All primary schools across Tasmania will receive a free sports pack under a Tasmanian Government and Hawthorn Football Club initiative to encourage Tasmanian school children to have fun being active.

The Minister for Tourism and the Arts and Minister for Sport and Recreation, Michelle O?Byrne MP, announced the Hawks in Schools program today at Norwood Primary School in Launceston.

?The Tasmanian Government, together with its friends at the Hawthorn Football Club, has developed a schools sports pack for 226 government and non-government primary schools across Tasmania,? Ms O?Byrne said.                           

?More than 56,000 Tasmanian primary school students will have access to the new sports equipment under the Hawks in Schools program,? she said.

Each sport pack contains an AFL football, netball, soccer ball, volleyball, basketball and a pump.

?We?re certain that these packs will be an enormous asset to primary school students across the State, giving them access to top-quality sporting equipment and fostering active, sports-loving children.?

?Our friends at the Hawthorn Football Club will be getting the packs out to schools during July and early August via Australia Post and to selected schools through the MBF Hawks Express road show.?

In addition to the sports packs and as part of the Tassie Hawks in Schools program, all grade four students in Tasmania will receive a Tassie Hawks in Schools booklet, developed by Hawthorn?s major partner MBF in conjunction with the Department of Education. The booklet is fun and engaging, full of interesting sports and health-related information for kids.

?On behalf of the State Government, I thank Hawthorn for its continued support of our communities, especially our young people.?

Ms O?Byrne said the Hawthorn Football Club has immersed itself in the Tasmanian community, actively engaging with a number of community groups, initiatives and important causes.

?We?ve seen Hawthorn visit the State for the annual week-long AFL Community Camp program three years running, which this year reached around 3 000 Tasmanian children.?

?The benefits of the Tasmania-Hawthorn partnership really do run so much deeper than just bringing football games to our State. Tasmania?s relationship with Hawthorn has real, tangible benefits to our regional communities, to our local football clubs, to Tasmanian charities and of course, to our school children,? Ms O?Byrne said.