Students from the Barkly Region have travelled to Alice Springs and experienced the first AFL game to be played for premiership points in Central Australia. THE students participated in the WillPOWER program created by Power Community Ltd, the community development arm of Port Adelaide Football Club. The program encourages students to tap into their WillPOWER and make the right choices in relation to their health, education and future goals.

Students from five schools who demonstrated strong school attendance and good behaviour were rewarded with the trip which included a two-hour workshop on healthy lifestyles and the opportunity to form a guard of honour as the Power team entered the field. Students were introduced to Power player Brendon Ah Chee who told the story of how his mother, Valerie, designed the jumper worn by the Power team for AFL Indigenous Round.

The 2014 AFL Indigenous Round promoted the theme When you dream, everything’s possible and students were encouraged to dream big, make the right choices and work really hard to achieve their goals. The messages were reinforced on-field by Power recruit, Jake Neade, who was recruited from Elliott and played his first AFL game for the year.

The WillPOWER program has expanded into Central Australia with the support of Scriven Exploration, Group Training NT, Barkly Regional Council, Anyinginyi Aboriginal Health Corporation, The Elliott Local Board, the Elliott Store and Tennant Creek and District Times. Thank you to our partners and schools for supporting this program – we are kicking goals together.