:Auskick

{{Short description|Australian rules football program for children}}

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| image = Auskick logo.svg

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| country/region = Australia (country of origin)
Also played in Denmark, Fiji, Hong Kong, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, South Africa, the United Kingdom, the United States and Vanuatu

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| olympic = No

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File:Auskick-23-6-06 1.JPG.]]

Auskick is a program designed to teach the basic skills of Australian football to children aged between 5 and 12. Auskick is a non-contact variant of the sport. It began in Australia and is now a nationwide non-selective program. It has increased participation and diversity in the sport amongst children,{{citation needed|date=July 2022}} and is now being run in many countries across the world.

At its peak in the mid-1990s in Australia there were around 200,000 Auskick participants annually,[https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-10-28/-father-figure-of-auskick-ray-allsopp-dies-aged-87/100578404 'Father figure' of Auskick and Richmond Tiger, Ray Allsopp, dies aged 87] By Michael Doyle 28 October 2021] and this figure has since stabilised around this number. Numerous professional, semi-professional and representative players are graduates.

The program is now run throughout the world, including several locally branded variations such as "Kiwi Kick" (AFL New Zealand), "Niukick" (Papua New Guinea), "Footywild" (South Africa), "Bula Kick" (Fiji), "Viking Kick" (Denmark), "Ausball" (United States) and "Pikinini Kick" (Vanuatu) among others, often sponsored by local organisations.

History

Auskick has its roots in the Little League which began to be played at half time during VFL (now AFL) matches in the 1960s,{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article131670731 |title=Little League plea |newspaper=The Canberra Times |volume=43 |issue=12,105 |location=Australian Capital Territory, Australia |date=13 September 1968 |access-date=1 December 2021 |page=20 |via=National Library of Australia}} and it was revised in 1980 to make it more accessible. Little League was expanded by Ray Allsop into a state development program called "Vickick",[https://www.theage.com.au/sport/afl/auskick-pioneer-and-tigers-player-ray-allsopp-dies-20211028-p5940k.html Auskick pioneer and Tigers player Ray Allsopp dies] by Peter Ryan for The Age. 28 October 2021 begun in Victoria in 1985. Participation increased from 7,000 to 35,000 in four years.{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article130539479 |title=Parkin backs joint program to boost AFL |newspaper=The Canberra Times |volume=70 |issue=21,769 |location=Australian Capital Territory, Australia |date=23 November 1994 |access-date=1 December 2021 |page=35 |via=National Library of Australia}}

The ACT was one of the first other states or territories to introduce the program in 1991 as "Auskick". Between 1993 and 1995, former AFL player and coach David Parkin, who had been coaching the territory's Teal Cup side, successfully lobbied the AFL for the national adoption of Auskick.{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article127234291 |title=Hard work done by juniors is now becoming obvious |newspaper=The Canberra Times |volume=67 |issue=((21,252)) |date=22 June 1993 |access-date=20 May 2022 |page=21 |via=National Library of Australia}}

In 1998, the AFL Commission, the national governing body for the sport, began to roll it out nationally. At its peak, there were around 200,000 Auskick participants annually. As the world governing body, the Commission later franchised the program to affiliated organisations around the world under various local brands and sponsors.

Auskick sessions

Auskick is a national football coaching network, with clinics held weekly (usually on Saturday mornings) run by volunteers. The program attracts over 100,000 primary school–aged participants annually and, as such, is the largest grassroots sporting association of its kind in Australia.

Each Auskick session consists of a training session and a game, with the emphasis on developing skills rather than the game result. Some of the major rule differences from Australian rules football are a ban on tackling and the restriction of players to their zone of the field, similar to netball.

The AFL is a major supporter of Auskick and star players occasionally assist in training events. The AFL also invites various branches of the Auskick network to play short games during the half-time breaks of premiership season games at all grounds, with numerous matches played on modified fields simultaneously.

In 2007, the program's slogan was "Where Champions Begin", with Jo Silvagni (wife of former AFL player Stephen Silvagni) and Robert DiPierdomenico, the 1986 co-Brownlow Medallist as the main ambassadors.{{Cite web|url=http://www.afl.com.au/tabid/208/default.aspx?newsid=41523|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121120090025/http://www.afl.com.au/tabid/208/default.aspx?newsid=41523|url-status=dead

|title=Celebrities to get their NAB AFL Auskicks|archive-date=20 November 2012}} They also used the kick-to-kick tradition as part of their promotional television campaign, which shows kids from around the country kicking the football to each other to the tune of "Gimme Dat Ding".

Parents' role in Auskick

Parents are involved across the board in activities such as at skills sessions, as coaches and supervisors, administrators, helpers, coordinators and first aid officers. Throughout the year, there are parent orientation courses as well as coaching courses.

