Primary school teacher, Kristian Manche, knows better than anyone the benefits of encouraging students to have positive sporting experiences.

By participating in Sporting Schools programs, both Kristian and his students at St Monica's Primary School, Footscray are engaging with a variety of sports and coaches, that they may not otherwise be exposed to.

'It's great to see an increase of confidence in students participating in the programs. We are seeing students taking greater risks with their learning, an increase in positive self-talk, and an enhanced ability to work more collaboratively,’ Kristian said.

'We are also finding that the programs facilitated by expert coaches have a significantly higher level of engagement and enthusiasm from the students. The students have appreciated the opportunity to learn, engage and try something new.'

The students aren't the only ones benefiting from the coach delivered programs.

'I've adopted a lot of the skills and techniques I have learnt from the coaching sessions. Brain breaks are a great way to slot in these activities during the day and get the children re-energised and motivated,’ Kristian explained.

‘I am upskilling and feel more confident introducing new sports programs and activities to the students, increasing their exposure to new opportunities.'

'One of the challenges we have is with our school location. Being in the city, there are not as many sporting clubs near the school. There is also a relatively low awareness of the sports clubs where our students and their families live.'

‘As a school we are willing to create connections between local sporting organisations and our students/families. We see this as a way of increasing access and awareness of external sporting organisations in our school community, supporting our students to build life-long habits and skills through sports.’ 

For more information on Sporting Schools, or to find a local sporting club near you visit: https://www.sportaus.gov.au/schools/find-a-club