The Parramatta Eels have teamed up with Surfing Australia to provide students from western Sydney with the chance to learn vital water safety skills in the latest initiative of the Parra Eels Play program.
Youngsters from Rydalmere Public School and St Oliver’s Primary School, Harris Park had the chance to mix with Eels players Luca Moretti and Joey Lussick and two-time surfing world champion Tom Carroll throughout the program at the URBNSURF facility in Sydney Olympic Park.
Lussick grew up close to the beach and was a regular at nippers and said it's important all children have access to the water, no matter where they live.
"This is all about getting kids active," Lussick said. "Whether it's surfing, whether it's rugby league, it's getting the kids out there, getting active, getting amongst it with your friends and keeping healthy.
"A lot of people aren't fortunate to be able to get to the beach and get to the water so it's great to be able to get out here at URBNSURF and teach those life skills of swimming, surfing and just moving in the water. This gives them good experience and life skills on how to deal with it."
Twenty-five students aged 6-11 from the two schools attended URBNSURF for six free sessions throughout the school holidays. The program helped the children learn to surf and build confidence in the water while teaching vital skills for living a healthy, active lifestyle.
The initiative was the latest round of the Parra Eels Play program, which has allowed more than 7000 primary school-aged children participate in active lifestyles since it was first established.
In partnership with the City of Parramatta, the Eels have helped youngsters complete school programs, attend holiday camps and experience special events.
The URBNSURF program forms a crucial aspect of the initiative, with many children in western Sydney receiving limited opportunities to spend time at the beach.
Carroll said the students received vital information about water safety while also learning lessons that apply to all aspects of their lives.
"Surfing's such a hard sport, it demands a lot of our attention on what the water's doing," Carroll said.
"That's the great thing about any sport, it takes all of us to do it, every cell in our body. When we start acting on it, some part of us goes to the background and we start to act on our instincts.
"If we can guide kids from the get go, they start to have a great experience and feel a lot better about themselves because their whole body and mind is activated at once."
