Australia boosts sport development in the Pacific

Australia continues to play a lead role in helping to reach out and promote community development through sport in the Pacific region, driven by football, the world game.

Yesterday at the Pacific Islands Forum in Cairns, the signing of a major $4 million partnership was announced between Australia, the Oceania Football Confederation (OFC) and the Football Federation of Australia (FFA) to support and enhance the delivery of sports-based programs for community development in the Pacific.

Under this partnership, Australia will play a lead role in the delivery of broad and inclusive sports-based programs for community development through the Australian Sports Outreach Program (ASOP).

A key aim of ASOP, managed by the Australian Sports Commission (ASC) in partnership with AusAID, is to help Pacific communities to deliver their own quality, sports participation programs that have social benefits in the areas of health, cohesion and leadership. The programs take place in mostly rural areas in Kiribati, Nauru, Samoa, Vanuatu, Fiji, Tonga and Solomon Islands.

The ASC’s Manager of International Relations, Kylie Bates recognised the value of collaborating with other agencies:

‘Partnerships that are based on equity, transparency and mutual benefit are at the heart of what we do. The purpose of this partnership is to use each agencies strengths to provide better support to Pacific Island communities’.

FFA CEO Ben Buckley welcomed the strengthening of Australia’s partnership with the OFC.

‘All of us at Football Australia are excited by this opportunity to contribute to capacity building in Pacific Island communities and to contribute to improved health and education outcomes through sustained participation in sport’.

‘We look forward to working with the Oceania Football Confederation, through the leadership of OFC President Reynald Temarii, to achieve outstanding results over the coming years,’ Buckley said.

OFC President Reynald Temarii recognised Australia for its leading role in this initiative.

‘On behalf of OFC and the Oceania football family, I would like to express my sincerest thanks to the Australian Government for its role in this partnership.’

‘Together with the Australian Sports Outreach Program and FFA, we will be able to use the development of football to improve the lives of individuals, families and communities throughout Oceania.’ Temarii. said.

To this end, the ASC will work closely in partnership with the OFC and FFA to deliver sports development opportunities and pathways through football to improve the participation of people in physical activity across the Pacific communities.

Boosting community development through football — $4 million (over three years, July 2009 to June 2012) to:

• support the development and delivery of community-based sports activities in the Pacific; and
• the delivery of ‘Just Play’* sports participation program that promotes physical activity for children aged 6-13 years and encourages community involvement; and
• the organisation of the Pacific Youth and Sport Conference (PSTC) set to take place in Manukau, New Zealand, from 8-13 March 2010. The PSYC will discuss how sport can play a role in improving health, fostering community development, reducing anti-social behaviour and promoting social cohesion among people in the Pacific.

* Just Play is well established in the OFC’s 11 members associations and is now set to expand.

This partnership will provide tremendous assistance in fostering closer sporting ties and partnerships between Australia and participating Pacific nations, to support and enhance community development through sport.