Young female Auskickers take centre stage

Junior girls footballers from southern NSW, the Central Coast, Newcastle and all across the metropolitan Sydney region will take centre stage during the Sydney Swans match against the Carlton Blues this Friday night, when nine local groups take to the field for half-time Auskick at the Sydney Cricket Ground.

Half-time Auskick will be an all-girls affair to tie-in to Women’s Round, being celebrated at all AFL matches this weekend. Round 14 of the 2013 Toyota AFL Premiership Season is celebrating the women who make the game great – from players and officials to administrators, journalists and die-hard footy fans.

AFL NSW/ACT is proud to support the national initiative to celebrate Women’s Round this week, and with 12,019 female Auskick participants in NSW and the ACT, we have the highest number of female Auskickers in the country.

As part of Women’s Round, Ladies at Sydney Swans (L@SS) and Ladies of the Lake (LOL) will form a guard of honour on-field for the team as they run through the banner. AFL NSW/ACT will also be giving away 100 pink Sherrin footballs to the first 100 women who visit the Play AFL marquee on Driver Ave before the match.

Half-time Auskick will be the perfect opportunity to celebrate female football and for the young girls to have fun with their friends and to experience the thrill and excitement of running out onto an AFL Premiership ground in front of their family and an excited footy crowd.

The following clubs will participate in half-time Auskick: Edgeworth Public School, Wyong Christian College, Maroubra Saints Youth Girls, Mosman Youth Girls, Drummoyne/St Scholastica’s Youth Girls, Kellyville Rouse Hill Youth Girls, Leeton Auskick Centre, Sydney South Youth Girls, Sydney Harbour & Illawarra Combined Auskick Centres.

One lucky Auskicker will be selected as the Round 14 NAB AFL Auskicker of the Year nominee, to be announced on the Channel 7 broadcast at half time.

The nominee will travel to the 2013 Toyota AFL Grand Final to take part in an exciting 3-day Grand Final experience which includes walking in the Grand Final parade, playing on the MCG on Grand Final day and presenting a premiership player with their medal.

With the highest number of female Auskickers in the country, record numbers of schoolgirl participants and a growing Youth Girls participation base, the future of female football in NSW and the ACT is looking bright. Our talented females continue to shine at the highest level completing the pathway that our youngest Auskickers are only just starting.

The NAB AFL Auskick program provides boys and girls with a fun and safe Australian Football experience that serves as an introduction to a lifetime of involvement in the game. The program is not just about introducing children to Australian Football – it activates and develops within each child the desire for a healthy lifestyle and an association with our great game.　

This is achieved through activities and programs for individuals, small groups and teams, and aims to assist development of personal and social skills.