The Saints’ first training session will be from 5.30 to 6.30pm on Wednesday, 25 March at Beaconsfield’s St Francis Xavier campus. For more information, call club coach Simon Van Dam on 0438 345 009.