THE NBL will provide greater opportunities for basketballers of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders as part of the organisation’s inaugural Reconciliation Action Plan.
Taipans centre Nate Jawai and the club’s Community Development Manager Kerry Williams were part of the working group which formulated the document.
NBL Commissioner and Co-Chair of the NBL Working Group Jeremy Loeliger said that while the organisation has long celebrated inclusion, they had not yet sufficiently recognised the “specific contribution that Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander peoples have made to the development and success of Australian basketball”.
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“Last season we staged our inaugural NBL Indigenous Round and we are committed to developing this in the coming seasons and ensure we deliver meaningful benefits to Indigenous communities,” Loeliger said.
“With this RAP we are committed to closing the gap by creating education and employment opportunities and building a culturally inclusive workplace.”
Loeliger conceded the NBL had not “implemented sufficient programs to ensure talent identification, encouragement and development”, and the organisation will seek to better provide opportunities for Indigenous basketballers.
That includes the selection of nine Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander players in the NBL Next Gen program each year.
NBL-funded salaries for development players from the 2021/22 season has also been flagged, while salary cap concessions for all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander player will also be put in place.
Read the NBL’s RAP here
Originally published as NBL releases inaugural Reconciliation Action Plan
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