World Footy News

 

The National Diversity Championships kicks off this weekend in Sydney, comprising both the Kickstart Championship for indigenous U15 players and the All Nations Championship for multicultural heritage players. World Footy News will be at the event all week, reporting on many facets of this event with progress updates, interviews and informative articles.

MEDIA RELEASE FROM THE AUSTRALIAN FOOTBALL LEAGUE

The AFL wishes to advise the annual Under 15 AFL National Male Diversity Championships will begin this Saturday April 8 at Blacktown International Sports Park in Blacktown, the traditional land of the Darug people.

Currently in its fourth year, the AFL National Male Diversity Championships has been developed to provide a supported talented player pathway that compliments the NAB AFL Under 16 Championships and exposes Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander and Multicultural players, coaches, umpires, doctors, and trainers to an elite AFL Program environment.

 Supported by Australia Post and Rio Tinto, the Championships will feature over 300 young Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander and Multicultural AFL players across 13 teams representing all States and Territories. 

Games will be officiated by twelve umpires who represent the National Diversity Umpiring Academy, selected from state academies based on high performance while coaches leading the squads are members of the Diversity Coaching Academy 

AFL General Manager Game Development, Andrew Dillon, said the Championships is an exciting event, combining the Kickstart and All Nations carnivals and providing the AFL with another opportunity not only to highlight Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander and Multicultural footballers but also to showcase the diverse talent from across the country. 

“The National Diversity Championships are a key component of the AFL’s Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander and Multicultural strategy and we are proud to see the Championships continue to grow each year,” Mr Dillon said. 

“AFL club recruiters will again attend the Championships, offering our players the opportunity to showcase their talents in front of the best talent scouts in the game. 

“The week isn’t only about the players, we also provide an upskilling opportunity for our umpires and coaches through a series of education sessions. 

“The Diversity Academies are one of a number initiatives to provide pathway opportunities for people from diverse backgrounds to embrace umpiring and coaching and hopefully either reach the elite level one day or umpire or coach at State or community football levels. 

“We look forward to visiting Blacktown for what promises to be another exciting Championships and we thank the Blacktown City Council for their support of our programs,” Mr Dillon said. 

The Championships will form the basis for selection to compete in the Boomerangs and World Teams at the NAB AFL Under 16 Championships. 

The selection panel features the following AFL and AFL club personnel; Shaun Hart (Port Adelaide), Barry Prendergast (North Melbourne), Ashley Drake (Brisbane Lions), Jarrod Meers (Adelaide Crows), Mathew Stokes (AFL).

All media are invited to attend the opening ceremony at Rooty Hill RSL, Rooty Hill on Saturday April 8, commencing at 6.30pm local time. AFL Head of Multicultural & Indigenous Partnerships & Programs, Ali Fahour, will be available for interview at the Opening Ceremony. 

Rio Tinto is the principal partner to all of the AFL’s Indigenous Programs while Australia Post is the principal partner to all of the AFL’s Multicultural Programs. 

The Blacktown City Council is proud to support the 2017 AFL National Male Diversity Championships.