Northern NSW Football have signed a MoU with Invictus Australia, which will see them work closely together to promote physical activity and participation in NNSWF’s Walking Football and Kick-On for Women programs, to veterans and their families.
Kick-On for Women is a football program designed for women specifically who are new to football or have not played for a long time.
The program gives women the opportunity to fit in exercise and time for themselves into their lives while juggling other commitments they may have.
NNSWF will run Kick-On for Women hubs across northern NSW throughout the rest of the year.
Walking Football caters to those who are aged 50 years and over to encourage health, wellbeing and a social platform for older members of society.
It focuses mainly on passing and is a fun, low impact sport.
The MoU will also encourage the northern NSW football community to further improve their understanding of the veteran community, with an emphasis on improving their mental and physical wellbeing.
Invictus Australia Veteran Engagement Specialist for Northern NSW, Rachel Kerrigan, said the partnership would have a significant number of benefits for veterans.
“Sport is such a huge part of our time in the military and is a powerful tool in aiding veterans in all aspects of life from rehabilitation to tackling social isolation and finding purpose,” she said.
“It helps all members of the veteran community and their families integrate into the wider community, enabling them to draw stronger social connections and relationships whilst also putting the unique skill set gained from military service into use in their civilian life through volunteering. Sport has so many opportunities and pathways from elite, to local to volunteer roles.
“Sport has so many benefits for everyone. For me, after discharge, sport gave me a community and a network which became my family. It provided me with purpose, with challenges that I had been missing since leaving the military.
“It improved my fitness, my physical and mental health and wellbeing. It opened up so many opportunities for me both inside and outside of sport. It gave me back my self-belief, confidence, drive and the ability to be a valuable member of the community.”
NNSWF Community Football Manager, Ross Hicks, said he was excited to form the new partnership with Invictus Australia.
“This is another way for us to promote football and our programs to the community while also providing an opportunity for our veterans to connect with their community,” he stated.
“Walking Football and Kick-On for Women are perfect vehicles to get non-active people involved with football, some for the first time.
“It is an exciting partnership and I look forward to seeing how it develops.”
