Sport and school: making the mix work
Two Indigenous sporting academies are about to expand. But these training programs aren’t all about sport – participants are staying at school for longer, and finding jobs in sport or other areas. Gerard Neesham from Western Australia’s Clontarf Football Academy says the organisation has been awarded a $2 million government grant that will enable it to double the size of its program for Indigenous boys who combine high school with AFL training. And in South Australia, the Indigenous Sports Training Academy’s Steve Hays says netball and athletics will be added to the current program of basketball and AFL. The Wire also spoke to Indigenous education expert Lillian Holt about how Australia’s Indigenous youth can benefit from blending sport, education and training.