PORT ADELAIDE players including Sam Mayes, Tom Rockliff and Willem Drew are preparing to give up their time to help run an Auskick clinic with a difference.

Mayes, Rockliff and Drew will be on hand to help host a four-week pilot Auskick program for children aged 5-12 with special needs and or cognitive impairment.

Supported by the SANFL and the Glenelg Football Club, the program was the brainchild of Port Adelaide General Manager – Media, Daniel Norton and his teacher friend Craig Abbott, who want to provide a football experience for kids who have autism or similar traits, including their own sons.

“My son David is probably the most active kid I know but he doesn’t have a sporting outlet because he doesn’t have the ability to merge into the mainstream activities so it’s quite frustrating,” Mr Abbott told portadelaidefc.com.au.

“Growing up all of my friends were through sport and that’s something I would like for him too.

“He’s ten and he has autism and he is non-verbal so he does have his challenging days but to me he is a loving boy who would do anything for his dad.

“Selfishly as a parent that wanted to have a very active kid engaged in activities, I found that once he got to five or six years old, the opportunity to get involved got a bit tricky so we thought we would try this out and see how it goes for four weeks.”

The physical, social and psychological benefits of sport for children have long been established and research released in 2017 revealed how activities like Auskick can specifically help kids with developmental challenges and disabilities, in particular helping improve their social and motor skills.

Abbott and Norton found it hard to find any such Auskick clinics catering for children with special needs so they thought they would set one up as a trial this year to help them enjoy our great game like any other child.

The clinics will be held each Thursday from March 21 at the Brighton High School Grounds from 4.45pm to 6.00pm.

Abbott said it would be a welcoming environment where nobody would be judged on their individual abilities.

“We are going to have a number of different kids with different nuances and while we will all know our own children and what works for them we won’t know other kids,” he said.

“The idea is that we want parents to know that it’s ok and they can be comfortable with that. They won’t feel like their kid is standing out because they are different.

“Nobody is going to judge anyone, we’re all just going to go and have a bit of fun and we are just going to do our best to cater for everyone.”

And having Port Adelaide players on board to help with the clinics is a big boon for the organisers.

“It’ll give the kids that bit of star power and a thrill to meet some of the guys who play AFL,” Abbott said, despite his passion for Hawthorn.

“For the guys who are going to come out and donate their time it means a lot and it’s a credit to Daniel and the club that they put their hands up to help kids with special needs.”

Anyone interested in taking part in the clinic can contact SANFL Game Development Coordinator Scott Uppington on 0410 440 200 or at scott.uppington@sanfl.com.au or head to https://play.afl/auskick for more information.

As for Abbott and Norton, they will consider expanding the program into other sports like basketball if the clinics are deemed a success.