Pacific Paradise State School have a new addition to their sports fields, with brand new AFL posts being installed.
Pacific Paradise SS Parents and Citizens Committee had been looking at redeveloping the bottom oval at the school to an AFL oval since 2008 in line with the facility strategic plan.
This plan was given a massive boost in 2012 when the School Business and Services Manager and was able to obtain funding to level and turf the oval.
Once the development started, Pacific Paradise Physical Education Teacher, Paul Franklin, applied for funding to obtain AFL goal posts through the AFL Queensland Goal Subsidy Program.
The school received confirmation that they were successful mid-2013 and then had to wait for the turf to settle before installing the posts.
The posts have been a real hit with the students at Pacific Paradise SS, with a large number of students playing AFL and kicking goals during lunch breaks and of course getting involved in NAB AFL Auskick after school hours.
Teacher, Paul Franklin has been able to use the posts in his AFL units with year’s three, four and five students all participating in Sport Education.
The Pacific Paradise Youth Girls AFL teams have also been able to utilise the AFL Oval to train for Sunshine Coast AFL Programs in the Youth Girls Cup and the Brisbane Lions Cup.
The goal posts are a welcome addition to the school and with the North Shore Jets Australian Football club just across the road, infrastructure such as this will only boost the awareness and growth of AFL in the area.
North Shore Jets Junior President, Kim Ridley, said it was fantastic to have a set of AFL posts at Pacific Paradise as it will only help with transition into their club.
“We have seen a huge influx of players from Pacific Paradise SS, in particular in the girls, with a large number of past and present students from the school now playing with the Jets in the Under 15 and Under 18 Youth Girls competitions,” Ridley said.
“We are only a small club but having a school on board and supporting AFL is a great way for us to work together to get more kids active and playing AFL.”
