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AFL Indigenous Team meets Australian government officials at Monash South Africa

26 January 2010

AFL Indigenous Team meets Australian government officials at Monash South Africa
From the left: Professor Tyrone Pretorius, Pro Vice-Chancellor of Monash South Africa;  The Hon Stephen Smith MP, The Australian Minister for Foreign Affairs; Her Excellency Ms Ann Harrap, The Australian High Commissioner to South Africa; The Honourable Justice Linda Dessau, AFL Commissioner; and Mr Phil Martin, AFL Manager Government Relations.

The Australian Minister for Foreign Affairs, The Hon Stephen Smith MP, and the Australian High Commissioner to South Africa, Her Excellency Ms Ann Harrap, met with the executive of Monash South Africa at a function held on the Monash South Africa campus on Monday, 25 January 2010.

The Australian Football League (AFL) Indigenous Team, who was being hosted by Monash South Africa on the first leg of its third tour to South Africa, also had an opportunity to meet and interact with the Minister for Foreign Affairs and the High Commissioner before the function.

During their South African tour, the AFL Indigenous Team, known as the Flying Boomerangs, will be visiting Potchefstroom, the Pilansberg Game Reserve and Cape Town. They will be training with and playing matches against local AFL teams and taking part in post-match cultural activities as well as participating in development clinics with children from townships.

The objectives of the AFL tour include providing outstanding sporting, cultural and ‘real-time’ leadership learning opportunities for young indigenous players that promote the partnership between the AFL and the indigenous community.

Mr Phil Martin, AFL Manager Government Relations said: “The AFL also intends meeting with Government and corporate entities in South Africa  to seek support for growth and development of Australian football and to explore the international potential of the Flying Boomerangs experience as a platform for trade and international relationships.”

“The AFL also wants to use this tour as an opportunity to share with South African leaders the AFL’s experience of utilising sport as a vehicle to generate positive lifestyle outcomes for indigenous people and communities”.