Having been founded only three weeks ago, the club moved quickly to organise the program, and board member Brent Lello expressed his delight at the turnout from the local families. 

“Absolutely [above expectation],” Mr Lello said. 

“The football club’s been incoporated about three weeks, and this is the first event. Obviously there’s a big focus on the juniors.” 

The day began at 9:30am, when the children and parents all congregated on the Murrumbateman Rec Ground to sign up and collect their free football. 

The hour-long session included several games, such as poisonball, stuck in the mud, and a relay. 

It then finished with another game of poisonball, but with a twist. This time, it was the parents who were running for their lives and dodging footballs left and right. 

It was run by Amber Allen, an AFL trainee who has worked with the company for over a year, and played Aussie Rules for five years. 

Ms Allen was thrilled with the enthusiasm shown by the children. 

“It was really good,” she said. 

“The kids were awesome. They’re such a great group of kids, so I’m excited for the next three weeks.” 

Although she generally works through the Belconnen Magpies and regularly runs similar events in Canberra, Ms Allen stated that today’s group was the most children she’s ever seen at an Auskick program.

The success of this event, according to Mr Lello, was also down to the President of the Murrumbateman Football Club, Andrew Ingold. 

Mr Ingold’s determination and passion are the “backbone of the club” in the words of Mr Lello. 

“He [Ingold] is an absolute dynamo,” he said. 

The Murrumbateman Auskick program will run for the next three weeks, also from 9:30am to 10:30am.