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The North Melbourne Kangaroos Welcome New Fans to Aussie Rules Footy < Back Kicks, Marks, and Cultural Connections David Middlemast 9 Apr 2025 The North Melbourne Kangaroos Welcome New Fans to Aussie Rules Footy On Sunday, March 23rd, North Melbourne FC and The Huddle proudly hosted an unforgettable event as part of the AFL’s Cultural Heritage Series . Hundreds of people from multicultural and newly arrived communities experienced their very first taste of Aussie Rules Footy, immersing themselves in the energy, excitement, and unity that define the game. At the heart of the day was the Welcome to AFL program, designed to introduce participants to the fundamentals of the game. From learning the basics of kicking, marking, and handballing to stepping onto hallowed ground of Marvel Stadium, attendees got a true hands-on experience. The program also included a stadium tour to help participants familiarise themselves with key facilities such as toilets, prayer rooms, and sensory rooms—ensuring they felt comfortable and included throughout their visit. Adding to the excitement, AFL CEO Andrew Dillon and North Melbourne Kangaroos players George Wardlaw and Josh Goater joined the activities. Their presence and interaction with the participants made a lasting impact, offering invaluable insights and encouragement straight from the pros. The event welcomed over 200 enthusiastic participants from the City of Wyndham , one of Australia’s largest and fastest-growing regions. With a projected population of over 500,000 by 2040—exceeding the population of Tasmania—Wyndham is quickly becoming a major hub of diverse cultures and potential footy fans. For many attendees, this was their first encounter with Aussie Rules Footy, and the experience was nothing short of inspiring. One young participant shared, “I want to play footy. When I go to school, I’m going to play footy.” Others marvelled at the stadium itself, with one surprising observation: “When I touched the grass, it was so soft.” By the time the game started, multiple stadium bays were filled with new Kangas supporters, waving flags and cheering at full volume. The excitement was infectious, with some participants so engrossed in the game that they even lost their voices from cheering so passionately. This event was a powerful demonstration of how sport can transcend language and cultural barriers, bringing communities together through a shared passion. At North Melbourne FC and The Huddle, we continue to pave the way in fostering inclusivity, ensuring that Aussie Rules Footy remains a welcoming sport for all. As the final siren sounded, it was clear that the event had done more than introduce a game—it had ignited a new wave of enthusiasm and belonging within the community. For many, this was just the beginning of their journey into the world of footy. Previous Next

Carmen Bruce from St. Damien’s Primary School share their journey with Math Hoops < Back Math Hoops: From the Classroom to the International Stage Jasper Menor 17 Sept 2025 Carmen Bruce from St. Damien’s Primary School share their journey with Math Hoops At St Damian’s Primary School , maths has taken on a whole new energy thanks to NBA Math Hoops. The program, delivered through The Huddle , has transformed how students engage with numbers — from those who struggle with maths anxiety to those who can’t get enough of it. Carmen Bruce , Maths Leader at St Damian’s, has seen the impact firsthand: "It's been fantastic as a maths leader to see all the kids being engaged in maths from our students that find maths a bit challenging or have anxiety with maths to our students that love maths and want to do it every day." Making Maths Fun and Accessible What makes Math Hoops so engaging is its mix of skill and chance. " “It’s got all different components to it, including our four operations and then the probability and chance. And the great component of this is that it has luck involved. So it doesn’t matter what skill level you’re at, sometimes you can have a stinker of a game and sometimes you can have a great game. So it’s been fantastic.” This balance means that every student — no matter their ability level — has the chance to succeed, play, and most importantly, enjoy learning maths. From Local Games to Global Opportunities The program has even opened doors beyond the classroom. " We were lucky enough to nominate two of our students to go to the international championships, and we were so thrilled to hear that one of our students got chosen. He had the most fantastic time over in America, meeting the players in the draft and just had such an experience. So those opportunities are so few and far between that it was just such an amazing challenge.” For the school community, watching one of their own compete on an international stage was a moment of pride and inspiration. A Partnership That Delivers Carmen credits The Huddle and its partners for making these experiences possible. “We really want to say a big shout out to Learn Fresh and the North Melbourne Football Club in The Huddle for all the amazing opportunities that we’ve had with them, from the training online for the teachers, to the board games being delivered to the school, the Victorian tournament and even the international championships, it’s been absolutely fantastic.” Through Math Hoops, St Damian’s Primary School has shown that learning doesn’t just happen in books — it happens through play, teamwork, and opportunity. Watch our interview with Carmen below! Previous Next

