Football Federation Australia (FFA) today launched their first Indigenous Football Development Strategy in Sydney.
Football Federation Australia (FFA) today launched their first Indigenous Football Development Strategy with the support of Indigenous Football Ambassadors Warren Mundine and John Moriarty.
FFA Chief Executive Officer Ben Buckley said that the Indigenous Football Development Strategy will provide the plan to achieve the vision of getting more Indigenous Australians playing football and being involved in football coaching, refereeing and administration.
“On behalf of the Board and Management of FFA, I am delighted to present the first ever Indigenous Football Development Strategy; Football Dreaming.
“This strategy aims to build on the successful initiatives of recent years, including the staging of two Indigenous Football Festivals as well as the delivery of underpinning school-based, education focused programs.
“As stated in the National Game Development Strategy, FFA strives to ensure that football is accessible and enjoyable for all Australians. A key focus of this commitment is to work with the football community on supporting associations and clubs to be able to cater for Indigenous Australians to participate in football,” concluded Buckley.
The Indigenous Football Development Strategy is the culmination of an extensive consultation and planning process which commenced with a national forum, involving important contributions from many key stakeholders.
The key priority areas of the Indigenous Football Development Strategy are to: • Maximise Indigenous football participation opportunities • Identify & develop talented indigenous footballers • Use football as a vehicle to positively impact social development issues, such as education, employment & health
Plans are already in place for bringing the Indigenous Football Development Strategy to life which includes the delivery of Member Federation Indigenous Football Festivals and the continuation of the National Indigenous Football Festival.
This will be complemented by ongoing participatory programs emphasising the critical importance of education and employment. FFA will also work with FIFA on organising continued Grassroots Coaching Courses to identify additional interested people who can promote and deliver football on a local level.
By working collaboratively with the Indigenous community, as well as with the broader football community, FFA is hopeful of achieving the vision of football becoming the sport of first choice of the next generation of Indigenous Australians.