Inclusive+AFL

Inclusive Australian Rules Football for Children

Australian Rules is popular among many children in Australia, it has a range of skills to develop, can be inclusive and safe for all, and everyone should have the chance to play. These factors make Australian Rules the perfect sport to implement into a school environment and Auskick’s program gives children with disabilities the same experience as their peers. Recently the West Australian Football Commission launched what they call the ‘AFL Auskick Pilot Program’ which is for children with Autism specifically. They had over 50 participants joining AFL legends at Paterson Stadium in their first week. The AFL have set up a program to teach kids the skills they need to play the sport and develop motor and team skills used in various other sports and every day activities. Thousands of schools across Australia have been a part of the Auskick program. When a teacher organises for an Auskick program to be run in their class they can expect trained professional’s teaching kids important skills in a safe and fun way. The Auskick program has a range of drills that accommodates all age and skill levels. Auskick can be used by teachers to help students with disabilities feel like a stronger part of their classroom and community, also to teach them skills are actually building fine motor skills and coordination that can be transferred to a classroom setting. A classroom is just like an AFL team, in the aspect that a group of people are working towards a common goal and the success of the team can be jeopardised when people don’t cooperate. Teaching team skills to children with disabilities will help them to engage with their classmates and overall help them to enjoy their time in the classroom by the building of friendships. Students with disabilities or diverse learning needs are incorporated into this program through the use of broken down and simple steps, with a large use of easy to understand metaphors. The Auskick when requested can send out more experienced teachers and helpers to work with students who may need extra help in areas. By making their lessons very simple but interesting for all children it gives all students an equal opportunity to learn these new skills. The Auskick Program is available to all schools and the ‘AFL Auskick Pilot Program’ is being run in Western Australia but is in the process of being built upon and spread nationally.

Link to the Auskick Website: [] Link to the AFL Auskick Pilot Program Website: []

References Auskick Australia, About Auskick, [], NAB AFL- Auskick, 2011, Australia. Western Australia Football commission, NAB AFL Auskick for Children with Special Needs, [], Niftee Media, 2011, Australia.