AV Jennings has made a significant impact on the local AFL community in New Zealand. As staunch supporters of promoting active and healthy lifestyles among our youth, AV Jennings has played a crucial role in enabling thousands of young Kiwis to engage in AFL activities.
Their generous contributions have been instrumental in funding the Saints AV Jennings Kiwikick program, which not only imparts fundamental AFL skills of kick, catch, pass, and bounce but also focuses on enhancing stability and locomotive movement skills as well. These skills extend beyond the realm of AFL, proving valuable in a variety of sports and the AFL KiwiKick program ensures that every participant gains confidence and competence in these skills. Qualified AFL KiwiKick coaches conduct engaging and fun educational sessions during school hours, with every child receiving at least six sessions of coaching.
AFL New Zealand takes the Physical Literacy Approach in all its programmes to encourage all participants to be ACTIVE FOR LIFE. This approach is endorsed by Sport New Zealand. Physical literacy is “the motivation, confidence, physical competence, knowledge and understanding required by participants that allows them to value and take responsibility for engaging in physical activity and sport for life.”
One of the highlights of AV Jennings’ support is the AV Jennings Saints AFL Cup, which has provided secondary school students with an inter-school competition. The competition were for both junior (Years 9-10) and senior (Years 11-13) students, focusing on fundamental AFL movement and ball skills. Importantly, this competition is open to both boys and girls, promoting gender inclusivity.
The program introduces students to a dynamic sport through introductory sessions and resources delivered by qualified AFL New Zealand staff, where they learn skills which are central to AFL and have cross-applicability to various sports. The 9-a-side format is suitable for rugby-sized fields, and with three reserves per team, making management of team numbers easy to coordinate
AFL New Zealand extends its heartfelt gratitude to AV Jennings for their incredible support, which has paved the way for numerous opportunities for our tamariki and rangatahi. Their commitment to promoting active and healthy lifestyles among New Zealand’s youth is commendable and has left an indelible mark on our local AFL community.
