Gold Coast to host inaugural AFL KickStart Under 15 Championships
The AFL KickStart Under 15 Championships will be played on the Gold Coast from Wednesday August 31 to Sunday September 4.
The Championships will engage 150 Indigenous boys, representing all states and territories making up six teams of 25 boys each.
The teams are; NSW/ACT, Victoria/Tasmania, Northern Territory, Western Australia, South Australia, South Australia and Queensland.
The Championship is an expansion of the annual KickStart camp which involved 50 boys.
Participants are selected on criteria consisting of leadership qualities, school attendance, community involvement and football ability. State KickStart camps have been conducted to select teams.
AFL National Community Engagement Manager Jason Mifsud said the KickStart program will continue to use Australian football as a vehicle for education, employment, health and participation outcomes for Indigenous people
“KickStart’s re-structure will not only grow the pool of talented Indigenous footballers, it will further expand the engagement with Indigenous communities.
“The Championships will provide development opportunities for other parts of the football industry such as umpires, coaches and administrators,” Mr Mifsud said.
During the Championships participants will meet Indigenous AFL players and engage in leadership seminars.
The best performing teams will play in a curtain-raiser prior to the Gold Coast v Hawthorn match at Metricon Stadium on Saturday September 3.
At the conclusion of the Championships, 25 players will be selected for the 2011 Flying Boomerangs squad. The squad will tour Fiji in December this year.
Last Modified on 08/02/2012 12:11