Local Footy - A No Brainer For Us!Thursday, July 9, 2015 - 4:33 PM - by Sharon Baird

As a family, we are in our infancy in terms of our footy sideline journey. With a two year old daughter and a six year old son, we have many years of organized (and not-so-organized) sport ahead of us.

As keen competitors ourselves, we never imagined that being track-side, court-side, pool-side, pitch-side or field-side could bring so much responsibility – and joy! We have always been an active, sport loving and community minded couple – so it’s no big surprise that our family life is a natural extension of this.

We’ve each worked in fitness professions and had some interaction with football at various levels – professionally and socially. We looked forward to our Auskick days with great excitement -  so our son didn’t really stand a chance! From birth, we would walk his pram down to the local footy oval each weekend and regale him with our not-so-subtle Auskick sales pitch.

Along with our Summer love, (Junior Surf Lifesaving), we eagerly awaited the age when our boy could lace up and face up at the local footy club.

An Oscar-worthy performance was required to hide our disappointment when his initial reaction was hesitation and a polite decline. Hudson’s  response was that he “didn’t know how to play footy properly.” For, probably, one of very few times in our parenting journey, we were happy to let his peers coax him into something – and he happily went along with many classmates on his Auskick team.

Our precious firstborn spent his first handful of games very happily and enthusiastically running up and down the field - making zero effort to actually access the football! After gentle (honest!) encouragement – and reassurance that the coaches and parents are only raising their voices to ensure you hear them across the field – he was off!

Week by week his confidence has grown – to the current point where we have to occasionally check his little ego and just smile at his lofty AFL aspirations. We’re apparently raising a future ‘Ruckman of the Year’ – when he’s not fiddling with his mouthguard or socializing with his teammates!

The camaraderie and social aspect of sport is a huge factor in our advocacy and promotion of Auskick. Along with the health and fitness benefits of participating in local sport, involvement in Auskick provides a huge range of experiences that we value so highly.

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In a fun, engaging and family friendly environment our children are learning and applying a range of skills that transcend the physical capabilities that they are developing. Week in, week out… our kids are gaining an appreciation of what it means to belong to a team, what it feels like to persist, to be accountable to others – and to imitate the on-field quirks of their favourite AFL players! (Josh Kennedy has a lot to answer for around here!) It’s invaluable for our young people to acquire a healthy respect for their own teammates, the opposition, umpires and officials. How crucial it is for this emerging generation to understand and practice the difference between passion or commitment – and just plain aggression or violence.

We feel that Junior footy is a perfect platform for all of this rich grounding – and the odd weekend drenching!

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From buying first footy boots, washing jumpers, cutting oranges, supporting a fundraiser, or turning a sausage… to planning sessions, encouraging from afar or actively coaching  - we love every aspect of our involvement with Junior Football to date. (Can you tell?) We look forward to where Hudson’s passion for all things footy will take us and to both of our children enjoying the many benefits of local sport for many years to come.

Sharon Baird

Physical Education Teacher

Level 1 Auskick Coach

Proud Mum

Unofficial Team Photographer

Troy Baird

Former Personal Trainer and Fitness Coach

Level 1 Auskick Coach

Delighted Dad

Father of Nic Nat Wannabe

Hudson Baird

2nd year Auskick player

Happy kicker

Aspiring AFL Ruckman or Field Umpire

Indi Baird

Little sister / orange thief

Emerging handballer

Accomplished sideline snacker