Going to School on Football Education in WAMonday, May 1, 2023 - 2:23 PM

More than forty WA teachers have taken part in an AFL School Member Professional Learning Day at Revo Fitness Stadium in Claremont.

The event provided teachers with an opportunity to attend a face-to-face conference, receive professional development and upskilling on school football.

There was an even split of theory and practical theories for the participants who were able to take part in a valuable networking opportunity with members of other schools.

Among the presenters on the day included WAFC Schools Specialist Regan Atkinson, AFL Schools Curriculum Specialist Stephanie Pearce, West Coast Eagles Community & Game Development staff led by Bradd Dalzeill, Fremantle Football Club Fans & Community Manager Mitch Harvey, WAFC Coaching Team headed by Daren Bell and WAFC District Development Officers.

Atkinson received positive feedback from teachers, staff and presenters on the day, which included the results of a survey that attendees completed at the end of the event.

“We were very happy with how this year’s event went.  The 46 participants were made up of a combination of physical education and classroom teachers across both primary and secondary streams.  It was great to see the enthusiasm everyone has to promote and deliver football programs at their schools as well as a high level of engagement with each presenter at each guest session.  I’d like to thank the educators and presenters who attended, as well as the Claremont Football Club for hosting us,” he said.  

From an AFL perspective, Stephanie Pearce was delighted to be involved.

“It was a fantastic opportunity to work with a very dedicated and enthusiastic group of educators from the West.

Physical Education teachers are often not prioritised as part of a school’s professional learning plan, so it was great to see so many in the room.

It was a fantastic opportunity to present the theoretical underpinnings of our lesson design and to effectively relay to teachers the educational rationale for our new learning resources.

The work the AFL has done to ensure that the learning modules, assessment tools and follow-up activities are of value to teachers.

It’s free, it caters to a wide range of students, it covers a wide range of subject matter, and it’s educationally robust.

If teachers must teach PE content, why not support them by doing all the planning for them with resources that meet their needs but through an AFL lens,” Pearce said.

Any teachers interested in registering as an AFL School Member can sign up at | https://www.play.afl/schools/membership/