By Kayla Olaya and Penry Buckley
“I’m gonna kick four”, boasts eight-year-old Auskicker Gabriel Davies. Desperate to outdo him, his mate Jude Shineberg fires back: “Five, six, seven”.
The Sydney Swans and GWS Giants, who meet in an AFL qualifying final, are not the only ones psyching themselves for the SCG on Saturday. Gabriel and Jude are preparing to show 45,000 fans how many goals they can kick at half-time.
Auskickers Jude Shineberg and Gabriel Davies.Credit: Rhett Wyman
Lisa Shineberg, Jude’s mother and Auskick co-ordinator of the Cronulla Sharks, says the success of the Swans and the Giants has piqued interest in Auskick, not least because of the non-contact rules of the youth game.
“It’s definitely growing. We’re getting more and more people choosing to come and have a look,” Shineberg says.
“Kids are having fun. They’re enjoying just learning a sport in a non-competitive environment; they seem to want to stay, and so it’s been really good the uptake.”
2012 Auskicker of the year Jedd Busslinger runs off the podium after handing Swans captain Adam Goodes his premiership medal.Credit: Justin McManus
The Cronulla Auskickers are among six clubs specially chosen to take the field. Others will come from as far afield as Mangoplah in the Riverina to Coffs Harbour.
Auskick costs vary, but at Cronulla, it’s $150 a season. With public schools cutting back on sport it represents an affordable way for parents to get kids active.
Hunter Fujak, a lecturer in sports management at Deakin University, says when it comes to junior participation, the AFL is winning the battle “for hearts and minds and wallets” by funnelling the revenue it makes, considerably more than rugby league or union, into lower youth fees.
“There’s only 26 million of us, and so every sport is scratching to get junior participants as much as they can,” Fujak says. “And the AFL has done a really good job.”
On the day, the clubs each run their own “mini-matches”, splitting into teams of nine to play a version of Australian Rules adapted so five- to 12-year-olds can play together as their families, who get a ticket to the game, watch on.
Tackling isn’t allowed, though players can stand in the way but not steal the ball from whoever has possession. Bouncing or passing the ball is encouraged every 5–10 steps but not strictly enforced, and no one formally counts the score – though Lisa Shineberg says the kids always do.
It’s hoped that more children will get involved in 2025 following the hype around Saturday’s Sydney Derby and continued interest in the AFLW.
Girls now make up one-third of all registrations in NSW, while 30 per cent of Auskickers in NSW or the ACT also have a parent born overseas.
Shineberg says she has noticed the uptick of girls playing.
“It’s so accessible and inclusive as a non-contact way into AFL. The half-time Auskick is just the cherry on top.”
And as for who’s going to win on Saturday, for Gabriel, there’s only one answer: “Swans!”
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