The KidSport program has reached a significant milestone today, with 10,000 Aboriginal children now signed up with a local sporting or recreation club.
Member for North West Central Vince Catania MLA said it was a great achievement for the program.
“There are now 1,317 sporting clubs across Western Australia with at least one Aboriginal KidSport kid as a member,” Vince said.
“In terms of numbers, KidSport has created the equivalent of 384 new footy teams, 640 basketball teams and 437 netball teams made up solely of Aboriginal KidSport kids, since the program began in 2011.”
The KidSport program gives eligible 5-18 year old kids $200 towards the cost of their sporting club fees.
“This means 10,000 Aboriginal kids who may not have been able to afford to join a sporting group are now active, healthy and engaged with their local teams and their communities.”
Meekatharra Community Resource Centre is one of the State’s top clubs with 210 Aboriginal Kidsport members now playing sport in the area thanks to the programme.
The KidSport program was helping to get more children into sports with the most popular sports being AFL, basketball, netball, soccer, swimming and athletics.
“Children want to get involved in sports and it shows by the increasing numbers of enrolments. The programme helps families by paying club fees and making it easier for kids to get actively involved in sports,” Vince added.
“A total of $2.33 million has been invested to help Aboriginal children get active through this program.”
To date, 54,449 unique kids have accessed 90,903 vouchers through the KidSport program.
Accessing KidSport can be done through your local government via a health care card or a referral agent.
For more information on KidSport and to find out if you’re eligible visit: www.dsr.wa.gov.au/funding/individuals/kidsport
