More than just playing

From Adelaide Now

WEST Adelaide footballers have sought some divine intervention to help them go one step further this SANFL season by renovating the rundown church of their team chaplain.

The Bloods, who lost last year's grand final to Norwood by 69 points, recently completed a $100,000 renovation of the Richmond Baptist Church, a decent drop punt from their clubrooms at Richmond Oval.

Club sponsors donated materials to complete the project, which took two weeks.

Work on a new kitchen, community room, outdoor area and gardens was done by the players after training sessions and on weekends.

The project came to life last year when Bloods coach Andrew Collins dropped into the church to chat to pastor and club chaplain Elliot Keane. Despite the club's dire financial situation - it recorded a loss of more than $505,027 last year - Collins said he and his players needed to help.



"To say it was rundown is an understatement," Collins said.

"We thought it was a really good idea to get something done.

"We don't want to be disappointed with the financial position of the football club, that is what it is.

"I just wanted the playing group and the broader West Adelaide community to realise there are a lot of people worse off than us." Qualified builders Scott Bricknell and Dustin Head completed the work on the new community room and outdoor area backing off the church's cafe, Holy Beans. Landscapers Ryan Anderson and Shane Birss took care of the gardens while plumbers Aaron Anderson and Dean Poynton replaced the pipes.

The rest of the squad chipped in with labouring and painting.

Mr Keane, 29, said the church community was grateful for the work.

"The church hadn't been touched in a long time," he said.

"It now gives us the opportunity to work with the community and serve it better.

"We can now build on the connections we have and after the makeover we've got a lot more opportunities."

Hmmm...do you guys have your priorities right?

Great effort by the West players to steep themselves in their community, well done. On another note I didn't think the margin in the Grand Final was that much?

over the line wrote:Hmmm...do you guys have your priorities right?

Interacting with our community? Seems like a top priority to me.

over the line wrote:Hmmm...do you guys have your priorities right?

What is wrong with a football club getting involved in a community project and volunteering there time ?
What priorities have the players got wrong by helping out with this project ?

Have no other clubs ever been involved in this sort of work ?

over the line wrote:Hmmm...do you guys have your priorities right?

sorry i take excemption to that, when a group of people lend their hands to help (whatever it is) they should be congratulated & you criticize their priorities , i presume if you were broken down on the side of the road you would knock back any help offered to you

well done to the whole West Adelaide ''congregation'' on helping out & working together on such a working bee would really bond the squad together

Not the first time West Adelaide have been involved in community transformation projects.

From 2008: http://www.edgechurch.com/page/community_transformation_projects/142/#fulham

Always good to see clubs putting back into the community. Well done to the Westies guys.

Wonderful to hear and see this.

Im a big avocate for people connecting with the community

Well done Westies !!!

More of the same please, Westies. Don't just stop at one.

Brucetiki wrote:Not the first time West Adelaide have been involved in community transformation projects.

From 2008: http://www.edgechurch.com/page/community_transformation_projects/142/#fulham

Always good to see clubs putting back into the community. Well done to the Westies guys.

i thought that church was involved at South, oh well wrong again

bayman wrote:

Brucetiki wrote:Not the first time West Adelaide have been involved in community transformation projects.

From 2008: http://www.edgechurch.com/page/community_transformation_projects/142/#fulham

Always good to see clubs putting back into the community. Well done to the Westies guys.

i thought that church was involved at South, oh well wrong again

They have 3 campuses in Adelaide - one indeed down south, one in the City (in the old Greater Union Cinemas), and one out west.

Very much driven by Andy Collins.

bayman wrote:

Brucetiki wrote:Not the first time West Adelaide have been involved in community transformation projects.

From 2008: http://www.edgechurch.com/page/community_transformation_projects/142/#fulham

Always good to see clubs putting back into the community. Well done to the Westies guys.

i thought that church was involved at South, oh well wrong again

South one is at Old Reynella.

Don't get me wrong, giving your time to charity is a good thing but wouldn't giving your time to your club who is in severe financial distress more important?

These players are tradies, not office accountants. What are they supposed to do?

