Deputy General Manager of the Active After-school Communities (AASC) program, Kitty Chiller attended an AFL ‘get into footy’ day in March at Eureka Stadium in Ballarat.

More than 400 children from 14 local primary schools were given the opportunity to play AFL in a fun, safe and inclusive environment with trained community coaches.
The AFL ‘get into footy’ day was designed to provide children of all levels and ability the chance to participate in AFL-based activities available to them in their local community.
A number of AFL clinics were held on the day, tailored to a variety of primary school-aged children from Prep to Grade 6.  In addition, the AASC program was promoted to a number of local sporting clubs, highlighting the opportunities their members could offer children.

‘A key Australian Sports Commission focus for 2012 is adding value into community sport,’ Ms Chiller said. 
‘Initiatives like these are great because they help strengthen local sporting communities by providing children with positive experiences that encourage them to transition into local sporting clubs.’

Ms Chiller said the event demonstrated the important links between AASC sites and local sporting clubs or physical activity associations that aim to get more children active. The AFL ‘get into footy’ day highlighted the partnership between the AASC program, the Ballarat Football League, North Melbourne Football Club and AFL Victoria.
 
’Most importantly, it demonstrates that the AASC program is about having fun, making new friends, learning new skills and getting active along the way,' she said.

The AASC program is an Australian Government initiative delivered by the Australian Sports Commission in up to 3270 schools and outside-school-hours care services across Australia. Each term up to 190 000 children participate in up to 70 different sports and 20 structured physical activities after school.