Hawthorn Football Club x Inclusion Project
The Inclusion Project
The Inclusion Project is all about helping 8-14 year olds living with hidden disabilities feel more comfortable and confident at sporting venues across Australia. The goal is to make it easier for kids who need a little extra support navigating sports games in a safe, low-stress way so they can enjoy attending game day.
Little Rocket was engaged to help remove some of the barriers that may make sporting events overwhelming. To address this, we created two characters – Ace and Indi – who represent the kids we’re supporting. These mascots became the heart of the campaign and are used throughout social stories and fun activities.
It’s essential that these characters genuinely represent the target audience, resonating and creating trust.
We approached the project in three key steps. Firstly, we held a creative workshop to establish expectations and gather insights from lived experiences, research and past learnings. This helped us understand the real challenges faced by the target audience. Using these insights, we created a social story featuring Ace and Indi to guide children through what they can expect at a sporting event.
We then developed supporting assets, educational resources and mascot brand guidelines. This included activities for the children, including a wordsearch, colouring in sheet and sticker set. To maximise engagement and effectiveness, we wanted this campaign to be engaging, fun and memorable for our target audience.
All of these tools are designed to help kids and their families feel more prepared. They explain things like noise, lighting and what the venue experience may look like on arrival. By offering this support, the Inclusion Project helps make sporting events more welcoming, enjoyable and inclusive for everyone.
“Working with Little Rocket was a true collaboration that turned a complex vision into a reality. We originally approached them with a basic brief: we wanted to make ‘hidden’ disabilities visible, but we weren’t sure how to show that when it looks so different for everyone.
Trav and the team didn’t just take the brief; they went on the journey with us. They dove into an incredible amount of research, looking at global trends for disability representation in characters and mascots. They facilitated deep-dive concept workshops with our Occupational Therapists and, most importantly, our Inclusion Project Officers who all live with disabilities. They didn’t just give us mascots; they helped us build a visual language for sensory regulation and self-awareness that feels cool and modern.
Our new mascots, Ace and Indi, will be a game-changer for our community. What really stands out is the impact on our team. Our staff, who live with disability themselves, are incredibly proud of these characters. They see their own experiences reflected in Ace and Indi and feel like they were a genuine part of the creation process. It felt like we were on this journey together with Little Rocket, and the final books and content are something we are all equally proud to share with the community.
Working with Little Rocket felt like a true partnership. The team are collaborative, research-driven, and handled every piece of feedback with care. They didn’t just create collateral; they were genuinely committed to our mission, helping us build the inclusive tools that are now making major events accessible for thousands of families.“
Carlie Saunders
Community Partnerships Executive — Hawthorn Football Club
Artist
Visuals created in-house at Little Rocket.
About the client
Founded in 1902, the Hawthorn Football Club (“the Hawks”) is a premier Melbourne-based, professional Australian Rules Football team competing in the AFL, with a rich history of 13 premierships. Operating as Hawthorn Football Club Limited, it runs AFL, AFLW, VFL (Box Hill), and community teams.