Auskick in non-traditional Australian rules football regions

The AFL has used the Auskick program the introduce Australian rules football into schools and communities around the country to increase the AFL's profile in areas that traditionally support other football codes such as New South Wales and Queensland.{{Cite web|url=https://abc.net.au/news/programs/730|title=7.30|date=22 February 2024|website=abc.net.au|accessdate=24 February 2024}} However, there have been accusations of exaggerated participation figures{{cite news|url=http://www.smh.com.au/afl/afl-news/afl-accused-of-exploiting-figures-20120723-22knq.html |title=AFL accused of exploiting figures |access-date=15 December 2013 |work=The Sydney Morning Herald}} in an attempts to gain access to Sydney playing fields. Vast increases in AFL participation figures in Sydney were questioned by David Lawson, a Melbourne University academic, in a study commissioned by the AFL. Lawson's study found that AFL club participation rates in Sydney had stalled, and that the AFL was masking low figures by using short-term, non-club affiliated Auskick participants and comparing them to competitive junior club participation numbers in other sports.{{cite news|url=http://www.theage.com.au/afl/afl-news/auskick-putting-sydney-kids-off-20121023-283ge.html |title=Auskick putting Sydney kids off |access-date=15 December 2013 |location=Melbourne |work=The Age}}

Ambassadors

Early on in the national program, national ambassadors were nominated. All of these ambassadors played for Victorian clubs and as the AFL and the program continued to expand nationally, these players were not always well-recognised figures by children in all regions.

In 2010s, each state nominating its own ambassador, usually a homegrown talent, without a national ambassador.

===National===

Shane Crawford (2012)
Robert Dipierdomenico (2009-2010; 2011)
Joel Selwood (2008)
Robert Dipierdomenico & Jo Silvagni (2007)

Australian Marketing Campaigns

"NAB AFL Mini Legends" (2016-)
"More Give, Less Take" (2012)
"Let It Shine" (2009)
"Follow Every Rainbow" (2008)
"Gimme That Thing" (2007)
"Where Champions Begin" (2007)

=Australia=

National Australia Bank (2006–) as "NAB AFL Auskick"
Simpson (Past ?–?){{Cite web|url=http://www.simpson.com.au/auskick/newsdetails?newsid=720|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110706112008/http://www.simpson.com.au/auskick/newsdetails?newsid=720|url-status=dead|title=News article on simpson.com.au|archive-date=6 July 2011}}
McDonald's (1998–?)

Outside Australia

Outside Australia, Auskick programs exist in the following countries:

{{flag|Hong Kong}}{{Cite web | url=https://anybodysfan.com/where-footy-is-played-globally/ | title=Aussie Rules Global: Where Footy is Played Overseas }}
{{flag|Nauru}}{{cite web | url=https://www.aflq.com.au/afl-nauru/ | title=AFL Nauru | AFL Queensland }}
{{flag|United Kingdom}}[http://www.aflengland.org/afl-england-announces-first-junior-club-collaborations/ AFL England announces first junior club collaborations] aflengland.org {{dead link|date=February 2024}}

Auskick exists under a different name in the following countries:

{{flag|Denmark}} (Viking Kick)
{{flag|Fiji}} (Bulakick){{efn|"{{lang|fj|Bula}}" ({{IPA|fj|mbula}}) is Fijian for "hello"}}{{Cite web | url=https://www.aflq.com.au/fiji/ | title=AFL Fiji | AFL Queensland }}
{{flag|New Zealand}} (Kiwi Kick){{Cite web | url=https://aflnz.co.nz/play-afl/afl-kiwikick/ | title=AFL Kiwikick }}
{{flag|Papua New Guinea}} (Niukick){{efn|Blend of "{{lang|tpi|Niugini}}" (Tok Pisin for "New Guinea", same as Air Niugini) and "kick".}}{{Cite web | url=https://www.thenational.com.pg/niukick-comp-kicks-off/ | title=Niukick comp kicks off – the National }}{{Cite web | url=https://www.looppng.com/tags/niukick-program | title=Niukick Program }}
{{flag|Solomon Islands}} (Solkick){{efn|Blend of "Solomon" and "kick".}}{{cite web | url=https://www.aflq.com.au/afl-solomon-islands/ | title=AFL Solomon Islands | AFL Queensland }}
{{flag|South Africa}} (Footy Wild){{Cite web | url=https://worldfootynews.com/article.php/20130108215938154 | title=Youth focus continues in South Africa - World Footy News }}
{{flag|United States}} (Ausball){{Cite web | url=https://www.littlerockcoyotes.com/ausball-1 | title=Ausball }}
{{flag|Vanuatu}} (Pikinini Kick){{efn|"{{lang|bi|Pikinini}}" is Bislama for "child".}}{{Cite web | url=https://worldfootynews.com/article.php/20080702232225150 | title=Rec Footy and Auskick arrive in Vanuatu - World Footy News }}