Canberra
Children will be encouraged to participate in sport from a young age, through $39.4 million in funding to continue the popular Active After-school Communities program.
While Australians love their sport, we know that some young Australians are missing out on opportunities to get involved.
The Active After-school Communities program assists by providing access to free, inclusive and positive sporting experiences to children after school.
The Gillard Government invested $115 million in community sports participation programs in the 2013-14 Budget, including the Active After-school Communities program. This will ensure the Active After-school Communities program is funded until 31 December 2014.
The Active After-school Communities program is currently delivered at more than 3200 sites across Australia to about 190,000 children.
The Prime Minister and the Minister for Sport today visited Red Hill Primary School in Canberra to see first-hand how children are getting active through the program.
Research shows that after participating in the program, two thirds of kids show an interest in participating in sport. Over 70 different sports are on offer through the program.
One of the enduring legacies of the program is the 53,000 community coaches that have been trained through the program from when it commenced in 2005. These coaches are helping children across the country fall in love with sport and ultimately encouraging kids to join their local sporting club.
The program is particularly paying dividends in regional and remote Australia by helping to build strong local networks of sport providers.
The Active After-school Communities program is managed by the Australian Sports Commission through a network of locally-based regional coordinators who assist schools and after-school care centres to deliver the program.
Visit ausport.gov.au/participating/aasc/ for more information on the AASC program.