Call them crazy, but the Seven Network has chosen to not only ignore the old adage to “never work with children or animals”, they’ve leaned into it. The working with children part, at least.
Case in point? The 7AFL Kids Call. So successful was the first instalment, it’s now back for a second round.
The second round of 7AFL Kids Call will stream live and free on Sunday, 20 July, as part of Round 19 of the 2025 Toyota AFL Premiership Season. The broadcast, featuring the match between Collingwood and Fremantle at the MCG, will be available on 7plus Sport in Victoria, New South Wales, and Western Australia.
The program is part of Seven’s push to reach younger viewers with content made by and for them, a novel idea given the saturation of Sports! Sports! Sports! across the Australian media landscape.
It features a commentary team led by 12-year-old Alex Kouts, 13-year-old Ned Bolton, and 16-year-old Indie Axup. The three will offer full match coverage, plus pre-game and post-match insights, with support from seasoned AFL commentator Jack Heverin and current players Cody Weightman (Western Bulldogs) and Nick Larkey (North Melbourne).
AFL Kids Call: Indie Axup, Cody Weightman, and Ned Bolton
Creating content for younger audiences
According to Kirsty Bradmore, Seven Network’s Head of Sport – Digital, the idea emerged from a gap in the way sport is typically packaged.
“When we look at sport, we don’t really take into consideration the younger audience,” she said. “We just pitch it to an adult and expect younger people to be aware and accept what they’re being told.”
Bradmore said the project was born out of the desire to deliver something “bespoke” for children, “by children.”
“It felt as though there was an opportunity to create bespoke programming for children by children, which is what we’ve done,” she said.
She added that traditional sports broadcasting often includes topics not necessarily appropriate for kids. “So in a broadcast, we might talk about drugs in sport, or we might talk about a scandal that a footballer has been involved with. And I don’t necessarily think when kids are watching sport, they need to know about those adult issues.”
Family-first programming and platform flexibility
Bradmore said Seven’s digital platform, 7Plus, has enabled the team to explore alternative coverage options without affecting the traditional stream.
“This was just another opportunity to say, well, we already have this stream, so pre-existing match feed, what else could we do with it?” she said.
A different commentary team and a shift in tone have helped shape what Bradmore calls a “brand new stream of content that runs alongside our traditional stream.”
She added, “And the digital platform of 7Plus… it’s endless, the opportunities that it provides the network.”
The Kids Call broadcast aligns with Seven’s broader strategy to program with families in mind. “We skew toward female viewership, and so we always at the forefront of what we’re is thinking about the family and thinking about families watching programming together,” she said.
Reception and reach so far
The first Kids Call broadcast went live during Round 15 and was available in Western Australia and Victoria. Bradmore said geo-blocking restrictions limited the stream’s reach, but this weekend’s broadcast will also include Sydney and Melbourne.
“We have a limit to how many matches we can show per weekend,” she explained. “This weekend will go to Sydney, Melbourne and Perth. So we expand a little.”
Initial feedback has been encouraging. And while there’s no specific data to announce, the network are happy with the content.
“Success for us initially is just to have the content well received,” she said. “Our numbers were what we would consider to be strong first time around in comparison to what our uptake is for AFL on a digital platform.”
Brand support and future plans
Nintendo signed on as a key sponsor of the initiative, using the broadcast to help launch Switch 2.
“To have an international corporation that wants to align with this broadcast is really heartening,” Bradmore said. “I’m pretty sure the kids would be pretty stoked to have Nintendo.”
She added that the integration was kept simple: “They wanted us to do two spots, one in each game, which was the kids playing Nintendo. That’s it. And having a competition with our AFL players.”
If the format continues into 2026, Bradmore hopes it encourages more children to participate. “I hope we have a lot of children who are wanting to get involved,” she said.
AFL Kids Call: Indie Axup, and Cody Weightman
Building the next generation of voices
The young commentators weren’t selected by chance. Bradmore said she had been keeping an eye out for talent for several years.
She first came across Ned Bolton through his digital work with Collingwood Football Club, where his “Roaming Bolts” series, modelled after Roaming Brian, showcased his natural ability. “I thought Ned was amazing,” she said. “And so I approached him and he was really happy to get involved.”
Alex Kouts had also been on Bradmore’s radar after being named NAB Auskicker of the Year in 2024. “He had expressed an interest in wanting to try stand at calling because he’d been doing it in his bedroom at home. And he’s magnificent. He’s 12 years old and called an entire match of AFL football four weeks ago.”
“They are the most adorable young people,” she said. “They’re just wonderful to work with… and everyone’s having a really good time.”
A broader digital strategy in motion
Bradmore said 7Plus allows the network to be “not the one thing to one audience.”
“There are multiple audiences out there. And we now have that opportunity to try and create bespoke content that’s really going to be pitched at those audiences,” she said.
The digital format also allows for flexibility in advertising. “With digital programming, you have that two-pronged attack of being able to service a client in programme, but then also service a client programmatically.”
She added that this is already happening in cricket broadcasts and is something the network is actively exploring across sports coverage.
An evolving definition of involvement in sport
Seven’s work with the AFL has extended to align with AFL Play, a league initiative designed to offer children a variety of ways to engage with the sport beyond playing.
“They have an initiative called AFL Play,” Bradmore explained. “If you can’t play football, how else can you get involved? Do you want to be an umpire? Do you want to be a commentator? Do you want to start your own YouTube channel and do it?”
She said the Kids Call concept fits naturally into that framework. “There are many different ways that kids can connect with sport. And it doesn’t just have to be being a star athlete.”
Where to watch:
AFL Round 19, 7AFL Kids Call: Collingwood v Fremantle 3.00pm AEST, live and free on 7plus Sport