ENERGYAUSTRALIA has joined the Government of South Australia as a major partner of the Port Adelaide AFL Aboriginal Academy.

The EnergyAustralia commitment is allowing the team travel to Alice Springs via regional communities on Wednesday as it prepares for its annual match against the Clontarf combined side as a curtain-raiser to Saturday’s game between the Demons and Power.

The ground breaking academy, which started last year, is also supported by the South Australian Aboriginal Sports Training Academy. (SAASTA)

EnergyAustralia will appear on the guernseys worn on this week’s tour of regional South Australia and the central Northern Territory.

Departing Alberton Oval on Wednesday morning, the Academy will visit Port Augusta and Coober Pedy before travelling to the remote APY Land community of Indulkana on Friday and onto Alice Springs.

The Academy will run football clinics at each stop and deliver donated shoes and boots from the club’s Soles4Souls initiative to Indulkana children.

“It’s really exciting to see the huge gains these young men have made both as footballers and as students in the Aboriginal AFL Academy this year,” Port Adelaide’s Aboriginal programs manager Paul Vandenbergh told portadelaidefc.com.au.

“The Academy boys will run football clinics and also give out boots and shoes from our Soles4Souls program and hopefully get a sense of pride from seeing the way such a simple gesture can impact on the lives of local children.”

Thanks to EnergyAustralia’s sponsorship of this year’s program, the Academy is now able to increase the number of communities it visits en route to Alice Springs.

It continues EnergyAustralia’s increased involvement at grassroots level, including by donating footy packs to local footy club’s through the Magpies Fans’ MVP.

“The support of EnergyAustralia has given us an opportunity to do more things with this young group and also plan for a future where the Academy is able to have an even bigger impact in remote communities.

 “Our continuing partners from last year, especially the South Australian Government and SAASTA, have been excellent in providing us the opportunity to engage young Aboriginal students around the state again this year.”