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The next play starts here

Sport the way it should feel.

Next Play Athletic is a place for kids to learn, play and fall in love with sport, without the pressure to win or be the next superstar. Launched at Immanuel Lutheran College.

Five children sitting on footballs and a basketball on the oval at Immanuel, smiling at the camera

Who

Prep to Year 6

What

Basketball and football

Home

Immanuel Lutheran College

What we believe

Somewhere between the scoreboard and the dream of being the next superstar, sport stopped being fun for a lot of kids. We are here to put it back.

01

Play first

Lots of game time, with the basics practised every session. Kids learn by playing, not by standing in lines.

02

Everyone gets a go

Every child gets time on the ball and a turn at the fun parts, whatever their experience.

03

Effort over trophies

We celebrate effort, teamwork and having a crack. Winning is nice. It is never the point.

The national view

Let kids try more than one sport.

The Australian Sports Commission now advises against specialising in one sport before age 12. It says early specialisation can reduce motivation and lead to burnout, injury and stress.

It also suggests kids who keep a broader mix of sport until after 12 are more likely to succeed in the sport they later choose. It is how we think about sport too.

Read the ABC News report

Our method

Every session runs the same four plays.

Whatever the sport, we coach the whole player: how they move, how they handle the ball, how they think, and how they cope when it gets tough.

  1. 01

    Move

    Balance, coordination and agility, with the ball and without it.

  2. 02

    Master

    First touch, control, dribbling, passing and shooting. Confidence on the ball.

  3. 03

    Decide

    Scanning, spotting space, and choosing when to pass, dribble or shoot.

  4. 04

    Compete

    Using it all under pressure, and responding well when things go wrong.

One plan per child

Every child gets known, not ranked.

Progress is measured against each child's own starting point, never against the other kids.

  1. 01

    Start where they are

    In the first two weeks we get a baseline for every child, so we know what they do naturally and what could unlock the biggest step forward.

  2. 02

    Three things that matter

    One strength, one skill to work on and one player behaviour, like bouncing back after a mistake. Short and focused.

  3. 03

    Caught doing it well

    Every child leaves with at least one specific, earned moment of recognition. Effort, courage, smart choices and teamwork count, not only goals.

  4. 04

    Their voice, a next step

    At the end we ask what they are proud of, what is easier now and what they want to learn next. Each family gets a short player card and one simple way to help at home.

The aim is not to find the best player. It is to know each player better, show them how far they have come, and give them a clear next step.

What's on

After school at Immanuel

Two programs for Prep to Year 6, each one hour after school at Immanuel Lutheran College.

A coach and three children shooting hoops on the blue courts at Immanuel

Mondays

Basketball

Dribbling, passing, shooting and plenty of games on the blue courts.

  • Time3:30 to 4:30 pm
  • WhoPrep to Year 6
  • WhereBlue courts, Immanuel
Register interest
A child dribbling a football on the oval while a coach watches

Tuesdays

Football

Ball skills, small games and the basics practised every session.

  • Time3:30 to 4:30 pm
  • WhoPrep to Year 6
  • WhereThe oval, Immanuel
Register interest
Register interest for next term

Your child can do both sports. Registering your interest does not guarantee a place, and no payment is needed.

More sports to explore

Coming up

Holiday camps

Dates proposed · Not yet confirmed
A coach and children shooting hoops on the blue courts at Immanuel, with trees and sky behind

More time to play, in the holidays.

After school is where we start. In the school holidays we want to offer something bigger: three half-days of basketball or football at Immanuel, with more time to play, learn and make new friends.

  • Half days

    Mornings only, so there is still plenty of holiday left.

  • Basketball and football

    Prep to Year 6, with the same play-first coaching as after school.

  • Wet weather covered

    We hold extra days back, so a rainy morning does not mean a missed one.

Proposed dates · Monday to Wednesday mornings

  1. Basketball

    7 to 9 Dec

    2026

  2. Football

    14 to 16 Dec

    2026

  3. Basketball

    11 to 13 Jan

    2027

  4. Football

    18 to 20 Jan

    2027

Prices · Per child

  • Single day

    $70

  • Three days

    $165

    Early-bird until 2 December

  • Three days

    $180

Register interest in holiday camps

These dates are proposed, and your interest helps us decide which ones go ahead. No payment needed now. We will confirm the dates and tell everyone on the list first.

A boy in a navy and gold guernsey running with an Australian rules football A boy in a yellow kit about to kick a soccer ball on a grass pitch

Next plays

We're exploring what comes next.

Basketball and football are where we began. We are looking at what to add next, and the families we coach will help shape it.

There are no dates, no prices and no promises yet. But we would love to know what your child would play.

Exploring · No dates set

What would your child love to play?

Choosing a sport adds your interest to our list. It does not enrol your child or hold a place.

Pick as many as you like.

Send my picks

Meet Kesh and Michael

We've played at a high level. We coach the kid in front of us.

Michael played basketball professionally. Kesh played tennis and football at a national level. We both still coach kids, and what we know best is how quickly the joy goes when sport turns into a running list of corrections.

We have seen it from the sideline and from coaches: a constant list of what a child is doing wrong, and no encouragement. Confidence goes first, then the fun.

A great coach understands the player first, which is why every child here has their own plan. We are parents too, and this is the program we wanted for our own kids.

Kesh and Michael, the coaches, sitting side by side on a stone wall and smiling
Kesh Michael

Blue Card holders

Our coaches hold current Blue Cards.

Fully insured

Next Play Athletic carries its own insurance.

First aid qualified

Our coaches hold current first aid and CPR certificates.

For schools

Interested in Next Play at your school?

Immanuel Lutheran College is where Next Play began and is still our home. The idea is bigger than one school, though: sport that is play first, where every child gets a go and effort matters more than trophies.

If you run a school or an after-school program and this sounds like what your kids need, we would love to talk.

  • SportsBasketball and football to start
  • WhoPrep to Year 6
  • CoachesBlue Card holders, fully insured
  • Every childTheir own plan and player card

Say hello.

Questions about a program, or an idea for a sport we should try? We would love to hear from you.

Run a school or an after-school program? Let's talk about bringing Next Play to you.

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