Angela

Thanks for the positive comments. I find using the footy or any club season as an anchor for other activities encourages communication in a fun and relaxed atmosphere where we don't judge, we just enjoy everyone's company as they all have something to offer. It also gives the guys something to look forward to each week and it encourages them to keep engaged with what happens through the week by following any player changes on the news. All levels can engage.
The interesting thing I also note, is when their families realize what we are doing, they often rush out and buy the jerseys as they know it would increase their joy being part of their footy following group.

When we watch specific footy matches where we know our residents follow the team, we encourage the residents to put on their club jerseys and listen to the tv while sipping on a small can of beer, have some nibbles and talk about the players and listen along with the commentary. We have a large whiteboard of all the teams displayed where we add the points each week. We use the footy season as an anchor to provide other activities from., eg tossing a football around in a group, playing cards that have their favourite players on them.