Cricket Victoria Proud To Support Indigenous Cricket In NAIDOC Week

Each year there is a different theme with this year’s being VOICE. TREATY. TRUTH. These were three key elements to the reforms set out in the Uluru Statement from the Heart.

Cricket Victoria are committed to supporting Indigenous Australians through cricket by ensuring there are visible pathways for cricketers from all communities, as well as developing the next generation of talented players.

This has been demonstrated through the recent launch of the Indigenous Youth Academy, a program which uses cricket as a vehicle to support health education, cultural connection and wellbeing among underage Indigenous cricketers.

Victoria’s indigenous representative team have a track record of great recent success at the National Cricket Indigenous Championships in Alice Springs. In 2019 the Victorian women’s team finished second with a strong focus on cultural connection a key component of the tour.

This is all underpinned by the Noogal Toengorrt Tani Program and the incorporation of the Victorian Aboriginal Cricket Advisory Council (VACAC), established to provide leadership and guidance within Victorian cricket for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders living in Victoria.

The Australian Cricket Census results of the 2018-19 season released recently demonstrated that Cricket Victoria has continued its commitment to prioritizing diversity and inclusion. The programs implemented have helped 4,985 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders choose to participate in cricket.

“Celebrating NAIDOC week side by side with our community is important to us as it demonstrates our commitment to inclusion and diversity within the sport.  We’re proud to continue to strive to make cricket a sport for all, and acknowledging this day is just one part of that” said Lachlan Harris, Community Engagement Specialist, Cricket Victoria.