Footy plays a warm welcome for locals
By Deanna Hadid
Last week, AFL NSW/ACT commenced its multicultural program in Wagga Wagga, introducing basic AFL skills to youth in the region.
In its first session, 17 young boys and girls who were predominantly of African descent had their athleticism put to the test.
Southern NSW/ACT AFL development manager, Marc Geppert was excited to see an encouraging turnout on the evening.
“To have that many African boys and girls turn up on the first night and all actively participate was a great achievement,” he said.
“Another pleasing aspect was to see kids who participated last year turn up again with the addition of some new faces, so I expect that in the next week or two, the numbers will double.”
The AFL program in Wagga Wagga was introduced to engage the African community in after-school activities.
The program is a way of bridging the gap between the Wagga Wagga community and its African families.
“It’s more than just an AFL Program- it teaches the participants on how to engage different cultures and also has a strong leadership aspect as well,” said Geppert.
“It gives the kids a great sense of belonging to the community and it also has had a great strike rate with converting these kids to mainstream AFL on weekends.”
“We have a great working relationship with Centacare and the work Multicultural Ambassadors, Frank Jarfoi and Yangi Moi have done to engage these kids have been fantastic.”
The participants will have the opportunity to experience elite action on the 6th of July, when they take a trip to Canberra’s Manuka Oval to see the GWS Giants take on the Western Bulldogs.
All six training sessions will be held at Chambers Park, Tolland and will run between May 16 and June 27.
For more information on the program, contact Marc Geppert on 0408 680 984.
