Lance 'Buddy' Franklin was joined by Hawthorn's Dylan Moore and Aileen Gilroy at Glenferrie Oval to launch the NAB AFL Superkick season. Picture: AFL Photos

IT'S time to grab your buddies for another season of NAB AFL Superkick!

NAB AFL Superkick – touted as the cool ‘older sibling’ of NAB AFL Auskick – is where buddies, mud and confidence collide with skill development and modified match play.

Specifically designed for kids aged 7-12 years old, NAB AFL Superkick is for children who are looking to develop their skills or who are picking up a footy for the first time.

The tackle-free program boasts smaller team sizes and a shorter season, providing the perfect introduction for new participants to connect with footy at their own pace in a fun and inclusive environment.

Delivered at the same location each week at local centres and clubs, the one-hour sessions are broken down into four quarters consisting of engaging skill games and activities (15 minutes) followed by match play (45 minutes).

After reaching its first milestone of more than 10,000 participants in its first season last year, the program has already eclipsed that number in 2025, with the program aiming to hit more than 25,000 registered participants this season.

There are now more than 142 community NAB AFL Superkick centres around the country, an increase of more than 500 per cent from 2024.

On hand to launch the season in Melbourne, NAB AFL Superkick ambassador Lance ‘Buddy’ Franklin said he was excited to get the second full year of the program underway.

“It was fun to head back to Glenferrie Oval and help launch the NAB AFL Superkick season with the Hawks and some of my old premiership teammates,” Franklin said.

“The kids had a ball at the Superkick clinic, and it was great to see everyone having fun and giving footy a try. With Superkick it doesn’t matter what skill level kids have, it’s all about having a go.

“In my role as an ambassador for NAB AFL Superkick, I’m also looking forward to heading to Gather Round in April to host a clinic in Adelaide as well as travelling to New South Wales and Western Australia to run sessions with kids.” 

NAB AFL Superkickers had a ball at the footy clinic with Buddy Franklin and a host of current Hawthorn players including Josh Weddle, Cam Mackenzie, Bailey Macdonald and Jaime Uhr-Henry. Picture: AFL Photos

Executive General Manager of Game Development, Rob Auld, said NAB AFL Superkick provided another way for children to connect with the game.

“As we launch the second year of NAB AFL Superkick, we’re aiming to build on last year’s success and continue to grow the program for 7–12-year-olds who are new to the game or those who are transitioning from NAB AFL Auskick,” Auld said.

“It was terrific to have Lance attend the launch at Glenferrie Oval in Melbourne as our ambassador for NAB AFL Superkick, he’s great with the kids and they love learning from an icon of our game.

“As we embark on 2025 the program has been designed to fit in with busy family schedules with NAB AFL Superkick held at local centres and offering after school times to ensure the program is flexible and accessible, the season is also a bit shorter making Superkick a good introductory program.

“As we strive to connect more people to our game to help reach our vision of one million participants by 2033, Superkick provides another avenue for children to play that caters for all backgrounds.

“On behalf of the AFL I’d like to thank NAB for their continual support in growing the game across both of our major participation programs.”

NAB Group Chief Operating Officer Les Matheson said NAB was proud to support Superkick and continue to make footy more accessible for kids, families and customers.

“We’re passionate about our role in helping to grow the game throughout communities around Australia. NAB AFL Superkick is part of that support, working with the AFL to build on the momentum achieved in the first year of the program.

“Together, we will continue to grow Superkick and provide more opportunities for kids to have fun, practice their skills and kick goals.”

For more information about NAB AFL Superkick visit: play.afl/superkick

NAB AFL Superkick is aiming to hit more than 25,000 participants in 2025 after reaching more than 10,000 in its first season last year. Picture: AFL Photos

About NAB AFL Superkick 

    • NAB AFL Superkick is the league’s new program that encourages more children to get involved and connect with Australian rules football. 
    • NAB AFL Superkick invites all children aged 7-12 no matter their knowledge, skill or ability, to participate in the tackle-free program.  
    • In weekly sessions, kids focus on developing skills before putting them into action with modified match-play.
    • NAB AFL Superkick offers an inclusive environment for everyone to get involved, with optional ‘All Girls’ programs available.   
    • Upon signing up, all community Superkickers get an awesome pack filled with cool footy goodies not available anywhere else. 
    • Visit play.afl/superkick for more details.