Swans and Cherrybrook Public kick goals

Students will now have an area they can play the game and there is also the possibility of the school participating in inter-school competitions in the future.

Principal of Cherrybrook Public School, Peter Corney, said he couldn’t be happier with the new AFL posts.

“I really like sport and encourage children to play any sport, but I have an interest in AFL and I am happy just as long as the children are occupied and doing something … I am also a big believer in being part of a team and AFL does encourage that,” Corney said.

“We will be able to play against other schools in the PSSA and other knockout competitions and this school can now be utlised for that.

“I really like the philosophy of AFL (NSW/ACT) in regards to the way they view education, lifestyle and also improving the life chances of kids – through working in a team they are able to achieve that.

“The Hills area has a large interest in AFL and having the posts here will encourage more children to play.”

Swans players Nick Smith, Patrick Vezspremi and Nathan Gordon were in attendance for the ground’s official opening.

Having grown up in Melbourne in AFL’s heartland, Smith said he is happy to see the support for AFL in Sydney grow – particularly at the school level.

“Over the last few years there’s definitely been an increase in interest in the game and goal posts going up in schools are an example of the game increasing in popularity,” Smith said.

“It’s great for the kids to be running around and keeping active. I think AFL is a great game; there is a lot of running involved so hopefully the kids can have a lot of fun and get plenty of exercise with the new posts.

“The more people you get involved the stronger Sydney teams will be. You can see through Kieren Jack and Jarrad McVeigh, that there are players coming through from NSW and there’s only going to be more if there’s an increase in participation among kids.”