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Indigenous netballer Bianca Franklin |
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Franklin still behind the ISP
Issue 125 - 22 Mar 2007
By Chris Munro
NATIONAL
Issue 125, March 22, 2007: It sure was an ambitious plan from the 22-year-old. Next time you complain about the daily 30-minute trek from home to the office, think about commuting to work in Melbourne from your home in Perth.
Elite netballer Bianca Franklin found the going too tough as she recently stood down from her role in the Melbourne Kestrels after four months of hellish commuting.
Wanting to be closer to partner and Western Force five-eighth Matt Gitteau, Franklin decided enough was enough and returned to hometown Perth.
While she is currently a free agent, Franklin has continued her on-going supporting role as ambassador to the Indigenous Sports Program (ISP).
The Australian Sport Commission (ASC) held a two-day conference in Canberra recently to examine and improve the participation of Indigenous people in organised sport and physical activity, as well as improving the methods of identifying emerging sporting talent.
There's definitely another Cathy Freeman out there, it's just a matter of discovering and fostering them to become the best.
The workshop brought together a network of 50 Indigenous Sport Development Officers who are responsible for delivering sporting programs and services within Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities.
Called together to finalise the ongoing funding of the program, the development officers will be looking to expand on their already impressive stable of athletes across a wide spectrum of sports.
More specifically the ISP focuses on the development of potential talent in the areas of boxing, track and field, hockey, basketball and softball.
ASC executive officer Mark Peters reinforced the commission's ongoing commitment to the program to specifically improve access to sport for remotely located athletes.
"We are looking to increase Indigenous participation across the sporting board, not only as athletes, but also officials, coaches, mangers and trainers," he said.
Peters further pointed out some of the sobering hurdles faced by Indigenous sport in Australia.
"Yes Indigenous sport faces a number of unique challenges, like connecting with rural and remote communities, the ongoing racism issue, and creating an environment of cultural awareness in Australian sport," said Peters.
There is an optimism the program will build on participation rates, with the flow-on effect of improving the overall health of the kids in these remote communities.
In implementing the ID program, grants to for Indigenous athletes to compete at the top level are on offer to nurture talent that would otherwise be wasted. Franklin is an example of recognised talent taken all the way to the elite leagues in netball, and she holds high hopes to make it to the national team before too long.
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