Russell Matheson (Macarthur, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

I am delighted to support the member for Forde's motion today to recognise one of this country's fastest growing sports, played by thousands of children, young people and adults in my electorate. As mentioned by the members for Forde and Lindsay—and I noticed the member for Robertson is here today to speak—football, or soccer, is played by more than 1.18 million people in Australia and is the most popular sport amongst children of both genders, with more girls now playing soccer than netball. In my electorate of Macarthur, the Macarthur Football Association is made up of 26 fantastic clubs including Appin United, the Bradbury Ambarvale Bears, Burragorang District Soccer Club, the Camden Falcons, Camden Tigers, the Campbelltown Cobras, the Campbelltown Collegians, Campbelltown Southern Districts Soccer Club, Campbelltown Uniting Church Soccer Club, the Douglas Park Wilton Razorbacks, the East Campbelltown Hawks, the Eschol Park Wolves, Fields United Soccer Club, the Gunners Soccer Club, the Harrington United Hornets, Ingleburn Eagles, Macarthur Magic, the Minto District Stingers, Macarthur District Football Referees Association, the Mount Annan Mustangs, Narellan Rangers, Oran Park Rovers, Picton Rangers, Ruse Football Club, St Mary's Eagle Vale Soccer Club and the Tahmoor Taipans.

The association caters for both male and female players, from the under-six minis to the over-35s. We also have competitions dedicated to female-only teams, starting from the under-12 girls. The MFA is also the home of the Macarthur Rams, who play in the National Premier League 2 competition, and the Macarthur Rams women's team, which plays in the National Premier League 1 competition. The Rams' home ground, Lynwood Park at St Helens Park, recently received a $1.4 million synthetic turf field. The project was one of my election commitments and will be used by many sporting teams across Macarthur. The new synthetic turf field means more games and increased facilities for the Macarthur Football Association, with its growing numbers of teams and players. It will create enormous opportunities for the club and for football in Macarthur. The new facility will host 60 games per week, with approximately 20,000 participants annually. The project was jointly funded by Campbelltown City Council, the federal government and the Macarthur Football Association. I would like to thank Campbelltown City Council for its support of this project to ensure the people of Macarthur have first-class sporting facilities to call their own. This has been a great win for our community, and one that I am personally very proud to have played a role in.

Macarthur is not the only electorate experiencing a rising interest in soccer. There are currently 2,155 clubs in Australia, and the Hyundai A-League now has almost 105,000 members, creating a tremendous community spirit amongst supporters and players.

They are starting young these days. In Macarthur, soccer is becoming increasingly popular for children as young as 18 months of age. We currently have hundreds of toddlers and preschool-aged children taking part in Little Kickers classes in Campbelltown, Elderslie, Harrington Park, Mount Annan, Narellan, Oran Park and Smeaton Grange.

Little Kickers is an organisation that gives young children a positive introduction to sport by teaching quality soccer skills in a friendly, pressure-free environment. Last week I spoke to Luke and Soraiya Fuda, who take their son, Spencer, to Little Kickers in Harrington Park. The Fudas said Spencer started Little Kickers when he was 18 months old and the local soccer team helped encourage early learning and teamwork. They said Little Kickers also encouraged Spencer to share and work harmoniously with his peers. It has been good for Spencer because it has taught him basic etiquette including waiting his turn, team morale and interacting with children as well as respecting authoritative figures. His coaches have played a fundamental part in his learning process and the Fudas say they have seen a vast improvement in these areas since Spencer started with Little Kickers. I hope that one day we will see young Spencer playing for his local club in the Macarthur Football Association or perhaps even in the A-League.

Young soccer lovers in my electorate have also been impacted by the community programs run by the Football Federation Australia, especially in our local schools. The FFA runs many successful community programs which encourage participation, community spirit, integration as well as healthy, active living. I have seen the positive impact of these programs firsthand. In 2014, the federal government, SBS and the FFA came together to launch the Harmony Game Schools' Pack in my electorate. I was honoured to join Senator Concetta Fierravanti-Wells and former Socceroo Craig Foster at Briar Road Public School for the launch. This was a great initiative that encouraged students to take ideas about diversity and cultural identity from the soccer field to the classroom and the wider community. The release of the pack, with its soccer-themed activities, was timed with the departure of our Socceroos to Brazil to represent Australia in the FIFA World Cup. I was very pleased that Macarthur was chosen for the national launch of this program.

I am proud to represent an electorate which is full of great sporting clubs, schools and families that work together to encourage good health, teamwork and a love of sport. The increased number of young people engaged in soccer in my electorate is a testament to the wonderful volunteers and coaches at our local clubs and the parents and carers who encourage their children to try their best each week on the soccer field. I wish them all the best as they prepare to kick off the 2016 soccer season in Macarthur.

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