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How lived experience, storytelling, and resilience are shaping more inclusive pathways into the game we love. < Back A Game for Everyone: Nima’s Journey Through AFL Fraser Moorfield 27 Aug 2025 How lived experience, storytelling, and resilience are shaping more inclusive pathways into the game we love. Off the back of our wildly successful W2AFL program this past weekend, we had the pleasure of premiering a very special video involving Nima who is the National Cultural Diversity Engagement & Participation Manager at the AFL. Nima has been a valued partner with The Huddle across multiple programs, helping us connect with new and diverse communities, introducing them to the game we love — but more importantly, he brings a depth of lived experience and storytelling that resonates deeply with our participants. We first met Nima during our Game Changers program, where he joined as a panellist, as well as jumping in to support our participants as they developed their ideas for our pitch night. It was clear from his first visit that he had an amazing ability to connect meaningfully with our participants — sharing some of the challenges he faced following a non-traditional career path and the realities of navigating employment alongside the strengths you can gain from it. As the National Cultural Diversity Engagement & Participation Manager at the AFL, Nima’s work aligns beautifully with what we aim to do at our W2AFL program and the wider Huddle, creating inclusive, welcoming pathways for all. So, we sat down with him to talk about his journey — how he fell in love with AFL, the challenges he’s overcome following a non-traditional career pathway, and how those experiences have shaped the work he’s doing today to make the game accessible for all communities. 🎥 In this video, Nima shares personal reflections on his journey falling in love with the sport of AFL and the broader efforts across the AFL to ensure it truly is a sport for everyone. Stay tuned for more from Nima because this is a story worth hearing. Previous Next

< Back Community Camp - Wyndham 2024 North Melbourne Football Club Community Camp Previous Next

Fun and innovative footy-themed STEM lessons, aligned with Victorian Curriculum. Filter by Year Level Select Year Level Filter by Learning Topics Select Learning Topics VICTORIAN CURRICULUM Footy Facilities Can your students redesign innovative facilities to help our Kangaroos perform at their best? VIEW LESSON VICTORIAN CURRICULUM Kicking Machine Can your students create a kicking machine to understand the principles of a great kick? VIEW LESSON VICTORIAN CURRICULUM Future Roo Tech Can your students brainstorm creative technology to enhance Aussie Rules Footy? VIEW LESSON VICTORIAN CURRICULUM Measuring Marvel Can your students use their estimation skills to uncover the numbers within Marvel Stadium? VIEW LESSON VICTORIAN CURRICULUM Goal Accuracy Can your students use data to help the Kangaroos find the best location to kick goals? VIEW LESSON VICTORIAN CURRICULUM Statistical Showdown Can your students use stats to better understand how our Kangaroos perform? VIEW LESSON Fun, relevant, engaging. Students loved the fact that sportspeople were in the videos and that the lessons were based on some of their favourite stars. They were real life activities so very relevant and worthwhile. Classroom Teacher, Sandringham Primary School In partnership with

Privacy is important to The Huddle. This Privacy Policy provides information about the personal information that The Huddle collect and the ways in which The Huddle may use, hold and disclose this personal information. Privacy Policy Your privacy is important to the Learning and Life Centre Ltd (The Huddle) (ABN 23 159 776 020). The Huddle is a registered charity under the Australian Charities and Not-For-Profit Commission. This Privacy Policy provides information about the personal information that The Huddle collect and the ways in which The Huddle may use, hold and disclose this personal information. VIEW THE POLICY

