Football Federation Australia (FFA) is joining forces with health and wellness program AIA Vitality to launch a new grassroots football initiative for Australian kids. 

‘AIA Vitality MiniRoos’ provides boys and girls aged 4 – 11 years with a fun introduction to the world game. 

Designed for kids of all abilities, the nation-wide initiative uses short, game-based sessions to introduce the sport of football to newcomers in an inclusive way. It focuses on learning new skills, being active, making life-long friends and, potentially, unearthing the next generation of Socceroos or Matildas. 

AIA Vitality MiniRoos will be run in conjunction with junior football clubs and schools across Australia. 

Speaking at today’s launch, AIA Vitality MiniRoos Ambassador and former Socceroo Brett Emerton said that AIA Vitality MiniRoos is the perfect way for kids and parents to be introduced to the game of football. 

"I still remember playing football for the first time as a kid growing up in Macquarie Fields and completely falling in love with the game. You can see the happiness that football brings to these kids too when you look at the smiles on their faces as they play today,” said Brett 

“As parents, my wife Sarah and I want our boys to have fun while playing football, make new friends and get into the habit of being active and healthy. That’s what MiniRoos is all about. It’s not just about creating players for the future," he said. 

Today’s launch comes as record numbers of Australians are taking up football, with an estimated 1.97 million participants. 193,000 boys and girls took part in grassroots football in 2014, an increase of five per cent from 2013. An estimated 220,000 children are expected to take part in AIA Vitality MiniRoos this year, which will be delivered by over 1,600 local football clubs. 

The inaugural naming rights sponsor of the MiniRoos is AIA Vitality, a health and wellness program offered by life insurer AIA Australia. The program aims to influence behaviour related to chronic disease and obesity by using incentives and rewards, such as discounts on gyms, healthy food, shopping, entertainment and travel purchases, to encourage people to adopt and sustain healthy behaviours. 

FFA CEO David Gallop said the program comes at an ideal time for football’s growth in Australia. 

“There’s no doubt that the game is on a strong growth trajectory at the moment.” said Gallop. 

“MiniRoos is a great way to introduce kids and parents to the game of football. 

“In addition, the partnership with AIA Vitality will provide a huge boost to the health of football at the grassroots level and indeed the community more broadly.” he said. 

AIA Australia Chief Executive Officer Damien Mu believes AIA Vitality MiniRoos can have a huge impact on the long term health of children, parents and, ultimately, families across Australia. 

“Nothing is more important to a parent than the health and wellbeing of their son or daughter. It provides the foundation for them to grow into healthy adults in future, and to achieve the most out of their lives. 

“As a life insurer, we see first-hand the impact that poor health can have on the community and on quality of life, both for children and adults. By supporting the health of thousands of kids across Australia through one of the fastest growing sports in Australia, establishing healthy habits, we can play our part in addressing Australia’s preventative health crisis,” he said. 

For more information on the AIA Vitality MiniRoos, visit www.miniroos.com.au/

About AIA Vitality MiniRoos 

AIA Vitality MiniRoos is a smaller version of football that provides boys and girls aged 4 - 11 with a fun introduction to the world game. Designed for kids of all shapes and sizes, it is all about having fun, learning new skills and making life-long friends in a team environment. 

For more information on the AIA Vitality MiniRoos, visit http://www.miniroos.com.au/ 

About AIA Vitality 

AIA Vitality is a health and wellness program that aims to influence behaviour related to chronic diseases and obesity. Sold in Australia through financial advisers to lives insured under eligible AIA Australia life insurance policies, the program uses incentives and rewards, such as discounts on gym memberships and flights, to encourage people to adopt and sustain healthy behaviours. 

AIA Vitality is a joint venture between AIA Group and Discovery Holding Ltd, a specialist insurer headquartered in South Africa. Established by Discovery in 1997, the Vitality program has more than six million members in South Africa, the United Kingdom, the United States, China and Singapore through joint ventures with a range of other insurers.  

For more information on AIA Vitality, visit aiavitality.com.au    

About AIA Australia        

AIA Australia Limited is an independent life insurance specialist with over 40 years’ experience building successful partnerships. One of the country’s leading life insurers, AIA Australia offers a range of products that protect the financial health and welfare of more than three million Australians. 

AIA Australia is the one of the country’s largest group life insurers by market share and works closely with major financial institutions and corporate partners. In addition, AIA Australia offers retail insurance products through financial advisers and a valued network of affinity partners. 

By having a partnership philosophy at the core of its business, AIA Australia is focused on building sustainable relationships that add true value to its business partners. Numerous industry awards, including AFR Smart Investor Life Company of the Year, CANSTAR’s Innovation Excellence Award, the AFA Innovation Award for the Best Risk Product of 2014 and ANZIIF’s Life Company of the Year (2013 and 2012), stand as testament to the success of our commitment to productive partnerships. 

AIA Australia is part of the AIA Group, a market leader in life insurance across the Asia Pacific region for over 90 years.