10,000 new girls and boys have signed up to the ALDI MiniRoos ‘Kick-Off’ program so far this year Football Federation Australia (FFA) announced yesterday, as football’s popularity and participation continues to grow.

Overseen by Football Federation Australia (FFA), the program is run by local clubs and associations. The ‘Kick-Off’ program, which runs year round, is designed for new players aged between four and nine and feeds into regular ALDI MiniRoos football.

Last month, coinciding with the FIFA World Cup, Football Queensland (FQ) embarked on a regional ALDI MiniRoos Road Trip hosting free ALDI MiniRoos clinics for young Queenslanders.

The Road Trip visited 13 regional communities with 600 youngsters aged between five and nine participating in the free football clinics across the state.

“We wanted to introduce new players into the game, especially with the buzz of the World Cup,” FQ MiniRoos Development Officer Andy Allan said.

“The majority of the participants hadn’t played football before, which was great to see and introduce potential future stars to our game.”

As part of the Road Trip, FQ encouraged clubs to set up their own ALDI MiniRoos Kick-Off program. Clubs that set up their own Kick-Off programs before August 31 will be rewarded with a Brisbane Roar Hyundai A-League jersey.

The MiniRoos format was launched nationally in 2015 and has become the largest introductory program in Australian sport. It is expected to hit 250,000 players within two years.

FFA’s Head of Community, Football Development and Women’s Football, Emma Highwood, said football was increasingly the choice of parents with young children because it was fun, safe, accessible and genuinely inclusive.

“Everyone is welcome in football regardless of their background, gender or ability – and parents know that,” said Highwood.

“We’re delighted that another 10,000 kids have joined the ALDI MiniRoos Kick-Off program so far this year. What is even more pleasing is that 30 per cent of the new players are girls.

“Football has been a trailblazer for women’s sport in Australia and we are seeing the impact of this with the number of girls taking up the game. And of course having the Socceroos and Matildas competing in World Cups is also inspiring kids to play football.”

For more information on ALDI MiniRoos, please click here.