NAB AFL Auskick on the Sunshine Coast has been booming in 2011 with a massive numbers of centres across the Coast getting involved with plenty of kids having a kick.
Some stand out centres that have impressed so far include Stella Maris Catholic Primary School, North Arm State School and Kawana Park Eagles setting the bar high.
Stella Maris Catholic Primary school has consistently recorded massive numbers over the last five years with the magic average of 120 registrations.
The large numbers in the area have been attributed to the size of the school and AFL Sunshine Coast Development Staff putting a lot of work into the region as a whole.
Sunshine Coast AFL Development Officer, Mark Kennedy attributed a great deal of the Stella Maris success to their highly influential teacher Luke Parnemann.
“Luke has been a great facilitator following through with successful programs such as the NAB AFL Auskick, The Gold Coast Suns Cup and The Future Stars Program,” Kennedy said.
“The continuous success at this centre has been two-fold: good quality programs and fantastic atmosphere that also includes the entire school and its communities.
“They dive into AFL programs and are nothing short of magnificent when it comes to participation numbers, quality and delivery.”
Stella Maris also have bragging rights to the Gold Coast Suns Cup in the record books as state champions as well as runners up in previous years.
This year’s Auskick at Stella was no exception with large registration numbers of enthusiastic participants and parents.
Three modified games of AFL were running in the final week with parents joining in, having a kick and enjoying the team environment with a number of youngsters demanding extra time at the end of the session.
AFL Sunshine Coast Auskick Coach Alistair Baker said the kids enjoy the experience and Stella is no different.
“The opportunity for the kids to get outside and have fun with their mates is something that is sometimes taken for granted,” Baker said.
“The Stella kids are always full of energy and over the years this has never declined which contributes to the consistent numbers at the centre.
“There have always been a lot of kids participating at Stella since I have been in my position and I think they go back and tell their mates how good it is and everything flows from there with a lot of kids coming back continuously to be a part of program or on to club footy where the fun continues.”
North Arm State School has also come through with some impressive figures this season recording 54 registrations up a 13 registrations from 2010.
Although 13 may not seem like a massive incline, across centres on the Sunshine Coast this is a massive number in growth.
AFL Sunshine Coast Auskick Coach Brad Nunn said the kids are really eager to get involved and learn new skills.
“Quite a large number of the kids at North Arm this year don’t have a background in AFL so they are basically starting from scratch and embracing AFL,” Nunn said.
“It is probably the most rewarding of all centres watching kids who previously had no idea about AFL learn, develop and become great little AFL players.
“Getting the parents involved in week eight is always a massive boost and I think that the parents at North Arm have seen the enjoyment that their kids are getting out of AFL Auskick and are taking that knowledge back into the community.”
Kawana Park Eagles Auskick has provided some outstanding figures for all AFL Auskick centres to look up too, especially those coordinated by AFL clubs.
The Eagles AFL Auskick program has a staggering 65 per cent conversion rate to club AFL, the highest conversion rate in the state.
Kawana Park Eagles Auskick Coordinator, Paul Menti said that the conversion rate is what it is all about when it comes to AFL growing on the Sunshine Coast.
“It takes a huge effort to get our AFL Auskick participation level through communication to our surrounding schools,” Menti said.
“The continuation of our Junior Football success relies on our AFL Auskick program introducing our club as the type of club the players and parents would want to continue to be a part of in the following years.
“We do this by running a program that naturally progress’ the players to Under 8’s level, with skill education and has lots of games for fun.
“We include parents as much as possible as well, with coaches on a one coach to four player’s ratio ensuring parents are part of their child’s progress and encouraging further involvement through future Junior AFL years.”
AFL Sunshine Coast Development Officer Dayne Frew said that the number of centres and participation numbers across the Coast have been encouraging for everyone involved.
“It's been fantastic to see so many new kids participating in AFL Auskick this year and to see the continuing trend of growth staying in place,” Frew said.
“We have explored new schools and the kids love their weekly dose of AFL Auskick which is encouraging for everyone involved, especially their parents.”
As term four approaches nine AFL Auskick centres will be up-and-running across the Coast with six sport education programs and two Active After-School Care AFL Centres.
While everyone has two weeks off to re-charge their batteries for term four, the AFL Sunshine Coast Office is preparing for AFL Auskick mass distribution aimed to produce 100 per cent fun, skills and participation for everyone involved.
AFL Auskick centres kicking off on the Sunshine Coast in term four are:
Woombye State School, Bli Bli State School, Chevallum State School, Sunshine Coast Grammer, Mapelton State School, Mooloolaba State School, Palmwoods State School, Golden Beach State School and Sunshine Beach State School.
Last Modified on 17/10/2011 11:35