This week, Sport Access Foundation released the latest round of sporting grants to help young Australians with a disability access sport.
What I am most proud about is the first steps the Foundation has made towards improving access for our young First Nations to sport.
Data shows that only 23.3 per cent of Indigenous women play and in the Sport for all committee report comment by Professor Colin Tatz had emphasised his concern with the disparity of funds being spent on Indigenous men and women in sport. He commented, 'for every $100 that is spent on Aboriginal male sport, you are lucky if $1 is spent on women's sport.' *
I approached Casino RSM from my hometown of Casino, part of Bundjalung Country for their support on improving access for indigenous girls in the region. They came on board with $6,000 and we are now working with several organisations to distribute these funds.
In the words of Secretary Manager, Neale Genge, “We look forward to seeing improved participation of our First Nations youth in sport through this grant. We believe sport provides a wonderful means to forge closer ties and bonds with our First Nations people and are working with local and regional sporting clubs to facilitate this grant to nurture and improve participation at a local level.”
For more details visit www.sportaccessfoundation.org.au
*Sport – More Than Just A Game Contribution of sport to Indigenous wellbeing and mentoring House of Representatives Standing Committee on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Affairs, June 2013. Chapter 3: Participation in sport for Indigenous Australians.