Spring has sprung with an action-packed holiday program! Huddle Holidays did not disappoint! < Back Spring Huddle Holidays 2024 Recap! Patrick McPhee 16 Oct 2024 Spring has sprung with an action-packed holiday program! Huddle Holidays did not disappoint! Spring Huddle Holidays 2024 have come and gone, and what an awesome couple of weeks it was for The Huddle! Huddle Holidays is a school holiday program offered at the end of each school term for primary and secondary school students aged 8-18. The program provides children and young people with opportunities to try new experiences, developing their skills and capacity across social inclusion, health and emotional wellbeing, leadership, education, and careers. Over the most recent holidays our Juniors (8- to 12-years-old) engaged in three awesome activities: Ninja Warrior, ACMI and a trip to Werribee Zoo. This term some of our most excited participants were our first time attendees who were ecstatic to have reached an age where they can attend all the activities. One enthusiastic young person shared that it was their “first time going without my parents and (they) made new friends”. They were thrilled! First on the junior itinerary was Ninja Warrior with Fighting Lyons Gym. On this exciting morning, the group was challenged both as teams and as individuals. They played whole group classics such as ‘The Floor is Lava’ and ‘Hide and Seek’ before splitting into groups and trialling different sections of the challenging Ninja Warrior course. This involved tightrope walking, swinging on the flying fox, jumping on the Trampoline and lots of climbing! The activity was an opportunity for some who had a background in gymnastics and circus to demonstrate their skills, but for most of the group it was a completely new experience. At the end of the activity when asked if they found anything challenging throughout the day almost everyone raised their hands. Then, when asked if they kept trying when the challenges occurred, they raised their hands again – how good is that! Leaving our first activity we were excited for the rest of the holidays; we knew we had a group of resilient juniors ready to try new things! Next, the juniors headed to ACMI in Federation Square. At ACMI, our young people got to explore the universe of Film, TV, Video Games and Art. The first stop was the ‘Beings’ exhibit, produced by Universal Everything. Here, young people had the chance to move, dance, and play to interact with a vibrant array of larger-than-life digital creatures, each reacting uniquely to their movements. Following this, the group moved into ‘The Story of the Moving Image’ exhibit, where they got to explore an interactive space that encouraged them to learn about the past, present and future of all things moving image. A big hit in this space was the Video Game zone. Participants identified that this was a different activity than what is normally offered at Huddle Holidays, which gave students the chance to learn new things – and who knows, maybe inspire a potential future artist? Our last activity for the juniors was heading to Werribee Zoo. This was our most popular activity these holidays, booking out weeks before the holidays even began. At the Zoo the participants spent time exploring the different enclosures, playing on the themed playgrounds, and dancing to some rhythmic African drumming. The highlight of the day for most was the safari. The Huddle group all loaded into a bus that drove us through some wide-open enclosures, passing Rhinos, Giraffes, Zebras, and so much more. While most commented on seeing the animals as their favourite moment, one young person shared that they liked “the zoo because it taught me new information”. We love that our participants love to learn! While exploring the Zoo the participants learned about the different animals, their diets and habitats, but also how to care for the world we live in and contribute to its preservation. It was a great way to cap off the junior program! Our seniors (13- to 18-years-old) these holidays had the opportunity to sign up for two activities and one career-ready training opportunity. We facilitated a Basic First Aid and CPR course, a Martial Arts life skills workshop and a 3v3 Basketball Tournament. One participant identified that their favourite thing was that “I get to meet new people and expand on various skills.” An additional focus of the senior program is to also provide experiences that can enhance career opportunities for young people through skill development, such as nationally recognised training. Our first activity these holidays engaged young people of employment age (14+) in a Basic First Aid and CPR course at The Huddle in North Melbourne. Young people spent time learning the basics of bandaging, injury management, CPR and more. Each young person left with a certificate of completion that they can add to their resumes, alongside important life skills that they can take with them everywhere. Next up for the seniors was the Martial Arts Life Skills workshop with Tessa Inc. and their MAT program, which was run at the Werribee Football Club. The theme of the session was connecting the values and fundamentals of MMA with mental and emotional wellbeing principles. Participants left the session with a greater understanding of the value in controlling what they can control. Through the acknowledgement of their resilience, they demonstrated they can overcome anything - even physical challenges such as squats, push ups, holding the T-Pose, evading, punching and so much more. Connecting our mind and our body is an essential part of wellbeing, and a valuable lesson to learn during adolescence. Our final senior activity was the 3v3 Basketball Tournament at Eagle Stadium in Werribee. Excitingly, this activity was planned and run by young people employed by The Huddle through our Employment Experience program, Game Changers (learn about Game Changers ( thehuddle.org.au ) here). The young employees’ contributions were acknowledged by the participants as a highlight of the day. One shared, “I like how some students our age helped organise and run it and I like how the day was set up and organised.” The tournament was a massive day that saw all the teams play a minimum of 6 games before finals, where we crowned both mixed and all-female competition winners, as well as a 3-point contest champion. However, the biggest win on the day was the demonstration of sportsmanship that filled the stadium. This excellent sportsmanship was embodied by the kindness of a team that took on one of the youngest participants after realising that his team had to leave halfway through the day. Thanks to our participants, their families, activity providers and partners – Victorian Department of Education and Bendigo Bank Seddon. We couldn’t have this much fun without you! Huddle Holidays will return in January 2025 with an all-new, exciting range of activities across both junior and senior age groups. If you would like and further information or to join our email list to be notified when we launch registrations, please email huddle@nmfc.com.au . If you’re looking to get involved in our programs that run throughout the term, please check out the below links: Study Squad ( thehuddle.org.au ) (10-25 years-old) Huddle Up! Junior ( thehuddle.org.au ) (5-12 years-old) Huddle Up! Senior ( thehuddle.org.au ) (12-25 years-old) Previous Next

