THROUGHOUT winter, Gunnedah kids have had their taste of Australian Rules Football through the AFL’s Auskick program.
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For the last six weeks kids as young as seven-years-old have learned to handball and kick under the watchful eye of Auskick co-ordinator Hamish Russell.
“The kids have had a blast this year,” Mr Russell said.
“Their skills have come a long way and we have had pretty strong numbers throughout the month’s of May and June averaging about 20 to 25 kids each week which has been great.
“It really has been good to see all the kids having fun and it has been a pleasure to coach these kids because every week they have turned up with a positive attitude.”
Mr Russell said a major aim of the program was to promote the sport in regional NSW.
“We are probably the fifth most popular ball sport in the region,” he said.
"So in terms of promoting the game in our area, Auskick is a great way of doing that.
“We have run a shortened program due to how many other sports the kids are playing such as soccer and league, but I think that has worked really well in keeping the kids coming back and having fun.”
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The program co-ordinator said many people had helped make the program a success.
“We have had a lot of help from several players from the Gunnedah Bulldogs AFL team which has been fantastic,” he said.
“Paul Naismith and Adrian Young have been here every week running the barbecue which is terrific and Jenny Sands has run the canteen every Friday.
“Without the contribution of those guys there’s no way we would be able to do this.”
Gunnedah’s Auskickers will now look to taking to the SCG in the coming weeks to show off their skills.
“I think eight kids and their families will be travelling down to Sydney on July 21 to play during halftime of the Sydney Swans and Gold Coast Suns game,” Mr Russell said.
“It should be a great road trip and hopefully a memorable experience for everyone.”