Aspiring athletes and community volunteers will benefit from $250,000 in grants this season from the Coles Little Athletics Community Fund as Little Athletics record a high jump in participation numbers.
Today, Coles announced the 72 grassroots Little Athletics Centres who will share in $250,000 to purchase much needed sports, safety and volunteer equipment, including high jump mats, defibrillators and laptops.
The announcement comes as Little Athletics Australia revealed a 16% jump in participation over the past 12 months1, with the biggest increase recorded in the Little Athletics Tiny Tots program for 3 to 5-year-olds, which rose by 33%2. In the past five seasons, Little Athletics has grown by more than 40% to over 96,000 Aussie kids and a further 74,000 community volunteers, coaches and officials, making it one of the most participated junior sports programs in Australia.
A significant contributor to this surge in participation was Australia's success at the Paris Olympics and represented the third-highest post-Olympics growth in the past 40 years (behind London 2012 and Sydney 2000). And now, with a home Olympic Games on the horizon, Coles is backing Little Athletics for a further three years by renewing its partnership with the iconic Australian sporting program.
Coles kicked off its partnership extension with Little Athletics by launching two exciting initiatives to support grassroots clubs and centres – the annual Banana A-Peel, a national fundraiser whereby 5 cents from every kilo of Cavendish bananas sold at Coles until 21 October will be donated to Little Athletics Australia to a maximum donation of $150,0003, and the revamped Coles Little Athletics Tiny Tots, a modified athletics program for kids as young as three.
Three-time Olympian and Coles ambassador Brandon Starc returned to his junior club, Parramatta City Little Athletics to unveil the centre's new high jump mat, which was purchased with a $5,000 grant from the Coles Little Athletics Community Fund.
The Australian high jump record holder and Commonwealth Games gold and silver medallist said he was delighted to see the ongoing growth of Little Athletics.
"Little Athletics is where so many Australian champions get their start, and it's fantastic to see Coles backing kids from their very first steps on the track. As a father myself, I'm starting to think about which sports to get my kids involved in and Little Athletics is of course on top of the list because both my wife and I have experienced it and know the value and impact it has on kids' health and social skills," he said.
Little Athletics Australia CEO Myles Foreman said Little Athletics is well positioned to maintain its growth with recent successes on and off the track and field.
"Grassroots Little Athletics Centres are the heartbeat of our sport. The sustained upward trend in participation over the past five years is a testament to the hard work and dedication of our 74,000 volunteers across the country, as well as the ongoing efforts of our State and Territory Member Associations who deliver quality programs to thousands of young athletes," he said.
"Last season's increase in registrations was further boosted by the inspiring performances at the Paris Games, igniting enthusiasm among young athletes and their families. We are hopeful that this momentum will continue following the recent Athletics and Para-Athletics World Championships, where more than 70 former Little Athletes competed on the world stage — including gold medallists Nicola Olyslagers and James Turner."
"Our partnership extension with Coles for a further three years will also help Little Athletics to continue this momentum with resources and opportunities for children of all ages, including our youngest athletes through the Coles Little Athletics Tiny Tots program."
Coles Acting Group Corporate and Indigenous Affairs Officer Jace Armstrong said Coles is extremely proud of its long-standing partnership with Little Athletics.
"Coles' partnership with Little Athletics is built on mutual values and goals to help kids and local communities thrive and grow. Since 2017, Coles has donated more than 6 million bananas and over $2.8 million in sports equipment grants to help kids stay fit and be active. We're excited to play a role in fostering the next generation of Australian athletes for another three years."
In addition to being the major national partner of Little Athletics Australia, Coles has partnerships with Football Australia's introductory program, Coles MiniRoos and AFL's Coles Healthy Kicks to encourage healthy lifestyles and healthier choices for children.
