“But they won’t go straight from Auskick to under-14s and they might sit on the bench until they grow, and that’s when they lose interest.
“Statewide, 30 percent of children who graduate Auskick do not go on to play football for a community club.
“That’s huge numbers, especially for us in the Wimmera Mallee where under-14 and under-17 numbers are critical.”
Mrs Ballinger said the under-12 competition would provide a regular playing opportunity for the age cohort between Auskick and under-14s.
“Stawell and Ararat have a regular competition for that age group, but Horsham, as the biggest town in our region, doesn’t — so we will have a nine-week competition starting from the last Friday in April,” Mrs Ballinger said.
“On July 16 we will also bring under-12s from Horsham District and Wimmera league clubs together for an under-12 carnival in Dimboola.
“It’s a big weekend of football and a great opportunity to come together and play.”
Mrs Ballinger said discussions were underway to possibly establish an official under-12s competition on Saturdays in line with Wimmera and Horsham District fixtures in 2024.
“Both leagues are considering the possibility of a Saturday competition that would better connect Auskick to our community clubs, with teams following their home clubs’ fixture,” she said.
“It’s a great chance for clubs to grow their footballers into the future and we, at AFL Wimmera Mallee, want to support that.
“So far we have more than 50 registrations and ideally I would love to have enough players for eight teams of at least 10.”
Players can register via playhq.com/afl/register/c410b6
The entire April 5, 2023 edition of The Weekly Advertiser is available online. READ IT HERE!
