A junior competition is currently being offered in the South Coast’s Eurobodalla Coast Hockey Association for the first time in nearly 10 years thanks to the Active After-school Communities (AASC) program.

In the past couple of years, St Bernard’s Primary School in Batehaven and Moruya, Broulee and Batemans Bay After-school Care centres have jumped on board to deliver hockey through the AASC program.

As a result, more children have been experiencing hockey and enrolments in junior competitions have increased.

NSW AASC State Manager Cheryl Battaerd said this is a great indication that the AASC program is achieving its primary goals.

‘We aim to provide children with a positive introduction to sport and build the foundation needed for children to progress into local club sport,’ Battaerd said.

Eurobodalla Coast Hockey Association coach Cheryl Sutherland is pleased and excited about the development.

‘By delivering the AASC program in schools, our hockey association has been able to get a junior hockey competition up and running after nearly 10 years of no competition,’ Sutherland said.

‘Through AASC program grants, we are able to supply sticks and shin pads to participants so that we can minimise costs to parents.

‘Every Saturday for a couple of months of the year, the new club junior members will participate in half hour skill sessions run by volunteer coaches. They then get to take part in junior competitions with modified rules suited to their age group.

‘The AASC program has helped to increase participation in our competition through the provision of grants and as a result, parents don’t incur the expense of buying equipment,’ Sutherland said. ‘We also have access to kids in after-school timeslot which means we aren’t disrupting class time or lessons.’

The AASC program is run at approximately 3270 schools and OSHCS around Australia and provides children with the opportunities to try up to 70 different sport and 20 physical activities.