Aussie rules football team to make Whistler home

A new football team will soon call Whistler home, but not the type of football usually played in Canada.

The Hawks, an Aussie rules football club formally based in Delta will be making the move to Whistler and the broader Vancouver area. The Vancouver-Whistler Hawks are one of seven teams in the British Columbia Australian Football League.

Hawks President Lew-Cooke said Whistler was a logical choice considering how many local Australians have former footy experience; “most clubs around the area are made up of majority Australian or Irish sides; however, we hope that the local Canadians, or anybody in Whistler, will get on board and give it a go, too.” He says It’s a dynamic fast paced sport requiring athleticism, skill and teamwork; “Everybody who has played sport before has a skill they can bring,”

Five of the Hawks players are already from Whistler, the rest reside in Vancouver. The league claims it is the fastest growing league in the country and also boasts the largest junior development program.

In a press release the club says ‘Aussie Rules is now being played in seven provinces, with Canadians making up the bulk of participants. The best of these go on to play for the national teams every three years in Australia and annually against the United States.’

The Vancouver Whistler Hawks have just announced Jacob Pallister as their coach for the 2018 season, which kicks off in April.