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Members of the West Maitland Junior Rugby League Football Club are just some of the 537,432 people who have benefited from the NSW Governments Active Kids program. Launched in January 2018, $207 million has been allocated over four years to help NSW families with the costs of children’s sport and fitness activities.
With roots as far back as 1911 the West Maitland ‘Wallaroos’ have continued to evolve and improve their club, facilities and offerings to juniors looking to play rugby league. With over 400 members including volunteers and kids, club president Andrew Carraro , said the Active Kids program has helped get junior boys into rugby league and has also helped the club with their inclusion of girls teams.
“We fielded two girls teams last year and participated in a “nine’s” competition over the summer which went well”, he said, and this year the club is hoping to field four ladies team from Under 12’s to Under 18’s. “We’re making a distinct effort to get girls involved in rugby league and offer something different to traditional female sports, but at the same time we’re taking a balanced approach so that the boys don’t miss out on any opportunities”.
We've got a strong committee and great volunteers who have helped improve the club, so it's great to see the kids benefit from their efforts and enjoy playing sport.
- Andrew Carraro, West Maitland Junior Rugby League
Improvements at the club include the use of the McKeachies Sporting Complex, a significant upgrade from their previous grounds. With purpose built fields and up to date facilities including change rooms, toilets and canteen, Andrew said the complex has made a world of difference. “Our old grounds were quite hard and the facilities were old. McKeachies has been like getting a new car, it’s a great feeling”.
Players, volunteers and supporters have also benefited from the new grounds and support from sponsors such as Club Maitland City, with Andrew saying it’s about getting kids involved in sport, “It’s good to be competitive and win some games but having a good culture within the club, getting kids fit and active and providing a positive environment is what we are trying to achieve”.