Flagstaff Hill Primary School and Football Club

Mr DULUK (Davenport) (15:30): I rise today to congratulate the Flagstaff Hill Primary School and the Flagstaff Hill Football Club on their outstanding results in their respective football competitions this season.

The Flagstaff Hill Primary School year 6/7 football team won the South Australian School Football Association Premiers Cup in August. This is a fantastic result, and a testament to the hard work and dedication to school football by coaches Michael Cermak and Richard Roberts, and coordinators Leanne Hackett and Kathy Burbridge. I would also like to congratulate the players, their parents, and the teachers who all made a wonderful contribution to the team's success.

The Premiers Cup is the leading Saturday morning football competition for all public schools in metropolitan Adelaide. To win the Premiers Cup, Flagstaff Hill Primary School first won the West Adelaide Lightning Carnival against the top four teams from the area, then successfully contested the knockout games against two of the top eight teams across the state to reach the final. Their grand-final victory over Fulham North Primary School established Flagstaff Hill Primary School as the best public football team in metropolitan Adelaide. Beyond winning, an absolute highlight of the grand final was playing at Adelaide Oval. The young footballers had the opportunity to walk on that hallowed turf. It was an exciting opportunity for the team, and a fantastic experience to play in front of so many people, as they did.

It has also been a big year for the Flagstaff Hill Football Club, who were the successful Premiers of the 2016 Southern Football League association. It has been 31 years since the club has tasted ultimate success in the A grade competition. I would particularly like to acknowledge the winning captain and W.H. Warren medallist for Best on Ground, Michael Shearer, and coach Rodney Mitchell. The club's C grade and under-14s also enjoyed premiership success this year. It is an important reminder that junior and lower grade teams are the backbone of any strong footy club.

It takes many people, many hours, and a good culture to win grand finals. Congratulations to the players, coaches, officials, volunteers and supporters who have played such a tremendous part in seeing the great results at the Flagstaff Hill Football Club this year, which also won Best Club of the Year in the SFL.

The good culture of a sporting club starts at the top, and through President Brett Charlesworth the Flagstaff Hill Football Club has created a wonderful culture based on hard work, teamwork and dedicated volunteers who have steered the club in the right direction. Grassroots sport is integral, not just for local communities but for the health and vibrancy of our state. Suburban clubs provide a hub for the local community and a place to make friends, learn new skills, be engaged, and, most notably, participate—which we all need to do.

In an alarming trend, participation levels are in decline when it comes to community sport. The recent report card released by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, titled Australia's health 2016, found that in 2014-15, almost half of all adults aged 18 to 64 were inactive, or insufficiently active, and the proportion of overweight or obese adults has increased from 56 per cent to 63 per cent between 1995 and 2014-15.

Indeed, the 2016 state budget estimates that only 36.8 per cent of South Australian adults were at a healthy weight in the years 2015-16, and nearly a quarter of South Australians aged between five to 17 years of age are considered to be at an unhealthy weight. This figure highlights the importance of local sports clubs: to promote an active and healthy lifestyle, and engage the entire community—mums, dads, friends, families, young and old. But investment in local infrastructure is also critical.

That is why I am pleased that the Flagstaff Hill Community Centre will receive a much needed upgrade following the federal Coalition government's $400,000 commitment to this project. The community centre is home to the Flagstaff Hill Cricket Club, football club and tennis club, as well as the Southern Hills Little Athletics, the Happy Valley Netball Club, Fitness@Flagstaff and, of course, the Rotary Club of Flagstaff Hill.

The upgrade will help encourage the next generation of premiership heroes to pull on their boots, entice local residents to pick up a racquet, join their netball club, or sign up their children to Little Athletics. I would like to congratulate the many volunteers and club patrons committed to this project. The upgrade is a testament to their hard work and commitment to their local community.