Aussie Rules UK
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Aussie Rules UK is a United Kingdom organisation set up in April 2005 to introduce children in the UK to Australian rules football via an adaptation of the sport for use in schools. It is part of Aussie Rules International.
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[edit] Aims
Two of the major aims in introducing Aussie Rules Football to the UK are to:
- Combat the growing rise of obesity amongst children in the UK (under the slogan "Get a Kick out of life!")
- Reduce the number of underprivileged children who get into trouble with the law ("Kids in Sport are not in Court")
[edit] Introduction
Aussie Rules UK is recognised by the UK Sports Minister, Richard Caborn, and is based in the offices of Sport England, the Government agency responsible for providing the strategic lead for sport in England.
[edit] Aussie Rules Schools
Aussie Rules UK has created the Aussie Rules Schools program as an introduction to the sport in UK schools.
Trained Aussie Rules UK coaches visit schools for a day or part of a day to deliver PE lessons using a form of Australian football that can be played by boys and girls of all ages, and offer an alternative to traditional team sports. Alternatively, an inset programme can be delivered to teachers so that they may add Aussie Rules to their curriculum.
[edit] Carnival Days
Aussie Rules UK also offers Carnival Days, which usually involve a minimum of 4 schools and are the culmination of a program of 4 weeks duration to introduce the sport. It is intended that the skills and interest that might be inculcated are encouraged to continue beyond the initial 4 weeks of the program.
[edit] London Youth Games
Aussie Rules was included as a demonstration sport in the London Youth Games at the Crystal Palace National Sports Centre on Sunday, 3 July 2005. Four teams competed for the right to hold aloft the inaugural 'Aussie Rules Cup.' Aussie Rules will be included in the London Youth Games in July 2006.
[edit] Media coverage
The activities of Aussie Rules UK were featured in an article entitled "Forget rugby, pupils prefer 'buzz' sports" in The Observer newspaper.[1]
Aussie Rules UK also featured on BBC Breakfast on June 12, 2005 [2]