Ascot Vale West Primary School Students Battle It Out In NBA Math Hoops! < Back NBA Math Hoops in Action at Ascot Vale West PS! 22 Aug 2024 Ascot Vale West Primary School Students Battle It Out In NBA Math Hoops! Ascot Vale West Primary School students gave it their best on the NBA Math Hoops courts to secure a spot at the NBA Math Hoops Victorian State Championships in September this year. Students from grades 5 and 6 played three rounds of NBA Math Hoops, where they put their maths skills to the test and showed honourable sportsmanship towards their teammates and opponents. NBA Math Hoops is a comprehensive learning program featuring a board game and curriculum that motivates students to learn fundamental maths skills through the game of basketball. The program is free for all school teachers thanks to our friends @nbamathhoops and @learn_fresh - learn more about how you can access the board game here. Previous Next

Riley's Game Changers Story < Back Leaping Into Employment Emily Maiorana 20 July 2023 Riley's Game Changers Story Feeling job ready and understanding career opportunities can be both an overwhelming and difficult concept to grasp for those in the early stages of their job seeking journey. Young people within our community consistently face barriers to employment and are often not exposed to available support services. This leads to challenges in obtaining meaningful employment and affects their confidence to apply for roles. Young people are told their lack of experience is a main reason for not being successful when applying for roles. We also know young people struggle to find meaningful opportunities to gain relevant work experience. Game Changers fills the experience gap by providing real world opportunities for young people to develop experience and transferable skills through our workshops, Pitch Event and Employment Experiences. Fostering a hands on and problem-solving based learning approach, Game Changers creates an environment where all people feel they can belong and are able to develop skills essential to successfully obtaining sustainable employment. Empowered to reflect and identify their own strengths, Game Changers provides participants with the chance to create and pitch their ideas and solutions to a social issue to a panel of industry experts. Successful program participants can also take part in a paid Employment Experience working on a project at The Huddle. Riley is a 17-year-old male born and raised in Wyndham. Riley has been a participant in The Huddle’s Huddle Up! And Huddle Holidays programs since 2022. His commitment and enthusiastic character led staff to encourage Riley to register for Game Changers in Wyndham. “They told me I would be a perfect fit and after completing the course and Pitch Event I can say that everyone who had suggested the program was correct. I had a blast.” Riley attended four days of workshops, learning about ideation frameworks, problem solving and transferable skills and was able to meaningfully connect with his peers, displaying excellent leadership qualities in the process. Posed with the question “How can we create an engaging and sustainable event for young people in Wyndham which leverages the power of sport to promote social inclusion? ” Riley worked in a collaborative partnership with other participants to create a presentation highlighting their lived experiences in struggling to access sport when growing up. They also provided insights into how they didn’t feel accepted in many organised sports clubs and competitions because of their cultural identity. Their idea to help young people facing similar challenges was to hold a series of free sports clinics and events, which also celebrated the cultural diversity of the participants involved. Riley’s passion and ideas captivated staff at The Huddle, leading to him being offered a paid Employment Experience, working on the implementation of the Spring Huddle Slam, a basketball tournament for young people within his local community. “Game Changers has provided me with an amazing position in helping design the next Huddle basketball tournament and I am looking forward to being able to work surrounded by intelligent and fun people who share my love of sports and creating an inclusive environment.” By participating in Game Changers, Riley was able to improve his transferable skills, gain experience and be more confident within himself. “The Game Changers program has helped me be more aware of the career opportunities available, I will definitely be suggesting any future programs like this one to friends, as a lesson I have learned from participating in Game Changers is that everyone deserves a chance to be able to showcase their talent, and have it be seen and put to use with the help of experts in the field”. Riley will begin his paid Employment Experience in July 2023 and hopes to work casually within other sports programs at The Huddle. The Huddle would like to thank program partner Equal Ed and funding partner Wyndham City Council for their support of Game Changers in Wyndham. If you are interested in participating in Game Changers or would like tailored 1-on-1 career support* from The Huddle, please contact: Emily Maiorana - Careers Coordinator (The Huddle) Email: Emily.Maiorana@nmfc.com.au Phone: 0478 756 418 * 1-on-1 Game Changers sessions by appointment Previous Next

< Back Victorian Math Hoops Championship The first ever Victorian Math Hoops Championship was held at The Huddle this month. Previous Next