By Callum Ludwig
Millwarra Primary School has welcomed AFL Victoria to both campuses to kick off their two week footy clinic program.
Game Development Officer at AFL Victoria Cooper Chesney said kids are loving the program, while also reconnecting them with the game.
“They have a lot of fun just getting out there having a kick. I think they like being able to run around and play sport and all the friendships and mates you make when you play sport,” he said.
“It’s been pretty important to get kids engaged with playing sport again after Covid, and create pathways for them to get involved with local sports like footy.”
Millwarra Primary School has been busy trying to encourage kids to get active and participate in local sport after Covid, having previously taken students kayaking at Lilydale Lake with the help of Olympians and reached out to the local tennis club to organise clinics at the school.
Principal Rod Barnard said sports clinics and opportunities are really important for keeping students interested in sports.
“Unless they’ve got real interest when they go into secondary school, kids often have less willingness to get into those activities,” he said.
“Some kids are better team sports, others at individual sports, they’ve got to find their niche and find out what’s the best for them.”
Mr Branard has been involved with the Warburton-Millgrove Football Netball Club for over 15 years and has been the president of the club for the last five.
He said it’s important to do something positive about getting kids involved and encouraging them to try something new.
“We know that even just getting kids back involved in the school has been an effort. Kids have become comfortable being at home,” he said.
“I love to see kids taking a risk to get out of their comfort zone and do things that they really want to do. We want to be sure they get a good balance in life.”
AFL Victoria has also recently been hosting a Footy For Fun program targeted at getting girls into footy and encouraging them to join up with their local club in order to continue the development of the rapidly-growing women’s game.
The two-week-long programs are free for schools, organised by the schools after contacting AFL Victoria.
