Seventeen primary schools enjoyed a very special Eagles Faction Footy session last Wednesday, when West Coast Eagles players dropped by for a visit.

The West Coast squad divided and conquered, splitting up to cover primary schools all over Perth and spend some time with WA’s future football stars.

The boys has a chat with the youngsters, shared their tips and tricks and had question and answer sessions with students.

The players then headed out on to the footy field with the students to umpire their Eagles Faction Footy matches.

Churchlands Primary School sports teacher Mr Webb says his students were very excited to meet the players.

“The kids really enjoyed the visit, especially getting to ask the players questions, ” he said.

Eagles Faction Footy is an intra-school program that offers students of all ages the opportunity to learn the skills of footy in a safe, fun environment with friends from within their own school.

The Eagles Faction Footy program has seen dramatic growth since it’s inception in 2005, with nearly 16,000 primary school students competing in the competition last year alone.

BHP Billiton has once again been one of the major driving forces behind the success of the program which not only aims to increase football participation at a grass roots level, but also promote healthy lifestyles through sport.