AFL Tasmania is installing goalposts at schools across the state as part of its $360 million investment in Tasmanian football.
Franklin Primary School in the Huon Valley is among the first to benefit from the ‘Kicking Goals’ project, ahead of the Tasmania Devils’ AFL and AFLW debut.
Health and physical education teacher Josh Mitchell said the new goalposts are “a really positive thing” for their students.
“To have that investment for local schools in a small community school like ours, it’s a really positive one,” he said.
“Everything at the forefront of our program is about the students and so for them to engage in footy in this way, it’s a really great thing.”
Mitchell said football was already booming at the school, with students coming in on Mondays keen to chat about their weekend matches and share their results with staff.
“Football is certainly growing, it’s a really positive aspect of our HPE curriculum here. It’s really great to see the brand growing in this region,” he said.
Principal James Milne highlighted the wider community benefits, saying the goalposts would help get more kids involved during school hours and after hours, when local families often use the grounds.
“It means greater participation in sport during recess, lunchtime and after school,” he said.
“The school is the centre of our community and having these will increase participation and general wellbeing.”
The initiative is especially important for rural and remote communities, where good sporting facilities can be hard to come by.
“The nearest sort of footy centre that you’d really look at would be Huonville which is quite a while away and then further than that for bigger clubs is quite a long drive,” Milne said.
“To have a place where AFL is getting into those difficult places and providing not just our community but those other communities that need is really pivotal.”
Around 50 schools across Tasmania are expected to get new goalposts this year.
