

A new and innovative partnership is set to improve educational outcomes for Indigenous Australians involved in Central Australian AFL. Batchelor Institute of Indigenous Tertiary Education (BIITE), Australia’s only dedicated, dual-sector Indigenous tertiary education provider has joined with the Central Australian Football League as a corporate partner.
Although statistics suggest that Indigenous Australians make up 2.5% of the national population, there are 90,000 Indigenous Australian currently involved with ALF programs around the country – which is 9% of the total AFL list of participants nationally.
Batchelor CEO Robert Somerville AM said that this new partnership will further build on the high levels of engagement of Indigenous Australians with AFL and offer a range of benefits to the Central Australian communities, especially in remote locations in the Northern Territory.
“Batchelor has a total of 15 Campuses some of which are located in the remotest communities in the nation. It is therefore not surprising that Batchelor is one of the largest training providers to people living in remote Australia. One of Batchelor’s main Campuses is located in Alice Springs an indication of how important Central Australia is to the Institute”
The Batchelor Institute supports the aspirations of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island Australians. This partnership will further build on this capacity building relationship and create new opportunities for players to explore further options for their education and careers.
Andy Hood, Regional Manager Central Australia AFL, also praised the partnerships potential to generate positive educational outcomes for its members.
“The partnership is more than a sponsorship, it is a genuine opportunity to increase the awareness of potential educational opportunities through football,” Mr Hood said.
“Education can be a life-changing opportunity for men right across our competition, providing them with a safe environment to grow as individuals, using football as the vehicle.”
“The Batchelor Institute run quality programs, which we view as extremely beneficial to our league,” Mr Hood said.
The partnership will work towards improving educational outcomes of Indigenous Australians by providing more pathways to education through a well-loved and valued past time, with the aim of including workshops and making educational resources and course information available during and prior to games.
This will include naming rights to the 2016 Central Australia Country game on July 10th and new signage to be displayed for the duration of the CAFL season.
Batchelor Institute CEO Robert Somerville AM hopes that this new partnership will continue to build on the strong and longstanding connection between Batchelor Institute and Central Australian communities.
“We hope that our sponsorship of the game reminds everyone of our commitment to the people of Central Australia.”
“As the Territory’s oldest tertiary education provider Batchelor Institute is proud to to sponsor the 2016 Central Australia Country game,” Mr Somerville said.