A record number of children flocked to Perth Modern School on Monday to participate in the biggest Naitanui Academy Inclusion Squad training session to date.

More than 70 boys aged 11-16 from a variety of backgrounds participated in a two-hour clinic focusing on fundamental skills, conditioning and gameplay exercises.

West Coast Eagles game development manager Adam Selwood said it was exciting to see a host of new and old faces at the event.

“There would have been about 20 new children yesterday and some returning footballers travelled from as far away as Margaret River to attend,” Selwood said.

“The boys arrived and we got into some really basic, fundamental skills. They learned about kicking, handballing, groundball gets and decision making before finishing off with some fun exercises focused on crumbing the ball and competing with each other.

“There were a lot of good messages delivered by great coaches, some who hailed from West Coast and others from the WA Football Commission.”

Recently retired Eagle Sam Butler attended the training session and passed on some of his vast footballing knowledge to the enthusiastic contingent.

Selwood said the children got a kick out of working with the 2006 premiership player.

“I think having Sam Butler there was really beneficial and he got a lot of enjoyment out of it as well,” Selwood said.

“I knew that that ‘Buttsy’ was passionate about the community and giving back. He is also really interested in understanding more about grass-roots football. I think it was a win-win for all parties.”

Selwood said he was encouraged by the maturation of the Inclusion Squad and said the Naitanui Academy was ready for the group to grow in the near future.

He hoped children who attended Monday’s clinic would also partake in the Academy’s ‘After School Program’, a six-week training block run in conjunction with the WAFC during term four.

“Then we have the Naitanui Academy Cup on November 17; that’s the biggest multicultural cup in Perth for our kids to compete in,” he said.

“From there, the best of those kids will be selected for the All Nations Cup, which will be contested in Sydney next year. There’s a really clear pathway and we are happy to join the dots and piece it all together for our participants. If we can have them involved in our programs for up to five years it gives them every opportunity to play at the highest level in the future.”