Swans midfielder Jarrad McVeigh was among a host of Swans who returned to school on the Central Coast today, as part of the 2011 AFL Community Camps.  

Swans TV was with McVeigh, Andrejs Everitt, Craig Bolton and Brett Meredith as they dropped in to class rooms across the Central Coast area.  

For McVeigh, the camp to the Central Coast was a homecoming, with his parents still living at Shelly Beach, a stone’s throw from the Killarney Vale schools he visited today.

“Being a footballer is a six day a week job, so I rarely get time to visit my former home town, and that is the beauty of these camps. They give everyone a chance to get out into local communities, which we don’t get a chance to do during the season,” he said.

McVeigh and Everitt today visited five schools in and around Killarney Vale, where McVeigh grew up playing with the Killarney Vale Bombers.

“We hosted an assembly at each of the schools, and spoke to the kids about how we had come to be AFL footballers, and also about leading a healthy lifestyle, keeping active and eating well,” McVeigh said.

“AFL footy is certainly alive and well acorss the Central Coast. What is really encouraging, is that while there are a lot of kids at these schools who are not already AFL or Swans fans, you can see them really listening to what we have to say and getting involved in the skills clinics,” he said.

The Swans 2011 Community Camps came to an end today, after two action packed days on the road.

During the two-day visits across New South Wales, players visited more than 100 local schools and junior football clubs and held nine AFL Super Clinics.

On the final of day of the community camps, players again sent through some happy snaps.

Tadhg met a junior Irishman; and Kieren Jack, Sam Reid and Ben Haren visited a Newcastle hospital before Reid and Haren took some time out on the see-saw and swings.  Ryan O’Keefe and Jetts were popular in Wagga Wagga, and Benny McGlynn was a hit in Wollongong.  

Checkout SwansTV tomorrow to see just what the guys got up during the Central Coast camp.