PORT ADELAIDE'S playing group has spent the day spread throughout South Australia, meeting with children and young people sharing some important messages.

Players split into 12 groups, visiting Port Augusta, Port Lincoln, Mount Gambier and the Adelaide Hills to carry out educational sessions and football clinics.

The visits involved 4,500 young people from 24 schools and seven football clubs.

Power utility Justin Westhoff said he enjoyed meeting some eager youngsters at Lenswood Primary School.

“I think they were pretty excited about the footy season starting so just giving them a bit of an insight into that and getting around them a bit,” he said.

“There’s a few guys racking up the kilometres today but for me it was just down the road from my house.”

Players who visited the Spencer Gulf, South East and Eyre Peninsula helped deliver the Aboriginal Power Cup program.

Some 100 students were at Port Augusta’s Central Oval for a cultural awareness workshop and football clinic run by Chad Wingard, Karl Amon, Jake Neade, Sam Powell-Pepper and Aidyn Johnson.

Students came from Maree, Coober Pedy, Leigh Creek, Port Pirie and Port Augusta to attend, and midfielder Amon said they seemed to enjoy the day.

“The kids love it,” he said.

“They get some important messages but we as players enjoy coming out here too.

“It’s nice to meet so many supporters and share our stories and give back to the community, and we just hope the kids get something out of it.”

The Port Adelaide Football Club’s Aboriginal Programs Coordinator Wade Thompson said the players helped the students understand and be proud of their culture, but also helped inspire them to dream big.

“This year’s theme for the Aboriginal Power Cup is change your future,” he said.

“We want to inspire our next generation of Aboriginal people to be the change they want to see.

“Some communities have different issues, whether it’s drinking, smoking or family members getting locked up in prison, but this generation can change that.”

Thompson played two AFL games for Port Adelaide in two seasons on the club’s list but said it was nice to return to his hometown of Port Augusta.

“I grew up in Port Augusta and I never had a chance like this and hopefully some of these young people will come from a remote community into the AFL, like Jake Neade coming from the Northern Territory,” he said.

“And the main thing is that they further their education and get more employment opportunities.

“One of our slogans at Port Adelaide is to give back to the community and that is something that we are really proud of.”

Friday’s Port Augusta visit involved students from the South Australian Aboriginal Sports Training Academy and its manager Andrew Smith said it was a fantastic opportunity for children from very different communities to come together to meet each other and some of their idols.

“I love the fact that the AFL boys open up with their own story,” he said.

“It really sets the scene for the kids who can hear, you know Jake’s come from the Northern Territory, or some of the boys have come from country Victoria but they can sit here and think, especially with the AFLW competition here now, that whether they’re boys or girls, and regardless of where they come from, that could be me one day.”

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