South West Sydney Hosts Sport NSW Stronger Sporting Communities Event

Sport NSW joined forces with City of Canterbury Bankstown, Fairfield City Council and Liverpool City Council to host the inaugural Stronger Sporting Communities event. The event, which showcased Sport NSW’s Activate Inclusion and Girls Get Active programs, took place at Fairfield Youth and Community Centre on Friday 8th September.

The Activate Inclusion program is a ground-breaking initiative focusing on providing sporting pathways for students aged 5 to 18 years with a physical, intellectual or sensory disability.

The program is delivered with the support of Variety – the Children’s Charity NSW and offers kids, no matter their ability, the opportunity to have a go at playing different sports which they might otherwise miss out on. The day also included an education session allowing family members, teachers and carers the opportunity to engage with Ability Links, Local Councils and community organisations. 

The Girls Get Active program is designed to offer high-school aged girls the chance to experience different sports in a fun and safe environment, whilst also receiving information on the female pathways available in their local community.

The Girls Get Active component included a panel discussion where athletes Abbey McCulloch (netball), Paige Hadley (netball), Olivia Price (football), Leanne van rensburg (gymnastics), Trudy Burke (football), Bria Toohey (softball), Amy Lewis (gymnastics), Jessica Clark (goalball) and Rhianna Pollicina (futsal) shared their inspiring stories with the audience to encourage and promote female involvement in sport. 

A total of 250 participants took part in the day, with ten sports showcased across both programs.

Sport NSW Chief Executive Officer Darren Simpson was thrilled to collaborate with the three Councils and hoped the first joint event encouraged the students to participate in sporting activities within their local community.

“South West Sydney is a leading sporting region in NSW and Sport NSW was delighted to host this event in conjunction with three of its Local Government Members, City of Canterbury Bankstown, Fairfield City Council and Liverpool City Council,” Mr Simpson said.

“We were excited to deliver both of our programs on the same day and I hope the participants felt encouraged and empowered to explore the sporting opportunities available to them.” 

City of Canterbury Bankstown Administrator, Richard Colley, said he was thrilled Council could partner with Fairfield City Council and Liverpool City Council on such an important initiative. “The Girls Get Active program demonstrated Council’s commitment to increasing health and physical activity in our community,” he said. 

“We continuously strive for a community that values and encourages sport, active recreation and physical activity, and this program was a great example of how our community can support that.”

Mr Colley said he was delighted to see the Activate Inclusion program for people with disability upheld Council’s Disability Inclusion Action Plan (DIAP) 2017-2021.    

“One of the focus areas in our plan is to ensure we provide additional recreational opportunities for people with disability to participate in. Through the Activate Inclusion program, we were able to achieve this.”
 
ACTIVATE INCLUSION | EVENT PHOTOS

GIRLS GET ACTIVE | EVENT PHOTOS