JourneyOnline
WITH SUPPORT from AFL Queensland, Shalom Christian College has officially launched its Academy of Sport program.
The academy will develop the skills of young Indigenous sportspeople and build students’ self-esteem and competence in literacy and numeracy.
Shalom Christian College principal Chris Shirley said having natural sporting ability was not enough and students would be expected to demonstrate improvement in their studies in order to remain members of the academy.
“They have to attend all their classes and improve their numeracy and literacy levels to maintain their position in the academy,” Mr Shirley told the Townsville Bulletin.
AFL Queensland regional manager Richie Lyons supervised the selection process to fill 20 available positions.
Students were required to pass various fitness tests from sprints to long-distance endurance.
The Shalom Academy of Sport will offer positions in AFL, rugby league and basketball.
The first member of the Shalom Academy of Sport program is Brandon Roughsey from Mornington Island who has been selected for the Queensland Country AFL team.
Shalom Christian College is a Uniting Church coeducational school located in Townsville.
The school’s student population of approximately 320 comprises entirely Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children.
