A FOOTBALL program to involve disengaged and at-risk youth that started in Armadale, Lathlain and Swan View is being expanded to other regions in the metropolitan area.
WA Football Commission (WAFC) metropolitan south community engagement coordinator Liam Anthony said the collaboration from local and state government agencies has been the driving force behind the success of the program to date.
“A number of agencies including YMCA and Headspace have been able to drive effective outcomes in their local communities, which is great to see,” Mr Anthony said.
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READ NOWThe program provides a football pathway for participants and allows them to transition into local football clubs.
It started in Armadale, Lathlain and Swan View and has since expanded to Cockburn, Fremantle, Melville alongside the South West Metro partnership Forum (SWMPF) and more recently this year to Kwinana and Mandurah.
Last week, more than 100 young people from Kwinana and Mandurah came together to play a game of football and celebrate Indigenous culture as part of the NAIDOC session of the WAFC’s Night Fields program.
It marked the last session of the six-week program, which was developed last year to involve disengaged and at-risk youth in football and provide them with a range of social support services.
Participants simply head to their local centre, register their details, practice their football skills and then play a game before being fed dinner.
Due to the success of the program the WAFC will look to create more centres for the Term 3 Night Fields program.