Future stars learn skills at clinic day

A crop of potential future Australian football stars got a taste for the game during a recent holiday coaching clinic at which officials hoped to recruit another generation of players into their game.

More than 80 children took to West End Oval to hear

about everything from handballs to marks, with the region’s young netball players learning from Australian star Johanna Curran.

“It was a taste test for the kids as a lead into our Auskick and junior football program, MIA development coordinator Che Jenkins said.

“From our point of view we encouraged all of the kids to

come whether they were playing or not.

“But the ones that got the most benefit out of it were the kids that had never tried football before – we showed them some basic skills of the game and some videos of AFL games.”

Jenkins said Curran’s appearance added another layer of information for the children to absorb as she passed on her wisdom, acquired by playing at the top of the sport.

“That was obviously Karen’s (Conlan) doing and that was the first time we’d done that in including netball as well on the day,” he said.

“We didn’t have a lot of girls in the footy side of things, but having all of them there on the day really worked out well.

“On the back of the Swans splitting up their juniors to make up the Giants as well, the novelty wears off a bit in the second year and they have had some issues with player retention among the kids.

“So these clinics help and because there hasn’t been anybody over here doing my job for eight years, I’m start from fresh and trying to generate that interest at the age-group.”

Jenkins also spoke of trying to establish favourable draws for South West Junior Football League to alleviate travel for families of different aged players and to try and have more same-day games with the senior club.

This contribution supplied by the Area News