AUSSIE RULES: Ross Savill knows a thing or two about connecting communities and people.

When he’s not preaching to his congregation at HumeRidge Church of Christ, he’s on the sidelines for USQ Cougars helping coach young refugee and migrant kids.

This Saturday, Savill will be at Clive Berghofer Stadium as part of the Welcome Sport Festival.

“We’ve seen sport as a really good leveller,” Savill said.

“People from all sorts of backgrounds coming together, but particularly those who are fairly new to Australia immediately getting connected to a wider group or community.

“And from my experience (at USQ Cougars) the benefits have been both ways.

“We’ve seen families and kids make good connections, but it’s also been good for the club having kids of different backgrounds and their families, learning their stories and finding out about them has been very beneficial for us.”

The Welcome Sport Festival is an initiative of Multicultural Australia and the Australian government to give kids an opportunity to try their hand at different sports.

Representatives from Aussie rules, netball, tennis and soccer will be on hand to answer questions.

The festival will also launch the Connecting Through Sport program, a free four-week training program that will introduce people to multiple sports and help them to develop their skills.

“We especially want to provide pathways for new Queenslanders to integrate into the community and unlock their potential, no matter what their current sporting talent is,” Multicultural Australia CEO Christine Castley said.

“We want all Queenslanders to know that they are valued and that their contributions will help make our society stronger and more welcoming.

“We are a generous and friendly state, and we love our sport, which is one of many ways where we can unite and connect our communities.”

The festival runs from 10am to 3pm.

Originally published as Sport festival to unite Toowoomba