Essendon Football Club is proud to announce it has been listed in the Top 15 Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP) organisations for 2015.

Essendon officially joined Reconciliation Australia, an independent, not-for-profit organisation in 2009 and was the first sporting Club in Australia, including all AFL Clubs, to develop a RAP.

The Club has continued to develop a strong Indigenous engagement strategy to reinforce respect, build relationships with and create opportunities for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.

The RAP is a business plan that outlines practical actions the Club will undertake to influence and contribute to reconciliation in Australia and more locally in the football community.

CEO Xavier Campbell said the Club’s RAP has been instrumental in the success of engaging with the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community to foster practical initiatives and develop new opportunities.

“We have a strong focus on nurturing and strengthening the existing relationships and partnerships the club has with Wurundjeri Land Council and Elders, Northern Territory communities in Wadeye and Tiwi Islands and The Long Walk Trust.

“We want to ensure through our plans and actions, that the richness and the diversity of Aboriginal cultures and people is reflected and represented in a way that honours, nurtures and respects these relationships.

“As part of our commitment to creating a just and equitable community for Indigenous Australians, the club’s vision for reconciliation is to contribute to professional development, cultural competency and social inclusion.”

Next year, the Club will deliver its 4^th RAP launch with the goal of reaching ‘elevate’ status in the near future.

As a founding supporter of ‘The Long Walk,’ Essendon Football Club contributes to raising awareness and improving and supporting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health, wellbeing, education and employment initiatives.

The Club also works with the Victorian Government (Department of State Development, Business and Innovation – Indigenous Economic Development) to deliver employment benefits to the Indigenous community as part of its ‘Bombers’ Bright Futures’ project.

With a rich and proud history of supporting the Indigenous population, and in particular Melbourne’s North-West Indigenous community, the Club facilitates ongoing training, development and employment opportunities between jobseekers and local industry, Club partners and associated networks.

“As a leader in the football industry, we understand our role and responsibility in supporting and engaging Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities, which is an important pursuit for us all," Campbell said.

"We have a genuine passion to expand our programs and influence within our local community with a number of exciting and meaningful initiatives planned in the near future.

“We are proud of our deep connection with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and are committed to enhancing that relationship with plans to establish a permanent Aboriginal meeting place on the land of our facility, installation of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island flags, introduction of a new leadership and cultural awareness program with Victorian Indigenous communities and further develop our Koori Courts youth mentorship and leadership program with local Indigenous communities.

“We are committed to representing and working with the Indigenous community, to ensure our programs align with those on the national agenda to ultimately contribute to closing the gap in life expectancy, education and employment opportunities between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal Australians.”