More than 200 people crammed into 3 Dragons Restaurant and Bar in Hoi An on September 27th for the Vietnam Swans first Grand Final Party in Central Viet Nam.

“We sold more beer than on any other trading day since we opened!” said Simon Burns, part owner of 3 Dragons.

But it wasn’t just about the beer. It was about the footy and the families.

Emma Kidson, accompanied by MJ on guitar, got things rolling with an audience participator in “The Holy Grail”.

“Turn up the telly, it’s Tom Jones!” led to the last Grail chorus being sung at amphetamine speed before the real action started.

Working the crowd like a pro, Swans resident Airport Lounge Consultant, Jason MacDonald, sold out all the raffle tickets for First Goal, Norm Smith Medallist and Winning Margin. An awesome effort, Jason, which helped raise 3 million dong for Swim Vietnam.

There were no meat pies or hair dryers on offer at half time, but the winner of the inaugural Under-Drinking-Age Handball Competition took home a great Sunrise Kayak Tour from Hoi An Kayak Centre.
Two out of the twenty kids snagged 4 bull’s-eyes from their 10 handballs. In a thrilling handball-off, Cooper Mason nailed 3 of his last 4 handballs for a repeat total of 4 bull’s-eyes to take out the title (see separate video below and report for more info on Cooper with thanks to his mum Kelle for the photos and video).

Hoi An Kayak Centre’s Jason Napiorkowski achieved the unbelievable by nailing the winning margin of Hawks by 63 points. “I hate the Swans so much since they moved from South Melbourne and then defeated my beloved Roos last week”, Jason said as he received his prize from Vietnam Vespa Adventures of a Foodie Night Tour.

Vietnam Vespas also provided the winner of the Norm Smith Medal raffle with a Countryside & Island Tour.

Following a few false starts due to people not understanding what tickets they were looking at, it took 3 quarters to find the quiet Hawks supporter tucked away in the corner who owned up to having the Josh Kennedy First Goal ticket which earned him a Hoi An Scooter Tour of the Rice Fields & Vegetable Village.

Where would footy be without men trying to fit into the jumpers they wore as kids? Simon raffled off a couple of Swans jumpers to give them something more comfortable to wear back in Oz. This raised a further 2 million dong for Swim Vietnam.

“This 5 million is enough to fund one complete class next summer”, Swim Vietnam’s Manager, Doan Minh Trung said as he accepted the funds raised on the day. Trung and 3 other coaches handed out Swim VN brochures at the start of the Grand Final Party and answered questions.

“Vietnam Swans’ ongoing support is one of the reasons why Swim Vietnam continues to grow”, said Swim Vietnam’s Director, Jo Stewart, as she thanked everyone for their contributions.

All in all, the first Hoi An GF Party was a great advertisement for Aussie Rules, with a few AusKick balls from the handball competition last seen being punted down Phan Boi Chau in the afternoon sun by some local kids, the next wave of Swannies!

COOPER MASON FROM PERTH WINS HANDBALL COMP

Cooper is 10 years old and lives in Perth, Western Australia.

He plays footy for Marist Football club and this season played Centre Half Forward. He is also a keen swimmer, water polo player and basketballer. Basically any sport, and Coop will have a go!

Coop stated that Vietnam was our “best family holiday yet!” and he loved Hoi An.

His prize for winning the handball competition was a kayak tour and our family of 4 had a great morning on the water. Thank you to 3 Dragons, Vietnam Swans and Hoi An Kayak Centre!

Coop has an older brother, Flynn (12) who is also a keen swimmer and polo player. Flynn recently started training to swim the English Channel in 2016.

The boys both think the money raised on Grand Final Day at 3 Dragons in Hoi An is going to a fantastic cause, Swim Vietnam, especially because they were so lucky to have learnt how to swim when they were both very young.