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The first interschool carnival for education support schools of its kind in WA was launched earlier this month with the inaugural WAFC Starkick Inclusion Carnival.

In collaboration with the Purple Hands Foundation and SEDA, the West Australian Football Commission created the Starkick Inclusion Carnival to provide the opportunity for students with disability to participate in football with their peers.

A host of Fremantle's AFLW stars were on hand to help deliver the carnival including Aine Tighe, Madi Scanlon and Orlagh Lally.

WAFC Starkick Coordinator Rob Geersen said the carnival had a clear focus in offering a rewarding experience for the students involved.

“The ultimate goal of today is for kids to experience footy and have a great time and then want to get out in the community and play with their clubs at Starkick centres,” Geersen said.

“We have now got centres all the way from Albany all the way up to Karratha supporting kids with disability who want to play football.

“We’re really pleased we have had such a great buy in for our first year and we only see this getting bigger and better as our partnership starts to grow.”

WAFC's inaugural Starkick Inclusion Carnival!

Take a look as we launch the first ever WAFC Starkick Inclusion Carnival, in collaboration with the Purple Hands Foundation and SEDA
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Purple Hands Foundation Project Coordinator Marly Batenburg believes the opportunity for participation was an important thread to invest in as a Foundation.

“What this carnival has been able to do is provide these young people with disability with the opportunity to play sport just like all the other schools,” Batenburg said.

“They can have that participation, it’s all about them having a go and having a try and having a normal interschool carnival like every other WA primary school gets to do.”

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Starkick inclusion carnival launched!

The Purple Hands Foundation have partnered with the WA Football Commission and SEDA to put on a carnival for ed-support schools to promote inclusion through football.

Students completing the SEDA Sport, Business and Leadership Program played an integral role in the delivery of the carnival with Teacher Liam Thompson praising the work executed by the SEDA students.

“There has been a group of SEDA students that have had a massive involvement in the inaugural Starkick Carnival, part of their Diploma is that students have to facilitate and run a major project.

“Their role for the day is to essentially to be with the schools to help encourage involvement, score and just get in there and have fun while putting smiles on kids’ faces.

“To be able to go through the process of fundraising and getting up to this stage of final delivery is really exciting for our SEDA students and something they will cherish for the rest of their lives.”