New research from La Trobe’s Centre for Sport and Social Impact (CSSI) looked at the social value of Shepparton’s Rumbalara Football Netball Club – and found for every $1 invested in cash, volunteer time and other resources to run the club, it generated at least $5.45 return in social value to the community
To truly appreciate this extraordinary achievement and gain a deeper appreciation of the value of the Club to the local Indigenous, as well as non-Indigenous community, it is important to know some history.
The Rumbalara Football and Netball Club in Shepparton, Victoria, is a great Australian success story.
The Club is nationally recognised for its achievements on and off the field. Indigenous and non-Indigenous leaders across the country acknowledge the Club as the premier example of using sport to engage local Aboriginal community members and their families to proudly express their Indigenous identify and achieve outstanding community development outcomes in education, employment, health and justice.
The Club traces its history back to the Cummerganuja Football Club of the late 1800s. The Cummeragunja team first played in 1898, winning the Premiership that year in the Picola Football League, and going on to win 9 Premierships, including a four-peat from 1926-1929. This great Cummeragunja team last played in 1946, winning the Premiership in Central Goulburn Valley League’s Second Division.
After two decades of lobbying, and in a wonderful demonstration of triumph over adversity, the Aboriginal community in the Goulburn Valley had their own team again in 1997, with Rumba entering the Goulburn Valley Second Division League. They won the Premiership in 1998, 100 hundred years after that first Premiership by the Cummeragunja team. Following more Premiership success, the Club was elevated to the Central Goulburn League, where more success saw it promoted to the Murray Football League in 2006. We won our first MFL Football Premiership in 2014.
But we are a Football AND Netball Club, and the girls have won as many Premierships as the boys! Since 1997 we have won 20 premierships across all grades and competitions in football and netball.
Off the field we started our Academy of Sports, Health and Education in 2006 and our Rumba Ripples Employment initiative in 2008. ASHE is a wonderful partnership with GO Tafe and The University of Melbourne that offers cross-sectoral courses in a culturally safe environment where every student is individually supported to reach their potential. From 21 students in its first year, ASH now regularly enrols over 100 students per year and provides encouragement for local kids to reengage in or further their education journey.
Rumba Ripples is a nation leading employment initiative that has enjoyed unparalleled support from the Victorian Government through the leadership of Jan McCalman in the Department of Economic Development, Jobs, Transport and Resources. In delivering the program the Club has also enjoyed unwavering support from amongst others Wesfarmers, ANZ, Transfield, Jawun and many local businesses. In December 2013 the Club was awarded one of only two awards in the top category at the National Crime Prevention Award from the Commonwealth Justice Minister for driving a 76% reduction in Indigenous youth engagement in the justice system in the Shepparton region from 2008 to 2013 – taking the region from having the highest Indigenous engagement with the justice system in the state to the lowest in five years.
For 20 years now the Rumbalara Football and Netball Club has delivered fantastic outcomes on and off the field, and for the first time these outcomes have been quantified.
The study into the social value of the Rumbalara Football and Netball Club clearly demonstrates its strong value for individuals and the greater Shepparton population through
- Increased social connectedness, wellbeing and mental health status of members and others in the community
- Employment outcomes for Indigenous members
- Personal development and improved fitness of those involved
- Wellbeing and pride amongst Indigenous community associated with the club
- Support for the delivery of non-sport programs for Indigenous communities in the greater Shepparton region
Report author La Trobe’s Professor Russell Hoye said the findings are significant.
‘This club operates with cultural authority led by Indigenous leaders from the community. Because of this, it’s able to successfully engage at-risk groups and help support their education, employment and reduce the likelihood of substance abuse and social isolation.’
Rumbalara Club President Paul Briggs OAM said the club is much more than a sports facility.
‘We offer community focussed activities aimed at improving the mental and physical wellbeing of the Indigenous population. Rumbalara has helped reduce youth suicide rates among our community and has helped individuals with their schooling and job placements. The club is also contributing to developing a generation of Indigenous leaders.’
Professor Hoye said the La Trobe study shows the Rumbalara FNC is a model of a successful program that’s clearly improving the mental health and wellbeing of Indigenous Australians.
‘This is because it’s driven by the Indigenous community and built on the Indigenous values of family connection and culture. This type of club is something to celebrate and emulate. We hope these findings contribute to the League looking at supporting the development of more clubs like Rumbalara,’Professor Hoye said.
Last Modified on 30/09/2016 11:32