WAFC congratulates Rio Tinto Indigenous Youth Football Scholarship recipients

The West Australian Football Commission congratulates the seventeen players selected from the WAFL Colts and WAFLW Rogers Cup competitions to receive the Rio Tinto Indigenous Youth Football Scholarship in season 2022.

Recipients were acknowledged at a special event at the Claremont Football Club yesterday evening to celebrate the achievement amongst family, WAFL & WAFLW Clubs and Indigenous and Non-Indigenous Football Leaders.

Rio Tinto Chief Advisor Indigenous Affairs, Adam Lees, said that the program aims to increase the number of leadership opportunities for Indigenous Australians in both the football and mining industries in Western Australia whilst also providing greater support to male and female footballers from regional areas.

“Football plays an integral role in connecting and enhancing West Australian Communities through the strong values and behaviours that it instils in participants” Mr Lees said.

“Rio Tinto is excited to launch the scholarship program in partnership with the WA Football Commission to acknowledge, reward and provide further leadership and development opportunities for emerging Indigenous leaders through Football.”

As part of the program recipients will each receive a $5,000 scholarship, an Indigenous mentor through the WAFC, Indigenous Players Alliance and Rio Tinto, and ongoing support for all scholarships by the WAFC’s Indigenous Programmes Specialist.

Joey Ugle, Indigenous Programmes Specialist for WAFC knows firsthand the vital role that football plays in fostering and developing young leaders.

“As a proud Whadjuk/Minang man, somebody that has been through the pathway at the East Perth Football Club and somebody that is now employed in football I understand firsthand the positive impact that football can have in developing and empowering future leaders,” he said.

“One of the fantastic things about the programme is that it has the potential to positively impact emerging Indigenous leaders throughout the state given the strong connection that WAFL Clubs have to both regional and metro areas and we are pleased that Rio Tinto can be part of that.”

2022 Rio Tinto Indigenous Youth Football Scholarship recipients
 

Youth Boys:

·      Brody Pickett / East Perth / Warwick Senior High School

·      Clayton Taylor / West Perth / Wanneroo Secondary College

·      Colin Skeen / Swan Districts / Karratha Senior High School Clontarf Academy

·      Daniel Hill / Perth / Lynwood Senior High School

·      Kaed Collard / Peel Thunder / Newton Moore Senior High School

·      Khyan Townsend / East Fremantle / Nagle College

·      Kieren Douglas / Subiaco / Esperance Senior High School

·      Patrick Kitchener / Claremont / Broome Senior High School Clontarf Academy

·      William Roe / South Fremantle / Katanning Senior High School

Youth Girls:

·      Emma Hill / Swan Districts / Bunbury Senior High School

·      Kyra Abbott / West Perth / Butler College

·      Millie Edgar / Subiaco / SEDA Leederville

·      Olivia Trajkovski / East Perth / Bob Hawke College

·      Rosie Anderson / South Fremantle / Narrogin Senior High School

·      Shareckah Jones / Peel Thunder / Ridge View Secondary College

·      Tanayah Buswell / East Fremantle / Melville Senior High School

·      Tarniesha Oscar / Claremont / Methodist Ladies College