A3 laminated colour poster, showing a photomontage of young athletes.

Text on the poster reads: “Are you interested in joining an exchange/ of a lifetime?/ Will you be in years 10, 11 or 12 as of July 2008?/ Then the Connolly Games could be the experience/ you’ve been waiting for!/ The/ Connolly/ Games/ 27 June -/ 14 July 2008/ Casey’s Sister City/ Springfield, Ohio (USA)/ has invited the City of Casey/ to participate in an exchange/ known as the Connolly/ Games between 27 June/ and 14 July 2008 (school/ holiday period)./ A very successful exchange/ to Springfield was/ undertaken in 2004 with over/ 90 Casey residents/ participating./ Sporting Activities man/ include to following:/ · Soccer/ · Volleyball/ · Basketball/ · Tennis/ · Golf/ · Softball/ · Baseball/ · Athletics/ The Connolly Games is a cultural/ exchange to follow on from the Edwin/ Flack Games hosted by the City of Casey/ in 2000 and 2006. Young people from/ Casey and Springfield competed in a/ range of sporting activities./ City of/ Casey/ For further information about participation in the/ Connolly Games, contact the City of Casey on/ 9705 5200 or visit council’s website at/ www.casey.vic.gov.au/connollygames"

The Connolly Games, held in Springfield, Ohio and the Edwin Flack Games, held in Casey, were reciprocal sporting and cultural exchange programs with Casey’s sister city, Springfield, Ohio USA. The exchange first began in 2000 when a contingent from Springfield, Ohio visited the City of Casey to participate in the inaugural Edwin Flack Games. These Games also saw contingents from Casey’s UK sister city, Berwick-up-Tweed, and Greek sister city, Ioannina. Since then, a further three exchanges between the Casey and Springfield have given participants the opportunity to be closely involved with their sister city community. Competitors were young non-professional athletes aged 16 to 18 years however these exchanges involved all age groups in roles such as officials, coaches and support personnel.

In 2004 Casey sent a contingent of 89 over to Springfield to participate in the 2004 Connolly Games. Six sports were contested being athletics, men’s and women’s basketball, volleyball, soccer, golf and tennis. In 2008, an 18 day exchange to Springfield saw 34 young Casey athletes and support personnel travelled to the USA to participate in the second Connolly Games in basketball and soccer.