Illawarra, NSW, Australia. - Grasshopper Soccer Franchise, the engaging children’s soccer program best known for its focus on child development using soccer as a tool, is excited to see another featured press article. Checkout the article below featured in the Illawarra Mercury and hear why Rob and Damian love the Grasshopper Soccer philosophy and the product.

The Matildas' home World Cup continues to have a lasting impact on the next generation of Illawarra footballers, according to Illawarra fathers Damian De Santis and Rob Young as they prepare to launch into 'Grasshopper Soccer'.

Illawarra football dads and self confessed football fanatics De Santis and Young decided to kick-off the existing grassroots soccer program in the Illawarra, after noticing a growing need for it in the area.

Kids as young as two and up to 12 can sign up to Grasshopper Soccer, which teaches young aspiring football stars the basics of playing soccer in a fun, social and non-competitive environment. De Santis said that the whole reason for the program was a simple one.

"The whole intent of the program is really just to get kids out there and active," he said. "It's about getting the kids outside in the fresh air and running around. I suppose trying to instill that in the kids as far as being active and using soccer as a mechanism to do that. "They'll learn a few skills and it's certainly focused on soccer. But it's also getting them in a group environment, playing with other kids and building up a little bit of confidence."

Meanwhile Young said that the kids had already had an effect on both him and his long-time friend De Santis. He added that the recent FIFA Women's World Cup was one of the reasons for the growing appetite to play football within the junior ranks. "I think working with the kids, it's almost like their energy is contagious," he said.

"We came away feeling really confident about the Grasshopper Soccer Product"

"Obviously it's a franchise and a business for us but I think Damien feels the same, we take a tremendous amount of joy just engaging with the kids. "We got over to Perth and met the franchise owner and ran a number of sessions and whilst we were over there just came away feeling really confident about the Grasshopper Soccer product. "Both of us have daughters and I have never seen my eight year old more excited about football and we are very much a football household."

"There's a lot of football academies out there. They're all founded on players that are already quite skilled and taking their game to the next level," he explained. "We're the opposite of that. We're all about inclusion. We're about fun and we're not competitive. You don't need to have any baseline skill to come and have a kick with us. "We're there to teach the game, but mainly we're there to build confidence and skills and the ability to engage with your peers." The outdoor program will run across two locations at Figtree High School on Saturday mornings and Morley Part at Warilla every Sunday morning from Feburary. Terms will run for eight weeks, four times a year. To sign-up head to www.grasshoppersoccer.com.au/southcoast.