Swans' young gun Kieren Jack took a trip down memory lane when he arrived in Blacktown as part of the Sydney Swans’ community visits to Western Sydney public schools.
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Jack, who had his first taste of AFL at age 10 during a Swans' school clinic, said the memory of that day is never far from his mind each time he addresses a sea of young faces, or teaches the kids how to handball or drop-punt.
“In Year Five, I had a couple of Sydney Swans players do a clinic at my school, and that was my first introduction to AFL. I didn’t know anything about the sport, and it was only when they came and showed us a bit about it that I began to take an interest,” he said after visiting Doonside Public School.
“The memory of that visit certainly sticks in my mind when I am out in the community doing school visits now. I remember when I was at school, after taking part in the clinic each of us had to write a report on how we found the clinic, and I wrote, ‘I really enjoyed it, but I just don’t think I can give up rugby league’. How things change!”
Jack's father was a celebrated rugby league player but Kieren has now played 47 games for the Swans.
Schools visited included St Michael’s Public School which received a visit from Ed Barlow and Sam Reid; Nick Smith and Daniel Bradshaw met students at Bennett Road Public School; St Clair Public School was treated to a visit from Shane Mumford and Taylor Gilchrist, and Walters Public School students learned skills from Lewis Roberts-Thomson and Gary Rohan. These visits are part of an ongoing Team Swans community program where players visit schools and junior clubs across Sydney.
The Swans spent time educating kids about the Club's new Red Rookie kids program, to be launched next month.
Jack and Irish recruit Chris McKaigue spent two hours at Doonside, where AFL skills were unfamiliar to the majority of students.
“Certainly by the end of it, they were getting the hang of skills like the drop-punt and handballing. They could all shout out the colours of the Sydney Swans by the time we left, that’s for sure!” Jack said.
“I think they got a really good understanding and awareness of AFL from the visit. Many of them had seen it on television before, so hopefully they’ll start to watch it a bit more and perhaps even start to play in local school tournaments like the Paul Kelly Cup, and get a better grasp of the game.”
Jack said the clinics provide the perfect introduction to the AFL talent pathway.
“In Year Six, I tried out for the Paul Kelly Cup, and went from there. I think it’s great that the Swans players can go into these schools and teach the kids a bit about the game. Hopefully from now if they want to try it, they can give it a go, see if they enjoy it and maybe even get involved at their local club. That’s how I started, and I just kept on going from there.
“I think it’s great that kids are being made aware of more sports, and given the opportunity to gain a greater understanding of different sports. It really adds to their experience when they have a variety of sports to choose from, can see what they enjoy and pursue the one that suits them best.”
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