The ‘Future Cats’ AFL Program at the Gympie Cats AFC wrapped last Friday after a week postponed due to flooding.
From all accounts, kids had a great time in what was for many, their first AFL experience.
The ‘Future Cats’ program was a free six week Sport Education AFL participation program for kids in year four to seven in the Gympie region, funded by the Queensland Governments Department of Sport and Recreation.
Participant numbers throughout the program were great, with over 140 children participating in schools over the first two weeks and over 40 children playing games at the club for the last four weeks.
The aim of the program was to have fun and to let all kids have a kick whilst outside actively enjoying AFL with their friends.
Sunshine Coast Regional Manager, Paul Tresise was pleased with how the program was coordinated.
"It was great to see so many kids enjoying AFL for the first time, but the highlight was seeing how much everyone improved over such a short period of time," Tresise said.
"To see the kids go from not being able to kick or handpass to playing full games, running and kicking the footy was amazing."
After the final session, a Brisbane Lions Jumper was awarded to the participant who had shown the most improvement throughout the program.
"The Brisbane Lions Jumper to a young man who is a great example of what AFL football in regional communities is all about: Coming together, supporting each other and having fun with your mates." Tresise said
"This young man was spotted on numerous occasions helping others to learn the skills of AFL whilst improving out of sight himself."
The Future Cats program was a great success, with a number of the participants signing up to play club football at the Gympie Cats this year and hopefully some more to come in the following weeks.
This great program was made possible by the Queensland Government funding, a lot of hard work and support from AFL Sunshine Coast staff and Gympie Cats volunteers, as well as the schools in the Gympie region.
Last Modified on 24/09/2014 10:55