■ There’s no doubt Auskick is a very good program, and while it has its flaws they are really minor in the big picture. I was part of the Auskick experience at the MCG on Sunday when local centres, including Bellbridge, Hoppers Crossing and Wyndhamvale, played on its hallowed turf.
The kids were excited, as were adults like me who got to don the white goal umpire’s coat and be part of the event. It’s run like a military invasion, and I’m not joking. It does ask a lot of the kids to be marshalled from, in this case, 11.30am until they exit the rooms around 3pm for a well-deserved drink and bite to eat.
I have previously criticised the AFL for cutting the funding of this program and I will again. If AFL CEO Gillon McLachlan is serious about returning the game to the fans, and I believe he is, he will reinstate the AFL paying for a drink and snack for the kids who provide the half-time entertainment.
Local Auskick centres rely on canteen sales and raffles to fund trophies for the kids and should not be expected to foot the bill for this very incidental but important gesture, which is, after all, an AFL event. I also have to say the thrill for young boys and girls in running onto the ’G and have a kick is priceless. Auskick is a great introduction to the game and whether those involved go on to play at the highest level is not the most important function it serves.
The group my son was involved with started as strangers but became teammates, thanks to coach Darryl Nelson. Blokes like Darryl, Peter Lloyd and the Bellbridge co-ordinator, Tommy Fisher, are the unsung heroes of grassroots football and every centre has them. I wish I could name them all. As I’ve written before, AFL stars start at Auskick and the centres should be acknowledged for their roles in this – another thing Gillon should look at. Trust me, I will be forwarding this article to my contacts in the AFL and I will let you know the feedback I get. If you have any thoughts let me know.
■ Junior finals are drawing to a close and whenever the season ends I hope clubs thank their volunteers, because without them the entire system would buckle and cease to exist. The number of people involved in getting teams onto the ground grows every year at every level.
