Ipswich kids are kicking, batting, rolling, and climbing across more suburbs as participation skyrockets in council’s popular Active Kids program.
This program is aimed at promoting health and well-being among our residents by providing free and low-cost physical recreation activities for children.
Ipswich City Council Community and Sport Committee Chairperson Councillor Jacob Madsen said participant numbers increased by 218 per cent compared to 2023.
“This year we had over 5,000 participants compared to last year’s nearly 1,600,” Cr Madsen said.
“Council added 79 additional activities this year, with thousands more children taking them up.”
Cr Madsen said the Active Kids program provides opportunities for participants to try out a sport they are interested in before committing.
“Sport can be expensive, and this program provides a gateway for young people to try it out at low or no cost before committing fully,” Cr Madsen said.
“It is great to see our children and teens get out and about at their local parks, ovals and sporting fields giving a new sport a go.
“Council’s aim is to provide our children with an accessible opportunity to be active and have fun but in the process, Australia’s next great sporting icons may rise from the ranks of Ipswich’s Active Kids and go straight into the 2032 Brisbane Olympics.”
Cr Madsen said running the program would not have been possible without council’s partner organisations.
“We had great engagement with our 15 external partners this year, particularly in co-designing some of the programs,” Cr Madsen said.
“We have a mix of organisations helping us out, ranging from Queensland’s peak sport bodies to emergency services, as well as local sporting clubs and community centres.
“These partnerships meant that we could deliver innovative community-centred programs like the ‘All Abilities Day’ and ‘Come and Try Day,’ which were well received and enjoyed by participants.
“This demonstrates the diversity we offer in our activities, which perfectly suits our increasingly diverse community.”
The Active Kids program offers more than 40 sport and nutrition related activities across 20 Ipswich suburbs. Activities include athletics, NRL, cricket, gymnastics, BMX, fishing, soccer and rugby union.
This year, basketball was particularly popular, with nearly 1000 participants attending across 7 sessions, including activations in Tulmur Place.
Cr Madsen said council was looking to improve the program further by developing more activities with industry and community as well as incorporating feedback from both participants and instructors.
“Council has already recognised that there is opportunity for further development and delivery of more classes, events and activities within the program and so we will work on that in the near future,” Cr Madsen said.
There are rugby and multisport sessions still running with bookings available until 15 December, after which the Active Kids program will go on break before returning at the beginning of Term 1 next year.
More information about the Active Kids Program is available here.
