Coles committed to fueling Australian athletics into 2021

Coles committed to fueling Australian athletics into 2021.

In a year that has been plagued by uncertainty due to COVID-19, Coles have reaffirmed their commitment to Athletics Australia by extending their partnership into a fourth year.

The signing comes as a major boost for the Australian athletics community ahead of 2021, which is taking shape as a blockbuster year after an interrupted 2020.

Three of Australia’s premier athletes and newly announced Coles Partnership Ambassadors in Kelsey-Lee Barber, Jaryd Clifford and Matthew Denny were on-hand for the announcement this morning, which is set to provide crucial support in fostering further participation in athletics.

Despite Barber being crowned World Champion in the women’s javelin throw in 2019 - the importance of community sport has not been lost on her.

“Grassroots athletics is where it all begins and it’s important to support those dreams and harness that enthusiasm for athletics, so it’s great to see Coles working alongside Athletics Australia in achieving this,” she said.

Coles are a proud Australian retailer with over 800 supermarkets across Australia and over 100,000 team members, including Commonwealth Games champion Brandon Starc.

The exceptional support of Coles over the past three years has been paramount in producing high quality events in the form of the Australian National Championships, Australian All Schools Championships, the Coles Summer Super Series and the Athletics Australia annual awards ceremony.

Athletics Australia CEO Darren Gocher was delighted with the partnership extension and said the mutual values of the two organisations make for a fruitful partnership.

“We are thrilled to have Coles continue as our Community Partner.  Together, through programs such as Sporting Schools, Raise the Bar Indigenous Academy and Coles Little Athletes Big Dreams, we are ensuring Australians are leading healthier and more active lives,” he said.

The Coles Little Athletes Big Dreams program has seen Australian track and field stars such as Sally Pearson, Brandon Starc and Matthew Denny visit Little Athletics centres around the country to inspire Aussie kids to lead happier, healthier lives.

The Raise the Bar Academy is a pathway Academy for Australian Indigenous secondary school students (Years 10, 11 and 12) who aspire to participate in athletics and study at university. Coles plays an invaluable role in the program, hosting the Academy at their head office and conducting educational classes, teaching them some of life’s most valuable skills, such as meal preparation, resume writing and job interview techniques, as well as career opportunities within their community.

Athletics Australia General Manager of Marketing and Commercial, Trent Taylor, reiterated the inclusive nature of the collaboration.

“Whether it be through the 112,000 participants in the Coles Sporting Schools program through to our World Champion athletes like Kelsey-Lee Barber, Athletics Australia is proud to partner with Coles to support Aussie athletes,” he said.

Athletics Australia also launched the Coles Be Active Team Member Sessions in 2020 which saw some of Australia’s top athletes including Catriona Bissett, Jemima Montag and Linden Hall visit Coles Support Centre and take Coles Team Members on active running and walking sessions to help promote a healthy work lifestyle.

To view the official Coles media release click here

-ends-