General News
12 April, 2025
Holiday footy program scores big
Horsham City Oval came alive on Wednesday, April 9, as 71 children across the Wimmera region participated in a lively school holiday footy program hosted by AFL Victoria.
Led by AFL Wimmera Mallee participation coordinator David Kennedy, the full-day event saw kids engaged in six hours of games, drills, indoor and outdoor activities, and mini matches.
Divided into four age groups, participants enjoyed a variety of tailored activities.
Younger kids joined in colouring and quiz sessions between physical games, while older children focused on more play-based footy challenges”
“This is the highest number we’ve had for Horsham,” Mr Kennedy said
“We’ve run programs before with around 30 participants, so 71 is really encouraging”
“I think we’ve hit a sweet spot.”
Children travelled from across the Wimmera, including Minyip, Dimboola, Edenhope, and other places, with some families driving over an hour to attend.
Mr Kennedy said it was a great opportunity for the region’s children to play footy during the school holidays.
“Regional kids do miss out a little bit, compared to the people in the metro, as they can have programs like this running all the time,” he said.
“We’re the only football program running in Horsham over the school holidays, so it’s important to give the kids something to do.”
Six staff members from AFL Victoria, including team members from Ballarat, supervised the event.
Mr Kennedy noted a last-minute surge in registrations led to the quick recruitment of additional staff.
“We had a late flurry of sign-ups, but the team pulled together,” he said
“It’s great to have so many kids engaged in football.”
The program not only provided a fun day for kids but also aimed to spark new interest in the sport.
“Most of these kids already play football, but if we can pick up maybe three or four extra kids today who don’t normally play football and then they sign up to the local Auskick centre, we’ve done our job,” Mr Kennedy said.
