There are many football fans staying up till all hours of the morning to watch the theatre of the FIFA World Cup unfold over the recent weeks, myself one of them. Football, as it is known around the world, is truly the world game and captures the dreams of the old and young alike. It is played by people of all nationalities and is accessible to all regardless of social or economic status.
Football in Australia is on the rise, with our national Men’s Team (the Socceroos) currently ranked 36th in the world and our national Women’s Team (the Matilda’s) currently ranked 8th in the world. Football is Australia’s most played sport with some 1.1 Million registered players, with 18.6% of the nation’s club sport population as stated by the Australian Sports Commission in April 2018.
Every Socceroo or Matilda started at a local club somewhere in Australia. They all stared out as a bright eyed kid wanting to give football a go. Trafalgar Victory FC offers the Football Federation Australia approved “MiniRoos” program for its youngest players aged between 5-10 years of age, both boys and girls.
TVFC MiniRoos Coordinator, Tanya Makins believes “The Miniroos program is a fantastic way to introduce boys and girls into our great game of soccer from a very young age. The small pitch sizes and minimalistic rules allows kids to have a kick with their mates and have lots of fun learning new skills.”
Tanya further explained that “It is really rewarding to see our TVFC kids out playing and training each week and watching them improve week on week. Our coaches try to make the kids’ experience as fun and interesting as possible with the view to retaining these players at TVFC through to their senior careers.”
For those involved with the TVFC MiniRoos program it is obvious that the kids are loving playing football at TVFC. When asked what they liked about soccer at TVFC, here’s what the kids had to say:
“It’s amazing! I love it because it’s the best game. Me and my friends get to score lots of goals and have heaps of fun! They have good food in the canteen and activities and when I play the game the pitches are good.” (Kade Under 6 MiniRoos).
“I like kicking the ball & playing with my friends in the team. The ground is good … not bumpy. I could ride my bike there” (Xavier Under 6 MiniRoos)
“I like to kick lots of goals and play with my friends during and after the game. I also like to eat the lolly snakes after our game. I like playing at TVFC because my team mates are nice and we have lots of fun.” (Tyler Under 8 miniRoos)
The MiniRoos program is paramount to the success of the club long term. It is essential that the youngest at our club experience a thoroughly enjoyable season so they will continue playing at Trafalgar and enjoy the world game for many years to come.
