In a big plus for the Sydney Swans and Australian rules football in Sydney, the 2019 AFL National Inclusion Carnival will be held in NSW for the first time.

The annual event, this year scheduled for July 15-20, sees young male footballers with intellectual disabilities from across Australia take part in a round-robin competition.

NSW/ACT, Queensland, Victoria Metro, Victoria Country, South Australia, Western Australia, Tasmania and the Northern Territory are the teams set to take to the field.

This year’s carnival launch took place at Henson Park in Marrickville on Tuesday as part of the 2019 AFL Community Camps, which have seen every Swans player greet kids right across NSW.

Veteran Sydney defender Nick Smith and recently recruited forward Daniel Menzel touched down at Henson Park to run kids through a number of fun training drills, sign autographs and take photos sure to be treasured.

Menzel has only called Sydney home since departing the Geelong Cats via last October’s trade period, but the significance of the carnival being held in NSW is not lost on the 27-year-old.

“As someone who’s come from Melbourne, where I spent a long time, you see how much they get with all the programs in place for kids to have a chance,” Menzel told SwansTV.

“To now have that in NSW for the first time is not only going to be huge for the kids currently playing, but also for the next group of kids coming through. It will definitely have an impact on the future of footy in NSW."