Joel Goodridge from Cleanaway Manjimup, Jason Treasure with son Amon, 9, Renae Sherperdson with children Brayden, 7, and Chelsea, 15, Mark Donnelly with son Ari, 6, and Imperials Junior Football Club president Luke Porter. Credit: Supplied: Jason Treasure

Melissa Pedelty Manjimup-Bridgetown Times
Wed, 10 August 2022 2:00AM

A new initiative helping children living with disabilities take part in the nation’s favourite sport that was the first of its kind for the Lower South West has been kicking goals ever since launching earlier this year.

The Manjimup Imperials Junior Football Club teamed up with the WA Football Commission to roll out the Starkick program in May, to help children unable to participate in a traditional sporting team environment get involved in Aussie rules.

The program, which has been embraced across the country and is run locally out of the Imperials club, tailors football training to the individual needs of participants, who then have the option to progress into mainstream teams.

Since launching, eight children have already signed up to the Manjimup program, with the participants even getting to run out and play at half time during the Fremantle Dockers and Brisbane Lions clash at Optus Stadium in June.

Four of them train with mainstream junior clubs, where they are provided mentorship from the other players involved.

Manjimup Starkick co-ordinator Jason Treasure, whose son Amon is one of the participants, said the program had been a huge success since its inception.

“It’s very fluid in the way it works, purposefully so,” he said.

“We try to do what the kids want to do which helps them to feel empowered.

“We consider the training a success when the kids turn up on the Wednesday.”

Mr Treasure said his son was pivotol in driving him to help establish the initiative in Manjimup.

Corbin Ward, 14, at the half time game at Optus Stadium Credit: Supplied: Jason Treasure

Imperials Junior Football Club president Luke Porter said the game at Optus Stadium had been a highlight for the children so far.

“The kids were super excited, they couldn’t believe their luck,” he said.

Corbin Ward, 14, was one of the local children who had the opportunity to play in the Optus match. His mother, Kristie, said it was a highlight in what had been a great experience for the youngster.

She said he particularly enjoyed the main training sessions and Saturday game days and looked up to AFL stars such as Nic Naitanui.

Starkick is open to children aged five to 17 throughout the South West region and runs concurrent with Auskick.

The program was founded by the Coolbinia Bombers Junior Football Club in April 2015 and is now running across Perth, the South West and the Great Southern regions, with a total of 15 centres.

In 2022, Starkick became an official partner of the Fremantle Football Club’s Purple Hands Foundation.

Starkick’s mantra is “if you want to play, we will find a way”.