Football Federation Australia welcomes the Federal Government’s recent commitment to the Sporting Schools initiative, which will give students at 5,700 schools around the country the chance to play Australia’s most popular team sport.
With the 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia™ just over two weeks away, Football Federation Australia (FFA) is expecting a spike in interest in the game from children around the country.
FFA chief executive officer David Gallop said the Sporting Schools program – which is provided free to students - helped more schools increase children's participation in sport and connected them with community sporting opportunities.
“Football is the largest club-based participation sport in Australia with more than 1.15 million participants,” Gallop said.
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“And history shows that we get a new surge in participation after every World Cup. With the Caltex Socceroos soon to take part in the tournament in Russia and the Westfield Matildas already qualified for next year’s Women’s World Cup in France, we know we will see more and more kids wanting to play the game.
“FFA thanks the Federal Government for giving more children the chance to try football and other sports at school without cost by continuing its investment in the Sporting Schools Program.
“Football in the Sporting Schools programme is predominately delivered by the Hyundai A-League and Westfield W-League clubs as part of FFA’s four year strategy to connect all the parts of the game and convert participants into fans of both leagues.
"Last year we saw a 67% increase in students taking part in the program to 83,358 participants which shows the ongoing growth of the game.
“The Clubs continue to deliver quality sample football experiences in schools, which has been key to the growth experienced in our introductory football program ALDI MiniRoos. More than a quarter of Term 1 Sporting School participants who completed a Football program transitioned to ALDI MiniRoos and a local club.”