Auskick Frequently Asked Questions

There is no set uniform. Comfortable clothes & either runners or football boots are fine.  Many kids like to wear their favourite team colours & jumpers.  Our clinic offers footy boot trading, which is available early in the season.  Please contact the coordinator for more details if you have boots to donate, or wish to trade or buy some.

Mouthguards have a definite role in preventing injuries to the teeth and face and for this reason they are strongly recommended at all levels of football. Montrose Auskick clinic has taken the position that any child who plays in a formal half time game or carnival must wear a mouth guard. In junior football, mouth guards are compulsory for training and games. Our Blue Demons (older kids) will be encouraged to start to train at Auskick with a mouth guard in preparation for Junior Football the following year. It can be hard, as often the mouth guard will spend more time in your child’s hand than in their mouth, but we do encourage you to get your child used to mouth guards in a training environment so when they start playing matches they are used to that piece of equipment and if need be it is in the right place at the right time… your child’s mouth!

Helmets are not as straight forward as mouth guards. Montrose Auskick and Montrose Junior Football Club do not mandate the use of helmets when training or playing. There are lots of medical opinions and coaching opinions on the use of helmets, and the impact that they can have, on a player both negative and positive. We encourage each parent to do their own research and make a decision that is right for you and your child.

This is a really good question.  We teach tackling at Auskick for a number of reasons. One, it is fun and the kids love to run in and tackle our “tacklebuddy” who comes back each week no matter how hard he is tackled. Secondly just like kicking, hand passing and marking tackling is a skill, while the kids may not yet tackle in a game it is still important to teach the basic technique as early as possible so that this fundamental skills can be carried through Auskick and into Juniors. This leaves your child a strong position when tackling is allowed, in under 10’s. This is a position that both Montrose Auskick & Montrose Football Club strongly support in the EFNL ruling. Thirdly, at such a young age, while there may be some kids that are ready to tackle, there are many that are not. Auskick is about participation and learning skills in a safe and fun environment. If young kids were to be getting dumped in big tackles this is something that could reduce participation and enjoyment of our great game. 

Matt Clements & Katherine Clements are the Montrose Auskick Clinic Coordinators and they will facilitate each clinic. Each age group will have a main Coach and helper Coaches.  All parents are encouraged to get involved in the sessions – no experience is necessary! We try to maintain a ratio of 5 kids per Coach/Helper as that allows for a higher level of attention to each player and guidance with skill development.