You can have great fun with kids at Auskick

March 13, 2016 Explorer Gabor 0 Comments

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My son loves kicking the ball high in the sky.  Despite growing up with a father who's a rugby league tragic, we're exploring Auskick.  And he's taken to it like a duck to water.



When I'm not off exploring new places, I'm often exploring new things my kids can try. Things that exercise their mind or body, without costing a fortune or taking up my entire weekend. Friends noticed how much my son loves kicking a footy and suggested he try Auskick.  Despite a lack of interest in 'aerial ping pong', my husband agreed it was worth exploring further.

Auskick introduces young kids to AFL, with most of the kids in our program about 5 to 9 years old. They learn the basic skills - kicking, marking, handball, bouncing and how to play a modified version of the game. It's taught by qualified AFL coaches and our Auskick program is held first thing on a Saturday morning at the local AFL club.

We arrived at the first session nice and early to collect our free football.  Kids also receive a cap, team t-shirt, shoe bag, AFL cards and a family pass to an AFL game at the Gabba so we can cheer on the Brisbane Lions.  Just what his father needs!

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Little Auskickers getting a workout

Like the 50 or so other kids arriving on the first day, my son was keen to start kicking his footy, which all kids did for the first 20 minutes.  It was more like dodgeball than football.

Auskick isn't just about the kids, it's designed to get parents involved.  No sitting on the sidelines checking Facebook or Sportsbet on your phone.  Parents and kids team up to kick and pass the ball to each other and I'm pleased to say I now know the correct way to kick a football.  To make things interesting, parents line up and kids can score 1,000 points if they kick the ball and hit their parent. Needless to say, no points were handed out that day.


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Learning the basic skills at Auskick

If you think AFL is just for boys, think again.  Around 30% of all AFL players in Queensland are female and it was great to see girls made up about one third of the Auskickers.  They can go on to play in mixed teams until turning 14 before joining the youth and women's competition.

Based on my son's enthusiasm and his love of kicking a footy, I expect we'll spend many Saturdays at AFL in the future.  His rugby-league loving father may need to brush up on his AFL and become a Brisbane Lions supporter.  Aerial ping pong here we come.

If you have kids, you may also be interested in reading my Simple Guide to Minecraft for Bewildered Parents.

I'd love you to continue following my explorations - just drop your email into the 'follow me by email' box on the right hand side of this page and you can receive all new posts straight to your inbox. No spam, I promise.





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