2024 SYDNEY AUTUMN HOLIDAY AFL CAMPS

The coaching team is made up of people with years of experience with AFL, education, and working with young people. With Level 1 AFL coaching accreditation, working with children clearance and university degrees in education, we offer a group of qualified coaching professionals. Our coaches have racked up hundreds of hours of coaching, working with junior AFL players of all abilities since 2014. Additionally, some of our coaches work as primary and high school teachers.

With an emphasis on correct catching technique, we provide children with fundamentally effective ways to complete clean marks. This is achieved through a combination of technical advice, chest marking, over head marking and under pressure marking drills along with game scenarios to help players to become confident and competent markers of the AFL ball.

It’s vital that young players perfect their ground ball pick up, anticipation and running speed skills. That’s why our coaches implement ground ball pick up exercises, running endurance and acceleration drills, and game scenarios to enhance each player’s ability to pick up balls cleanly and correctly and gather balls off the ground in quick and confident manner.

Handpassing is an essential skill for all AFL players because it is often a more efficient and accurate way for teams to retain possession and move the ball down field. With that in mind, our program incorporates activities that teaches players how to handball with precision and power. For example, we do pairs activities as well as include hybrid games of AFL and touch footy removing kicking as an option forcing players to use handballing as a method of sharing possession with team mates.

The AFL match play segment of our camp is very popular. This is because we offer technical advice on how players ought to execute kick passes and goal kicks, tips on taking chest marks and overhead marks and train players off the ball to be aware and alert. Therefore, our program enables children to build a wide set of technical skills needed for success in a game of AFL.

A cornerstone of our AFL camp is the relationships our coaches form with your children. Ultimately, everything we do at camp is about building the self confidence of your child. So, our coaches make it their mission to get to know each child, give them encouragement, support their learning needs, and promote a culture of inclusion and cooperation. We do this by setting clear expectations and values to all children at the beginning of camp and throughout the program. Awards are given to children demonstrating commendable behaviours and skill levels and each child received a report card with feedback about their sporting and personal development.

Our core values include:

1. Respect
2. Collaboration
3. Inclusion
4. Teamwork
5. Cooperation

Our key behaviours we want our participants to demonstrate:

1. Working toward a goal or a target
2. Enthusiasm toward learning and practice
3. Positive mindset
4. Friendliness toward others
5. Continuous effort and resilience

1. DROP OFF AND ATTENDANCE REGISTRATION

Parents drop their children off at the designated drop off point. This gets communicated to parents prior to the event. We will record all children’s attendance at sign in. At the end of the day, parents/carers can collect their children without signing out.

2. INTRODUCTION: PRESENTATION OF PROGRAM BY COACHING STAFF

Each day at camp begins with a team meeting. Here, the coaching team greeting players and introduce themselves to build trust and rapport with children. This meeting also allows the coaches to give children a run down of the coaching program. Further to this, coaches inform players of important safety matters such as toilet procedures, hydration, warm weather management. Furthermore, coaches communicate our core values and expected behaviours such as inclusion, collaboration and cooperation.  Whilst we will have plans in place, parents are welcome to advise us on how to support their children’s specific medical needs. You can do this prior to the camp or when you drop your child off.

3. PLACING CHILDREN INTO TEAMS

At the beginning of each day, children will be placed into teams. This is based on information provided to us in the booking process. Using the information provided to us in the booking forms completed by parents, we will place friends/siblings with each other at the camp. We will also consult with children and give them a say. On occasions, we may place friends in different groups for the purposes of maximising the learning environment for children and coaches.

4. DELIVERY OF THE COACHING PROGRAM

Coaches will be placed on a specific activity station to deliver their coaching plans. Each team will get a turn at each activity station throughout the day. Players will spend between 20-40 minutes at each station. The camp is structured like a typical day at school. For example, teams will participate in a range of games and activities from roughly 9.00 am to 11.00 am. Then, there will be a meal break. From about 11.30 am to 1.00 pm, there will be a continuation of the program. At the completion of another meal break at roughly 1.30 pm, players will take part in more games and activities until 2.45 pm. During the day, players will have team meetings with the coaches to reflect on their experiences.

5. FEEDBACK AND PLAYER RECOGNITION

At the end of each day of camp, players reflect on their learning. On the final day of camp, coaches issue awards to high performing players and those displaying our core behaviours like teamwork and sportsmanship. All players receive a report to provide children and parents feedback around player performance, skill development, and attitudes at camp.

• Professional, licensed, qualified, and experienced coaches
• All professional coaching equipment
• An engaging coaching program that caters for all abilities
• Friendly coaches to teach and support the development of your child’s sporting and life skills
• Safe and inclusive learning environment
• Feedback reports for all children
• Awards for children demonstrating achievement of key behaviours

• Appropriate clothing: T-shirt, shorts/track pants, running shoes, AFL footy shoes, jumper in case of cold weather, a hat/cap, and change of dry clothing in case of wet weather.
• AFL shoes and safety equipment: If players have their own AFL shoes, mouthguard and headgear, they are encouraged to bring this to camp. We supply equipment like footy balls, goal posts and other coaching resources to all children access.
• Sun cream: We do supply sun cream at our camps but children are encouraged to bring their own sun cream. Our staff will verify that the children reapply sun cream during different stages at camp. For child protection reasons, we cannot assist children in applying sun cream.
• Packed meals for recess and lunch: Children should have food packed for recess and lunch.
• Refillable drink bottles: All children will be given opportunities to refill bottles with water during the each day of camp.

All your coaches and staff were very informative and helpful. My son got a lot out of the program and I look forward to sending him again.

Thanks for the amazing AFL Camp. Ava loved it. She gave me a twenty-minute crash course on “techniques” and whether or not the footy was a pot of gold. She had a tremendous time with your coaches and enjoyed making friends with other children she’d never met before the AFL Camp.

When my kids came home from their AFLCamp and I ask them about their day, instead of replying with the expected “it was good mum,” they instead rattle off all the great new skills they’ve learned! The boys also get a report to take home which shows their ability and progression levels which is fantastic.

Sophia and Olivia said that they had an awesome time and are looking forward to going next school holidays.

Max (7 yo) thoroughly enjoyed his time at today’s cricket camp. He was excited to tell me about the games (drills) he participated in and is excited to go back tomorrow for day 2. As a parent, I was very impressed with the organisation and thorough briefing I received prior to the camp, including information about weather arrangements, agenda for the day and how the children’s needs would be met. Throughly professional!

Very well organised and structured. Well run by the experienced coaches. Kids had a great time and learnt some new AFL skills.

Corbin really enjoyed his time at the cricket camp. The staff were all friendly and approachable and it seemed like a really well run camp. We will definitely sign up for the next one.

This was my sons second camp cricket first now AFL and he loved it. Luke is very organised and a great communicator leading up to the event. Thanks

Our boys really enjoyed the AFL activity at Caringbah High School, thank you!

Always a great AFL camp! My boys love it and keep coming back. Thanks!