It's a good community initiative, and hopefully the good word will be spread and may attract more locals to our club.

Want to shed some light on what NFC does, other than write up dodgy player contracts?

We're not broke mate

There's just no satisfying some people

Again, another Redleg who can't give a simple straight answer to a simple question...

I didn't mean to offend anyone here. I just think that donating $100K of resources to a charity (and yes it is a great cause) seems strange when there must be a way to capture that $100k of resources into benefitting the club (and their employer mind you). Maybe you could have renovated a house and sold it?

Since he's been at Westies, Andy Collins has done much to engage West with the community and vice-versa.

The businesses were happy to donate for the church, but may not have done so just for a club fund-raiser. It does make them aware of our club and starts to forge relationships for the future.

As a group, Westies have attended the West Torrens Council Anzac Day Dawn Service for years now and that is just one of several things they've been doing.

It seems to have had a positive effect on our football as well. We've come from bottom to a Grand Final and are on the way up.

otl,
put it in this perspective

unfortuneately in life we have murderers, rapists, terrorists, home invasions, robberies etc etc, so when something is done from the heart to help an individual or a group they should be applauded & not have negative comments made

i wont make any comment about West & any house

over the line wrote:I didn't mean to offend anyone here. I just think that donating $100K of resources to a charity (and yes it is a great cause) seems strange when there must be a way to capture that $100k of resources into benefitting the club (and their employer mind you). Maybe you could have renovated a house and sold it?

Agreed fix your own backyard first.

Why port Adelaide continues to waste money on the thunderbirds I have no idea.

Your clubs half a mill in the hole & you want to do charity work for a church(richest/evilest organisation in the world).

Just shave your heads ffs.

Millsy wrote:

over the line wrote:I didn't mean to offend anyone here. I just think that donating $100K of resources to a charity (and yes it is a great cause) seems strange when there must be a way to capture that $100k of resources into benefitting the club (and their employer mind you). Maybe you could have renovated a house and sold it?

Agreed fix your own backyard first.

Why port Adelaide continues to waste money on the thunderbirds I have no idea.

Your clubs half a mill in the hole & you want to do charity work for a church(richest/evilest organisation in the world).

Just shave your heads ffs.

I think boys it is time to stop before the weight of the whole forum comes down upon you.
I just cannot comprehend the mindset being offered here.

A worthwhile endeavour by any other name is a worthwhile endeavour.

Christian attitudes being purported as a negative? I sure hope you guys put your hand up to work at Easter....and at Christmas too!

Millsy wrote:

over the line wrote:I didn't mean to offend anyone here. I just think that donating $100K of resources to a charity (and yes it is a great cause) seems strange when there must be a way to capture that $100k of resources into benefitting the club (and their employer mind you). Maybe you could have renovated a house and sold it?

Agreed fix your own backyard first.

Why port Adelaide continues to waste money on the thunderbirds I have no idea.

Umm, the Thunderbirds stopped being sponsored by Port in 2011 - they changed their colours and all once Fairmont Homes became major sponsor

Chambo Off To Work We Go wrote:

Millsy wrote:

over the line wrote:I didn't mean to offend anyone here. I just think that donating $100K of resources to a charity (and yes it is a great cause) seems strange when there must be a way to capture that $100k of resources into benefitting the club (and their employer mind you). Maybe you could have renovated a house and sold it?

Agreed fix your own backyard first.

Why port Adelaide continues to waste money on the thunderbirds I have no idea.

Your clubs half a mill in the hole & you want to do charity work for a church(richest/evilest organisation in the world).

Just shave your heads ffs.

I think boys it is time to stop before the weight of the whole forum comes down upon you.
I just cannot comprehend the mindset being offered here.

A worthwhile endeavour by any other name is a worthwhile endeavour.

Christian attitudes being purported as a negative? I sure hope you guys put your hand up to work at Easter....and at Christmas too!

Christian attitudes!!! Where's my bucket.

Might aswell have a cake sale with all proceeds going to the Taliban.

Wouldn't be surprised if something else "accidentally" burns down at Richmond very soon.

This is a footy forum ???