Vanuatu children are getting the hang of NAB Auskick
TODAY'S HEADLINES
TODAY'S VIDEOS
By Chelsea Roffey 10:58 AM
Mon 30 June, 2008
EIGHTY Vanuatuan children have become Australian football converts, signing up to NAB Auskick programs after participating in clinics introducing them to the game.
NAB Auskick clinics were held at three schools during the first week of June following interest generated from informal sessions for students attending the international school in Port Vila.
AFL Queensland Auskick Manager, Fiona McLarty, said football made its mark in Vanuatu when a Gold Coast couple living there introduced Rec Footy – a mixed, non-contact version of football played in competitions around Australia.
Initially played by expatriates and their children at the international school, exposure of the game attracted broader interest resulting in McLarty’s visit to the island nation to set up NAB Auskick.
“When I rocked up to the schools to do the clinics a lot of them thought that it was rugby because of the balls,” McLarty said.
“But once you explained to them what it was about and that you play on a cricket oval and showed them the goal posts, they picked up the game really well.”
McLarty said skills learned from soccer, one of the main sports in Vanuatu, translated across to AFL.
“The kids over there are so athletic. They were fantastic just with their motor skills and picking up the game, like picking up, handballing and kicking drop punts. They were really good with it,” she said.
“The people over there would be really suited to playing AFL.”
A group of parents will take the reigns as NAB Auskick coaches after McLarty hosted an informal session teaching them how to run a clinic.
Vanuatu has no senior Australian football competition, but eight teams play social Rec Footy over summer. With NAB Auskick under way, the coming years may see the island paradise take the game to a new level.
Exclusive to AFL BigPond Network
WebMail
My BigPond
