Sturt Lions Football Club will be hosting a Small Sided Football Carnival on Sunday, September 16 at Manson Oval, Bellevue Heights.

The club is expecting over 180 participants across 18 teams to take part in the carnival which kicks-off at 9am and will continue into the afternoon.

The teams are spread across three age groups, U8, U9 and U10s, with six teams in each and the teams will all play six games.

Due to the growing number of SSF participants at the club, Sturt Lions took the initiative to create a SSF Coordinator’s role in 2012.

Garth Thompson, who currently occupies the role, said the carnival is aimed at engaging the local community as well as promoting the benefits of SSF.

“At Sturt we are blessed to have access to a great playing area at Manson Oval and it’s a great way to promote what we are doing to our local community,” he said.

“I want to see SSF players learn to play the game correctly. Not only do the kids have fun but as a coach I get the opportunity to rotate my squad, reinforce the positive play they do more often and make sure they all get plenty of game time."

“The Football philosophy we teach the kids is consistent across all SSF teams and with that of the older teams, our parents can see that we have a real desire to develop the SSF players individual skills and never focus on game results.”

Sturt Lions is looking to the carnival to further promote the club within the community and will also be offering ‘Come and Try’ days on Sunday October 14 and Sunday October 21.

In addition, the club has run training sessions for SSF in different forms all year round and the players can choose to be engaged for just the normal season or continue to receive great coaching and support with the Summer Sunday Sessions.

Thompson believes the club’s involvement in the community, as well as the dedication of those involved has contributed significantly to the increase in SSF participation.

“The club is passionate about supporting the participation aspect of SSF while providing a pathway for those children that show a passion for the game,” he said.

“It comes down to the quality of the coaches and administrators of the club. We are still a very young club, but the positive feedback from our SSF parents and players is what keeps us growing through word of mouth in the community, coupled with our efforts in engaging with the local schools.”

“Also, we have fantastic qualified coaches throughout SSF, two of which are still playing first team senior football, and many others are ex players or dedicated parents.” 

Thompson highlighted the club has a clear vision of continuing to expand and engage with the community.

The rewards that are expected to follow will not only be evident on the park but extend around the club and to the volunteers.

“As a club we offer SSF training all year round, we want to ensure that kids who want to play can play,” he said.

"The increase in participation enables the club to increase what it provides and provides the foundation for our future junior teams, and ultimately our senior teams in the longer term.”

“The benefits are not necessarily financially associated, but quite often related to the introduction of new people into our football community.” 

“Part of our vision is to not only provide a pathway for players, but also a pathway for coaches, administrators and volunteers.”