Registration for the 2024 Auskick season are now OPEN! You haven’t missed out – registrations are taken right through the season! Click here to register now!
The 2024 season will commence on 7 April 2024 & run through until August.
The registration fee for the remainder of the 2024 Auskick season is $65 (was ($109 for the whole season). Registration includes all Auskick sessions for the 2024 season, an Auskick pack (includes a football & more) & many club-wide events! For those returning, you will note that the registration fee is substantially reduced from previous seasons. The club is quite aware of the cost of living pressures on families at the present time – as such the club has done everything that they can to minimise registration fees.
If you are eligible for Active Kids vouchers in 2024, you can use these towards registration once you receive them. Please note that there are substantial changes to the Active Kids Vouchers scheme in 2024 – see Service NSW for more details and to apply if eligible.
Further information & FAQs about our Auskick program can be found below or contact our Auskick Co-ordinators on auskick@hornsbyberowraeagles.com or 0408 219 187
FAQs
When does the season start?
The first Auskick session for the 2024 season will be on 7 April 2024. There will be some Come & Try days and a season launch prior to this, which all kids are welcome to attend.
Will you have any Come & Try days?
Yes. There will be one on the morning of Sunday 28 January 2024 at Rofe Park, with the Auskick session running from 8:30 – 9:30am. There will also be another on Sunday 18 February 2024.
Auskick Sessions Location/Time
Auskick sessions for the season will be held at Rofe Park, Hornsby Heights from 8:30 – 9:30am. We encourage children and parents/guardians to arrive from 8:15am to have a bit of a kick around with your child prior to the session starting. There is the possibility that there may be 1 session moved from the Sunday to a Friday evening, as a special “Friday night” round (TBC).
Do parents/guardians need to be present during Auskick sessions?
Yes, parents/guardians MUST be present for the duration of all Auskick sessions. Given the number of children present at our sessions, and despite all care taken, we are not responsible for the whereabouts and activities of your child/ren. Please ensure that at least 1 parent/guardian is present during all Auskick sessions.
What does my child wear for Auskick session?
All children will be provided with a club jersey to wear for the season. This will be provided at the first Auskick session for the season. Your child will get to keep and wear the jersey for the duration of the season, however they are to be returned at the end of the season.
Children participating in Auskick are not required to wear club shorts and socks although they are an option for those wishing to purchase them (we do find that the majority of children do opt to wear these). Club shorts and socks are required for any children participating in an u8 team .
Club shorts and socks (along with other club merchandise will be available to purchase at the Come & Try days in Jan/Feb and also the Season Launch in March. They can also be purchased from the club canteen throughout the season. You can also purchase items from the club online store, although these won’t be available to collect until the Come & Try Days/Season Launch or when the season commences.
Does my child need to wear football boots?
Football boots are not compulsory for Auskick or u8s. It is perfectly fine for your child to choose to wear boots should they wish, however it is also perfectly fine for them to wear joggers and we see a mix of this among the kids in our program.
If you are contemplating having your child wearing boots for the season, our club runs a boot recycling program (Reboot the Boot) where you can donate old boots (and they are cleaned) and then made available to other kids at the club for a small fee. We will have boots available at our Come & Try days and Season Launch early in 2024. If you have old boots that you would like to donate, they can be handed in to the club on these days as well.
Does my child need to wear a mouthguard?
All Auskick and u8 games and activities are non-contact in nature. That said, there is always the risk of unintentional contact and kids will be kids and sometimes contact does occur with some of our activities. Mouthguards are not considered to be required for Auskick or u8s, however this is a decision that you need to make for your child.
Can I help by being an Activity Helper?
Yes! Auskick is only possible to run with the assistance of parent (or other) activity helpers. Everyone involved in running our Auskick program at our club is a volunteer. Each week we run a series of activities and games, where we need parents to assist. We anticipate needing at least 10 parents to be able to help with this each week for our program to run effectively. No experience is necessary. The AFL have clear instructions and resources for all activities, which we allocate ahead of our sessions. The kids love it when parents are involved too. If you are keen to be involved as an activity helper this season, please get in touch. We will be sending out further information about this closer to the season, for those contemplating this.
How is information communicated for Auskick?
Most communication for Auskick is done via email throughout the season. Should this change, we will notify you of this. You will also be added to the clubwide email list to be kept up-to-date with all the happenings at the club.
The club also has a social media presence as follows including our own dedicated Facebook page, where information relevant to our Auskick group is also posted.
https://www.facebook.com/
https://www.facebook.com/
https://www.instagram.com/
What is the deal with u8s football?
For any children born in 2016 (i.e. turning 8 in 2024) – they are eligible to participate in an u8 team. U8 teams participate in an interclub fixture (typically with the more local clubs) over about 8 weeks as an introduction to playing in a team and preparing them for proper junior football at u9s. This usually commences in May (date TBC) and prior to this they attend Auskick sessions as normal on a Sunday morning. Participation in an u8 is purely optional, and you may elect for your child to not participate in a team and to continue with Auskick sessions throughout the entire season.
All parents/guardians of children born in 2016 will be contacted at the start of the Auskick season when we will look to form our teams and find out if your child wants to be part of one of these. We anticipate having 2 u8 teams in 2024 (although this will depend on numbers interested in partaking in this). It is most likely that our u8 teams will train midweek as well, although this won’t be confirmed until our teams are settled and also once we determine coaches for these teams as well (don’t worry if you are unsure if your child would be able to commit to training, it isn’t compulsory by any means, just again another one of those things that we try to introduce to get the used to playing as a team and in older age groups.
This opportunity is open to all born in 2016 (boys and girls). That said, our experience tells us that the girls tend to engage better when we keep them together and doing their own thing, which we are able to do much better in our Auskick program. There is also going to be a new U9 girls competition in 2024 and this will be open to girls of U8 & U9 age. If you have a daughter born in 2016 interested in this, please register them for Auskick for now and we will be in contact with you regarding this in due course.
We are often asked whether younger children can participate in an u8 team, the answer is generally no. In exceptional circumstances, we may consider a child born in 2017 to participate in one of these.
Do I get an Auskick Pack when registering my child and what is in it?
All registered children will receive an Auskick pack from the AFL . We have not been advise what the contents of the 2024 pack will be, although they usually include a ball and other items which you will have selected when you registered. These are sent out by the AFL and have nothing to do with the club. These are usually delivered closer to the start of the season.
Do you have a club song?
Yes, like all football clubs, our club has a club song, which we sing after all Auskick sessions (and our u8s will sing after each game). If you or your child are interested, you can find the lyrics and listen to a recording of our club song here.