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Athletics West has announced that the Bibbulmun Fund, through the Fremantle Foundation, has joined it as a new partner for the sport’s Aboriginal Community Engagement (ACE) Program.

Through the partnership, the Bibbulmun Fund has injected $30,000 to help deliver the ACE Program in regional Western Australia with the 2022 program to utilise delivery partners to conduct 10 to 12-week programs in Derby, Kununurra, and Laverton over the next six months.

Hailing the partnership as a “milestone moment for the sport in WA”, Athletics West Chief Executive, Vince Del Prete stated “through the Bibbulmun Fund’s partnership, we are able to develop a sustainable program that focuses on delivering long-term community benefits. Sport is a vehicle that can provide essential social engagement and is a language understood by all.”

The ACE Program aims to improve Aboriginal underrepresentation in both talent and recreational athletics, as well as drive social engagement and community cohesion in regional WA.

Del Prete noted “the development pathway for Aboriginal Athletes doing athletics has never been stronger. When combined with initiatives like the Brayshaw Aboriginal Regional Scholarship Program, we now have a way to work with Aboriginal Athletes and provide them with direct support to go from the grassroots to state and national level championships.”

Bibbulmun Fund Chairperson Kim Collard said the Board were excited to see how the ACE Program can help young Aboriginal athletes, adding “when the Bibbulmun Fund Board received the submission by Athletics West we saw a wonderful opportunity to support young up and coming Aboriginal athletes in remote and regional areas.

“You never know, there might be another Cathy Freeman or Nova Kneebone-Peris out there, and if the fund could play a small part in getting some of these people recognised in the system, we are all for it.”

Athletics West is already working with key delivery partners Garnduwa and Stephen Michael Foundation to discuss the program’s launch events in July.

For more information about the Aboriginal Community Engagement Program email admin@athleticswest.com.au

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