High jump champion Brandon Starc visited Illawarra Little Athletics centres for Coles Community Round. Photos: Toby Zerna/Coles.
Three-time Olympian and Commonwealth Games high jump champion Brandon Starc has inspired the next generation of young athletics superstars in the Illawarra with three local Little Athletics centres also receiving grants to help jump-start their next season.
Brandon visited aspiring athletes at Northern Illawarra, Wollongong City and Albion Park Little Athletics for Coles Community Round to share nutritional advice and training tips while also having a bit of fun, with banana themed races and games.
“It’s always so much fun and rewarding to visit local Little Athletics centres for Coles Community Round every year and to see the excitement and joy on the kids’ faces,” Brandon said.
“Inspiring young athletes is one of the best part of my role as a Coles ambassador,” he added.
“I love showing the kids that they’re capable of more than they think and that a lot of Olympians like myself started where they are now.”
The visit provided more than just a motivational boost, with local clubs’ bottom lines also benefitting from cash injections from the Coles Little Athletics Community Fund to provide a jump-start to their 2025 season.
As part of a share of $150,000 split between 43 clubs and centres, Northern Illawarra Little Athletics received $3800 to purchase hurdles, measuring tapes and Tiny Tots equipment which president Ian Galvin said would help make it safer, easier and more enjoyable for both participants and volunteers.
“The new hurdles will aid the development of our athletes significantly as they will replace our current ones which have undergone multiple repairs in recent years and are also difficult for our volunteers to adjust,” Ian said.
Wollongong City Little Athletics treasurer David Williams said the $2100 received by their club for modified equipment would enable the centre to grow its program for three- to five-year-olds.
“The new equipment will allow our club to run a stand-alone Tiny Tots program alongside our Little Athletics program on the same night,” he said. “Grants like these are crucial because it means we can direct our fundraising efforts to paying for other essential items and keeping registration fees low.”
Lake Illawarra also received $3500 for a new line marker.
The fund has provided grassroots community sports clubs with millions of dollars for equipment and support over the past seven years which has helped more than 480 centres across the country.
Coles Little Athletics Australia CEO Myles Forman said the interest in clubs participating in the Community Round was at a record high.
“Coles Community Round is a great way to celebrate our partnership with Coles, which has provided over $2.5 million in sports equipment grants and more than five million bananas to our centres since 2017,” Myles said. “The round also encourages centres to put the ‘fun’ back into the Little Athletics motto – family, fun and fitness.”
To find out more about the fund visit the Coles website.
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