By Aaron Cordy
WITH the aid of a football and netball, AFL Victoria and the Shepparton Ethnic Council (SEC) reached out a hand of friendship and inclusion to school students across the region, with their inaugural Shepparton Multicultural Gala Day. Participants came from St Georges Road, Mooroopna Park and Gowrie Street primary schools, to engage in AFL and Netball drills/games with the aim of having plenty of fun.
Richmond Football Club were abroad with lots of prizes along with Foodshare and GV water to provide the 350 kids with nourishing snacks and plenty of water.
“This is a great opportunity for kids that haven’t experience AFL before. It’s a key focus moving forward to continue to introduce new participants into our great game and being able to give every kid the same opportunity to get involved,’ said AFL Goulburn Murray coordinator Bailey Bell.
With the focus on community and integration, AFL Victoria hopes to get more schools involved next year, using sport as the medium to keep kids from multicultural back grounds active and enjoying what the broader region has to offer.
‘Kids want to be listened to and accepted, they can find that with sport. They are not left on the street mixing with the wrong crowd,” said SEC strategic coordinator Sam Atukorala.
