Building communities through sport: Athletics For The Outback's impact on WA

The evidence is clear: physical activity and sports participation deliver a wide range of benefits for both individuals and communities, with strong links between sports participation and better literacy, numeracy, and overall educational outcomes. Engaging in sports improves social and emotional well-being, builds resilience, boosts cognitive development, and fosters social, cultural, and community connections. It is for these reasons that the Rio Tinto Athletics For The Outback (AFTO) program seeks to reach far-flung and underserved communities in the most remote parts of Australia.

Over the past three years, the Rio Tinto Athletics for the Outback program has delivered more than just athletics to northernmost WA. The growing number of people it has reached shows the deep influence of sport in building stronger, more vibrant communities, sparking hope, forging connections, and unlocking opportunity.

Since 2022, AFTO in Western Australia has achieved remarkable growth. Participation has skyrocketed by over 572% across school classes, events, carnivals, and community activities. Even more impressively, the number of First Nations participants has increased by 155%.

The program’s biggest strides came between 2023 and 2024, when it doubled the number of communities reached and more than doubled participation overall. By consistently returning to the same communities and building trust and connections through earnest engagement from its dedicated staffers, AFTO earns positive word-of-mouth leading even more communities to extend invitations.

In 2023, a two-day visit to Port Hedland brought together four schools for the Port Hedland Interschool Athletics Carnival, featuring a range of running, jumping, and throwing competitions. The event’s success led to an even bigger footprint in July 2024, when a two-week tour through the Pilbara included three Port Hedland schools from the previous year along with other primary and senior high schools, Little Athletics centres, and Pannawonica School – whose students participated for the first time in the North West Athletics Championship in September and even took home a medal.

“I believe this is the first time that Pannawonica has been involved in the North West Championships,” said Kyle Ennis, First Nations Coordinator for Athletics West. Kyle not only delivers a range of AFTO athletics activities for students and communities but also leads upskilling sessions for teachers, coaches, and community leaders across Western Australia.

One of the biggest challenges for remote communities is the lack of opportunities to participate in sports. Further north in the Kimberleys, Kyle and AFTO work with Garnduwa Amboorny Wirnan, the region’s leading First Nations organisation dedicated to empowering communities to create sustainable and self-sufficient sports and recreation programs.

As the reigning 200-metre state champion, Kyle’s reputation alone draws kids to the sessions, but his impact goes far beyond inspiring kids to run faster; they also end up more engaged in school lessons as well.

“The kids really look up to Kyle; his presence in school really seems to spark a drive and competitive spirit from the kids which they used throughout the sessions and rest of the day,” said Harry Jones, Kununurra Active Communities Coordinator and Senior Development Officer at Garnduwa.

In 2023, AFTO and Garnduwa brought back the East Kimberley Interschool Athletics Carnival for the first time since 2005, engaging three schools. They returned in August 2024 to engage four communities in East Kimberley, with a majority of participants coming from the Miriwoong and Gija language groups.

Harry hopes that AFTO’s important work will continue, bringing even more opportunities for sport to remote communities. This includes providing schools with more athletics equipment, offering more comprehensive training for local coaches, and creating greater opportunities for youth to compete and showcase their skills throughout the athletics season.

Posted: 5/12/2024