Little Swans kick off new campaign

The wild weather held off long enough for more than 150 budding Aussie rules players to get the Mosman Swans’ Auskick season off to a roaring start on Sunday.

The excitable boys and girls, aged between four and eight, filled Allan Border Oval with smiles and plenty of energy in the morning, as they prepared for half a day of drills and games.

Co-ordinator Peter Tonkin said the kids were bursting with excitement. “The last time we played was in August so they’ve had plenty of time to get excited about the start of the season,” Tonkin said.

“It’s such great fun and they all seem to really enjoy it every week.”

The youngsters were broken into three groups – Minikickers, Auskickers and Superkickers – according to age.

“We started with a warmup before working on handling the ball, kicking and marking,” Tonkin said. “After all the activities, each group then got to play a bit of a game, which they always love.”

The running around was then rewarded with a barbecue lunch. “Everyone stuck around afterwards for a chat and I guess to make a few new friends,” Tonkin said.

“In that way, it’s much bigger than sport for us.”