It might be a little different to coaching the Wallis Lake Premier League team to a grand final, but Jeff Summers says introducing the game of football to kids aged two to five is equally as rewarding.
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Summers kicked off a preschool program this week as a part of his Jeff Summers Football Coaching academy and said the response was fantastic.
"It was wonderful to watch the interactions between kids," he said.
"I was buzzing."
Focussing on basic ball skills, game sense, social interaction and gross motor skills, the eight-week program serves as an introduction to the sport and a way to prepare kids for the structure of junior football.
With a bunch of youngsters coming to the game for the first time, Summers said it's also just a lot of fun.
"Everything is exciting for them," he said.
"They're like sponges. They'll listen and try their hardest."
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Not only is the program beneficial for the children and their parents, it's also allowed Summers to employ a number of local teens and given them the opportunity to learn some valuable leadership skills.
The six coaches who help Summers coordinate the program each week are all graduates of his academy.
"It's an initiative I'm really proud of," Summers said.
With 45 kids already enrolled, the program was booked out and Summers said he wouldn't be taking any more kids this session.
However, he plans to run a second program after the summer holidays.
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