Golden Square Football Netball Club chaplain Bruce Claridge once again led the team, which included representatives from the Bendigo Umpires Association, Golden Square and three representatives from the Macorna Football Netball Club.

The 16-member was the largest yet to make the trip.

Well-known Bendigo identity Bill Wilkinson showed age is no barrier to such a trip as he took on the official scorer’s role for the championships and showed his dance skills as he celebrated with the premiers, whose choreographed dance routine was a highlight of the grand final.

Claridge said hard-working Golden Square trainer Shannyn Smith was well occupied without any local support with the many genuine and imagined injuries that needed her expert attention.

“She hopes to train up others to assist her next year and possibly add to her team from other BFNL clubs,” he said.

“Shannyn’s ankle and knee strapping skills were much appreciated by the many who kept her busy on each day of the carnival.

“Central umpires Dale Caldwell, Paula Shay, Matthew Vitiritti and Mark Snell with assistance from Paul Byrne, Archie Bear, Jake Donegan and Adam Symons provided  coaching in all aspects of the game, as well as central and boundary umpiring, to ensure the passion of the young Indian players stayed within the rules and their understanding of the game grew.

“The transformation of the championships as a spectacle has been very much due to the excellent standard of central umpiring provided by Dale, Paula, Matthew and Mark.”

On the field, Jharkhand Crows won the sixth national championships, beating four-time premiers Bengal Tigers 6.5 (41) to 3.2 (20).

In the slum community of Mominpore, as well as in an outlying village, Natalie Goudie and Jo Bear, from Macorna, along with former Sandhurst footballer and local school teacher Geoff Scown introduced the girls to netball.

They also connected with groups in Kolkata, which work together to rescue girls from sex slavery to begin to plan programs to assist the girls’ rehabilitation back into main stream life through sport.

Claridge said Netball Australia had been very supportive of their venture and was providing ongoing assistance.

“Next year the team, with this focus, will be leaving Australia a few weeks after the AFL India support team to focus on this area of support,” he said.

“It is envisaged that one team will leave for Kolkata in early January to assist with the AFL India championships and the other team later in the month.”

Paul Byrne will lead the AFL India team and Bruce Claridge will lead the second team.

Information on these trips will be available once actual dates are finalised, likely in early May.

“These trips have developed a strong bond between the Golden Square FNC and AFL India with the possibility of the best of the Indian players spending time in Bendigo being investigated,” Claridge said.

“It is the conviction of the team that some of the elite players in India would benefit greatly from a stint in Bendigo where their basic natural skills would be developed and perhaps we would see them gracing our Bendigo football grounds.

“The AFL currently has a group of representatives from four AFL clubs over in India looking at developing the game in Mumbai and Kolkata, with a view to having AFL games for premiership points in India somewhere in the future.

“While this is exciting for development of AFL at the elite level our Bendigo teams are building relationships at the grass roots and very embryonic levels in the hope of making life better for the many underprivileged Indian youth in Kolkata and beyond

“Thank you to all the team including our wonderful Indian friends Mona and Sudip Chakrobarty.

“The support given by AFL Central Victoria, Golden Square FNC , the Bendigo Umpires Association and Andrew Zegelin has also been remarkable.”