Come one, come all to inclusive multi-sports fest

A FREE inclusive multi-sports event happening this coming Sunday at La Birpa Athletics Track will welcome participants of all abilities.

The Inclusive Sports Festival will feature many popular sports such as tennis, netball, Aussie Rules football, soccer and cricket, plus track and field events the high jump and long jump.

Attendees will also be able to have a go at less competitive pastimes including circus, cheer and dance, adaptive bikes and face painting.

The festival’s aim is to provide multiple sport-based pathways and opportunities to people with disabilities to eventually join a local inclusive community sporting club or pastime group at some stage in the future.

Physiotherapist Ashlee Lance, the director of co-organiser Treehouse Paediatrics, said a particular purpose of the event is to strive for longer-term individual outcomes.

“It can be really hard for families to find a sporting club or a sporting activity that their kids feel safe in and can participate in and stick to,” she said.

“Often a lot of these events are just a come and try day and then that’s it.

“So we thought, let’s run a sports day and try to link people to clubs that we know are doing good things in the inclusion space.

“We’d been working with Sports Focus on a few different projects and it sat nicely with what both of our organisations do.

“It’ll be a really good opportunity to meet other people as a lot of families might feel isolated sometimes, and it’s also a safe space for people where they know that they will be accepted.”

Sports Focus project coordinator Maggie Gleisner said parents, and children who are either neurodiverse or have a physical disability, can connect, create relationships and potential friendships.

“If you don’t have the capacity to engage in conversations or friendships or things like that, this is a perfect way to meet people who are similar,” she said.

“Obviously it’s going to be quite casual.

“There’s no expectations, you don’t need to be experienced in the sport – it’s an opportunity to try something new and there’s no pressure to stay.

“I also think it’s really good in terms of health promotion for people with disabilities, as a lot who are neurodivergent or disabled are considered considerably less fit than able-bodied people.

“There’s also benefits in terms of social connection and mental health in empowering our disabled community to be part of the broader community.

“People are willing to help and provide opportunities for inclusion – everybody’s doing this off their own back and out of their own time, which I think is incredible.

“Nobody’s getting paid to do this, which really shows how passionate our community is and how good people can be.”

The Inclusive Sports Festival takes place this Sunday, 30 November at La Birpa Athletics Track, 60 Retreat Road Flora Hill, from 9am until 12pm (or 1pm if an hour extra is needed).

Visit TryBooking to reserve tickets.