Geelong Little Aths to hurdle ahead

GEELONG Little Athletics is jumping into the new season with a $3,200 grant to support their aspiring athletes and community volunteers.

The local club is one of 72 grassroots Little Athletics Centres across Australia to receive funding from national supermarket chain Coles as part of its Little Athletics Community Fund.

Geelong Little Athletics intend on using their grant to buy new hurdles, which will help its volunteers to deliver a fun, safe and quality program for young athletes.

“Our current hurdles are more than 15 years old and were getting to the end of their life,” centre president Michael Thornton said.

“With modern, safe, and easy-to-handle equipment, we can ensure our athletes train and compete with confidence, and the Geelong Centre can present professionally with our beautiful new hurdles.

“The new hurdles will have an immediate and lasting impact on the safety, enjoyment, and experience of our athletes and volunteers.”

The Geelong Little Athletics grant comes off the back of a 16 per cent jump in participation the sport over the past 12 months.

More than 96,000 Aussies kids and a further 74,000 community volunteers, coaches and officials make it one of the most participated junior sports in the country.

With a home Olympic Games on the horizon, Coles is backing Little Athletics for a further three years by renewing its partnership.

Little Athletics Australia chief executive officer Myles Foreman said Little Athletics was well positioned to maintain its growth with recent successes on and off the track and field.

“The sustained upward trend in participation over the past five years is a testament to the hard work and dedication of our volunteers across the country, as well as the ongoing efforts of our state and territory member associations who deliver quality programsto thousands of young athletes.

“Our partnership extension with Coles will help Little Athletics to continue this momentum with resources and opportunities for children of all ages.”

Coles acting group corporate and indigenous affairs officer Jace Armstrong said Coles was proud of its long-standing partnership in the sport.

“Coles’ partnership with Little Athletics is built on mutual values and goals to help kids and local communities thrive and grow.

“Since 2017, Coles has donated more than 6 million bananas and over $2.8 million in sports equipment grants to help kids stay fit and be active.

“We’re excited to play a role in fostering the next generation of Australian athletes for another three years.”