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),Xavier Moloney (AFL Victoria).
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.
2017 AFL National Diversity Championships Schedule:
DAY ONE: Saturday April 8
6.00pm – 7.30pm: Opening Ceremony
DAY TWO: Sunday April 9
12.00pm – 1.00pm: Education Session: Talent Pathways
KICKSTART
8:00am VIC v SA; 9:00am TAS v NT; 10:00am WA v NSW/ACT; 11:00am QLD v SA; 2:00pm VIC v NT; 3:00pm TAS v WA; 4:00pm NSW/ACT v QLD
ALL NATIONS
8:00am NT v NSW/ACT; 9:00am WA v SA; 10:00am QLD v TAS; 11:00am VIC v NSW/ACT; 2:00pm QLD v NT; 3:00pm SA v NSW/ACT; 4:00pm WA v VIC
DAY THREE: Monday April 10
12.00pm – 1.00pm: Education Session: Respect / Social Media
KICKSTART
8:00am WA v VIC; 9:00am SA v NSW/ACT; 10:00am QLD v NT; 11:00am NSW/ACT v VIC; 2:00pm QLD v TAS; 3:00pm WA v SA; 4:00pm NT v NSW/ACT
ALL NATIONS
8:00am TAS v WA; 9:00am NSW/ACT v QLD; 10:00am VIC v NT; 11:00am SA v QLD; 2:00pm WA v NSW/ACT; 3:00pm TAS v NT; 4:00pm VIC v SA
DAY FOUR: Tuesday April 11
12.00pm – 1.00pm: Education Session: Personal Excellence
KICKSTART
8:00am QLD v VIC; 9:00am TAS v SA; 10:00am WA v NT; 11:00am VIC v TAS; 2:00pm SA v NT; 3:00pm NSW/ACT v TAS; 4:00pm QLD v WA
ALL NATIONS
8:00am NSW/ACT v TAS; 9:00am SA v NT; 10:00am VIC v TAS; 11:00am WA v NT; 2:00pm QLD v VIC; 3:00pm TAS v SA; 4:00pm WA v QLD
DAY FIVE: Wednesday April 12
KICKSTART
Semi Final 8:00am, 2 v 7
Semi Final 9:00am, 3 v 6
Semi Final 10:00am, 4 v 5
Preliminary Final 2:00pm, Winner of Match 22 v Winner of Match 23
Preliminary Final 3:00pm, 1 v Winner of Match 24
ALL NATIONS
Semi Final 8:00am, 2 v 7
Semi Final 9:00am, 3 v 6
Semi Final 10:00am, 4 v 5
Preliminary Final 2:00pm, Winner of Match 22 v Winner of Match 23
Preliminary Final 3:00pm, 1 v Winner of Match 24
DAY SIX: Thursday April 13
KICKSTART
GRAND FINAL, 8:00am, TBC
ALL NATIONS
GRAND FINAL, 9:00am, TBC
