Golden stars return to grassroots to inspire next gen

Australia's track and field stars will make a return to grassroots Little Athletics centres over the next two weeks to inspire the next generation of Aussie athletes.

Australian hurdles legend Sally Pearson, dual World Champion Jaryd Clifford, 2018 Commonwealth Games high jump champion Brandon Starc and 2022 Commonwealth Games¹ gold medallists, Kelsey-Lee Barber, Matthew Denny and Nina Kennedy, along with Little Athletics ambassadors will visit 45 regional and metro Little Athletics centres across Australia to share their training tips with aspiring athletes.

The appearances are part of Little Athletics Australia's Coles Community Round where kids and families participate in Coles-inspired activities such as banana relays, shopping basket races and Little Athletics' version of 'fashions on the field.'

Coles Ambassador and triple Tokyo Paralympics² medallist Jaryd Clifford said he was looking forward to visiting local Little Athletics centres for Coles Community Round.

"It didn't seem that long ago that I was doing Little Athletics myself, and I still remember the Australian athletes who took the time out to visit my centre. It was always so exciting and inspirational, and I hope to be able to provide that same buzz to the little athletes I see this weekend," he said.

This year's Coles Community Round coincides with Coles' commitment to Little Athletics Australia for a further three seasons.

Coles General Manager Corporate Affairs & Indigenous Affairs Sally Fielke said Coles is delighted to continue its support of grassroots sport and provide opportunities for kids to lead healthier, happier lives.

"Little Athletics is at the heart of communities across Australia and inspires kids to keep active and stay healthy. That's why we're delighted to extend our support for Little Athletics Australia to 2025," she said.

"Since our partnership began in 2017, Coles has been extremely proud to have donated more than 3.7 million bananas and distributed over $2.2 million in sports equipment grants to grassroots Little Athletics centres to support young kids and volunteers across Australia."

"Coles Community Round has become one of the highlights of our partnership and our team members love getting involved in their local community by cooking BBQs, raking long jump pits and helping across the events."

Coles Little Athletics Australia CEO Myles Forman said Coles Community Round has become a feature of the Little Athletics calendar since it was first introduced two years ago.

"Coles Community Round has been very popular with our centres over the past two years and this season we've had over 200 centres pre-register to host an event," he said.

"The round really brings out the 'fun' in our 'fun, family and fitness' motto and it's great to see centres get behind the Coles theme with food, costumes, and different types of activities for the day."

"We're also excited to have Coles' ongoing support of Little Athletics until 2025. We look forward to continuing to partner with Coles to make Little Athletics accessible and enjoyable for kids, volunteers and families across Australia."

Coles Community Round is held over 14 days from Wednesday, 9 November to Tuesday, 22 November.

The Coles and Little Athletics Australia Ambassadors who will be making appearances at local centres during Coles Community Round are:

*Athlete appearances are correct as of Thursday, 10 November 2022, however all athlete visits listed are subject to change if affected by weather, COVID, illness or travel.