St Kilda’s premiership defence will officially kick off this Saturday as it looks to start with a win in the season opener of the 2022 Victorian Blind Football League.
The Saints secured their maiden VBFL flag last season, defeating the Bulldogs by 64 points in what would cap off an undefeated campaign.
However, they are set to field a new-look side to begin the year, with Sean Brown, Soban Sivachanthiran, Kate Aarons, Steffan Nero and Ross Patterson in line to make their debuts for the club.
They will join Kadek Artayana, Ingrid McKenna, Lachlan Kosic and skipper Shannon Jones on Saturday as the 2021 premiers open their season against the Bombers at Indoor Action Sports Stadium in Tullamarine from 12pm.
The Saints will also mark the opening round with the announcement of Guide Dogs Victoria as an official partner for the 2022 season, alongside Pepper Money.
“We are extremely excited to welcome Guide Dogs Victoria onboard as a partner for the 2022 VBFL season,” St Kilda’s Community Engagement Manager, Bridie Murphy said.
“They do such important work in supporting those who are vision impaired, and we are looking forward to building a partnership alongside them to not only support the VBFL side, but also build pathways for people with a disability to be involved in AFL across all levels of the game.”
“We are so proud to partner with another iconic brand to build awareness and support of this wonderful game,” Guide Dogs Victoria GM of Client and Vision Services Jaqui Bond said.
“We also aim to create stronger pathways into sport for our community. Until every person with low vision and blindness has the same access and opportunity as our sighted friends, our job is not yet done.”
St Kilda are also eyeing off a return event to RSEA Park for the team to celebrate their 2021 maiden premiership following a tough and interrupted COVID season.
Click here to learn more about Guide Dogs Victoria and their work within the community.
