Jessica Micallef
The Sunbury Community Soccer is making sure every child can play sport.
The club was established last year after president Matula Osborn noticed a gap in clubs supporting families from a low socio-economic background.
“I saw a woman playing football outside her front yard with her two kids and I asked her where do they play?” he said.
“She said ‘they don’t play anywhere because it’s too expensive'”.
“I had a chat with a few parents and they said soccer was too expensive so I thought there was something I could do… I went about creating a not-for-profit community club.”
The club offers discounted registration fees and free registration fees for families from low socio-economic backgrounds.
“If you cannot afford to pay, we will make sure your child plays. We provide everything,” Mr Osborn said.
“We only charge $200 for the parents who can afford it. We also offer a payment plan so parents can pay monthly.”
Since the club’s inception last year, 65 children have signed up.
The club trains at Sunbury Heights Primary School.
“Sports should be a right, not a privilege,” Mr Osborn said.
“We have 10 teams, starting from under-5’s.
“We are able to afford … for low socio-economic families because of our business partners and sponsors who have contributed just over $5000 to support the community. All our partners believe in what we believe in.”
Details: facebook.com/sunburycommunitysoccerclub/
