The children at Jigalong Primary School were the proud recipients of a visit from the West Coast Eagles on March 25 as a part of the Kicking Goals program which is proudly sponsored by BHP Billiton and supported by Swan Districts FC.
Click here to view photos of the trip (images reproduced courtesy of The West Australian).
Number one draft pick and West Coast Eagle Nic Naitanui together with past players Chris Lewis, Peter Matera and David Hynes travelled the 1070km from Perth to the remote town of Jigalong.
They were greeted with an exceptionally warm welcome from the children where Naitanui and his entourage broke into two groups to teach the children the importance of reading and education.
I Want to be a Footballer by Sally Carbon was read to a group of kids who were hanging on Naitanui’s every word.
Following a healthy lunch where it was demonstrated which foods and snacks should be in an ‘ideal lunchbox’, goal setting and a talk about careers was on the agenda.
The children of Jigalong Primary School were then broken up into four groups with each group concentrating on various aspects of AFL. The kids were taught the basics from kicking, marking and handballing to then being able to put these skills into practice in match play.
The West Coast Eagles rewarded participating and exceptional children with giveaways provided by BHP Billiton ranging from posters to footballs.
The Kicking Goals program is an initiative run by The West Coast Eagles to promote a healthy community through football. A total of ten visits each year - with two of these being to remote rural communities - allow the players to reach out to the people of communities who would normally never get to have these experiences.
Special thanks must also go to Rod Willet and his Kicks4Kidz program which runs in conjunction with Kicking Goals. This program donates sporting goods to less fortunate communities. These items have been donated by various football and netball sporting clubs.
Swan Districts Football Club and BHP Billiton has been a proud supporter of the Kicking Goals program for a number of years and without their help, programs such as this one would not be possible.
Click here to view photos of the trip (images reproduced courtesy of The West Australian).
