DARREN Michelle started Kelly Sports Berwick in 2010.
“My wife Sam and I had our first child and I was working at a bank,” he said.
“I was going to work and my son was asleep and I was coming home and he was asleep.
“I felt like I was missing out on everything.
“I just stumbled across Kelly sports. I’ve always loved sport and kids.”
Mr Michelle has won this year’s Casey Cardinia Business Award in the Home Based Business category.
“JD was probably the speech of the night so I won’t try to beat that,” he said when accepting the honour.
He’s added Pakenham and Seaford franchises to Berwick, extending his reach across Narre Warren, Cranbourne and Dandenong.
“My wife does all the admin side of it,” he said.
“Then I have around 15 coaches doing various things.”
Mr Michelle provides sports-based programs during school lunchtimes and holidays, after school, at childcare centre and kindergartens, at birthday parties and on Saturdays for three to five-year-olds.
“Our main program is a multisport program that includes four or five sports over a school term,” he said.
“It introduces them to the basic skills and introduces them to different sports.
“Then when they get to the right age they can join a club.”
It’s about helping them to develop a love for sport and find the perfect one for them.
“We get used in a lot of different ways. Some come for the social side and some kids just love sports,” he said.
“It’s just different for everyone, really.
“It’s pretty rewarding.
“When you get kids that have never played sport before and you see them develop the skills and confidence that goes along with it, and see them make friends, it’s pretty rewarding.”
Mr Michelle enjoys bumping into former participants and hearing about their sporting exploits.
“There’s others who don’t come back because they’ve joined a club,” he said.
“That’s the goal.”
Kelly Sports Berwick and Pakenham took out the Franchise Business Category at the 2013 Cardinia Shire Business Awards.
