The Club will bid farewell to one of its established multicultural programs after running the successful Andrew Welsh Auskick Clinic for a number of years.

Its establishment was driven by a combination of the community’s desire for a football program for their youth and Essendon and Victoria Police’s commitment and passion to service the multicultural youth of Flemington in Melbourne’s north.

Former Essendon star Andrew Welsh was a firm believer in introducing the game to multicultural communities, putting his hand up to lead the Auskick Centre from a players’ perspective.

The Andrew Welsh Auskick Centre has improved many children’s’ football skills as well as providing a safe after-school program and bringing the community together to create meaningful friendships.

Both the Essendon and North Melbourne Football Club’s came together to present the program’s final session on Friday at Flemington. North Melbourne will now continue to run the Auskick clinic. Victoria Police congratulated all involved in the Auskick Centre, presenting Essendon with a plaque to signify their gratitude for the club’s involvement with the program over the years. Many local Flemington multicultural community leaders were also present on the day.

Special thank you to Yaseen Musa, Dr. Burhan, Sainab Sheikh, Yusuf Mohammad and the broader local African community in setting up the Auskick Centre and assisting the program’s ongoing growth.

For further details about Essendon’s Multicultural Programs, please click here.