Children from Young Academics will take the pitch at half time

More than 100 three to five-year-old children from Young Academics will take to the pitch at Sydney’s Accor Stadium over the long weekend, participating in a half-time show they have been practicing for weeks. 

The children will join the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs for the half-time activity that has been created in conjunction with the NRL club to reinforce the importance of physical activity, staying active, improving coordination, and developing gross motor skills. 

First-grade Bulldogs players Ryan Sutton and Braidon Burns, themselves fathers, worked with  team members at Young Academics to teach the routine, saying they’ve had lots of fun engaging with the children and motivating them to become involved in sport and fitness.

“It’s been really rewarding working with the Young Academics children. Even in the short time we were with them, I noticed them becoming more and more confident as we went over the warm-up routine,” Mr Sutton said. 

“I hope it has inspired some of them to be more active and get involved in sport. It’s been great to see all the kids taking part and having fun.” 

Mr Burns agreed, saying “whether it’s organised sports, skills sessions at their early learning centres, or family play time in the backyard, kids gain confidence, improved coordination and social skills through sport and fitness. I hope some of these kids get involved in rugby league and grow up to become future Bulldogs players!”

2023 is the second season that Young Academics has been involved in a partnership with the Bulldogs, a collaboration which delivers ongoing value to the Young Academics community by tapping into the football club’s fitness expertise and by creating unique opportunities for children to get involved with their sporting heroes.

Bulldogs Chief Executive Aaron Warburton has been delighted with the partnership so far, noting all the positive benefits children receive as a result of the relationship. 

“I’ve been really impressed with Young Academics’ learning environments and their commitment to teaching the children about the importance of physical and mental wellness, sport, fitness and movement, which is so important in shaping young lives,” he said.

For Young Academics Group Managing Director James Kazzi, watching the children perform the halftime routine at Monday’s game will be one of the highlights of the partnership so far.

“We have now successfully implemented the Bulldogs warm-up routine into our everyday program and rolled it out across all our centres. The children and educators start every day with the session to prepare themselves for the busy day of learning ahead – and we have found it to be an excellent way to inspire the children to learn new moves and encourage them to live a healthy lifestyle, now and into the future,” he said.

The Young Academics warm-up routine will be performed during the half-time activities of the NRL Premiership Round 15, Bulldogs v Eels match on Monday 12 June 2023.

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