This month, we’re excited to shine a spotlight on a club close to home — PCYC Maitland. Since opening in 1952, the club has grown from humble beginnings into a thriving hub for gymnastics and community sport in the Hunter.
1. How did your club begin?
PCYC Maitland opened in 1952. The building was located where our current carpark is now. A new building was built in 1967 which is the current building we are in. Our gymnastics hall received a grant funded expansion in 2018 and at the beginning of 2025, we completed the gymnasium with a full air conditioning system.
2. How many students do you currently teach, and what age groups or levels do you cater to?
We offer from beginner, recreational classes up to our competitive classes. We have participants as young as 18months all the way up to our seniors in our disability groups! We split our recreational GymSTAR classes based on age and skill level to ensure our participants are always being challenged. We have various pathways once children complete our GymSTAR program including Women’s Artistic Gymnastics, level 1-8, Trampolining Gymnastics, Free G and Team Gym.
3. Do you offer any inclusive programs for children with different abilities or needs?
Currently, we don’t offer any specific programs for children and adults with different abilities or needs, however, we have school groups that bring children from their special education unit and other disability service groups that attend classes. We are able to offer support to children who need it by providing additional coaches to support the needs of our participants.
4. What is your club's mission statement?
PCYC Maitland aims to empower young people through community sport and other Police Programs and community partnerships.
5. What are some objectives of your club?
PCYC’s values include:
- Resilience
- Respect
- Integrity
- Commitment
- Community.
6. What are you most proud of in your club?
I am most proud of the community within our club. Our children always leave with a smile on their faces and they are proud of themselves for the new skills they have learned. I am proud of the coaches within my club for providing a safe and nurturing environment for young, developing friendships and for the children’s gymnastics.
7. Are there any goals for your club in the future?
I would love for our coaches to expand their knowledge and expertise by attending workshops and achieving new qualifications across multiple gymsports so that we can offer more classes for different preferences, ages and abilities in order to grow our community further.
8. Why do you think your club is important to families and your community?
I believe gymnastics is vital within our community because of its versatility. It has the freedom and flexibility to be adapted to suit the needs of each individual. Our club is especially important to our community and families because of our coaches’ experience in coaching children of all ages and abilities. PCYC Maitland has our U-Nites program that is catered towards troubled youth and aims to get them away from the streets and into an environment that is safe, structured and nurturing.
9. What piece of advice would you give to a gymnast/student?
Anytime I take my competitive gymnasts to a competition, there are only two things that I will ever say to them – “You’ve got this” and “Just have fun."
I believe support or advice is so much more effective when it is simple, especially with the young children that I see on a day-to-day basis. Often, in gymnastics, gymnasts can get caught up in the perfectionism of the sport. They will sometimes doubt themselves and their ability or forget to have fun. I find that just this simple reminder is enough for my gymnasts to take a step back and realise they’re ultimately here to have fun and they know what they are doing. They should be able to put trust in themselves that they have done all the hard work in preparing for their competition that they are able to let go and have fun.
Telling a child “you’ve got this” doesn’t only apply competitive programs. This simple saying is easy for young children in recreational programs to understand and provides them with the reassurance that they are safe and can take the risk and try something new.
Live in the Hunter region and are after a place to train? Check out PCYC Maitland's website or stay up to date with them on Instagram.
