Swinburne To Include Richmond’s AFLW Team In New Four-Year Extension

Swinburne University of Technology has extended and expanded its partnership with Richmond Football Club to include the AFLW team from the 2020 season.

The partnership, which began in 2017, includes student placements, professional development, research outcomes and has been extended by four years (2021 – 2024).

Currently, 19 Richmond professional staff are enrolled in courses and 11 Richmond players have commenced study at Swinburne.

Swinburne Vice-President of Engagement, Jane Ward, said she looked forward to extending Swinburne’s commitment to the Richmond Football Club.

“We’ve seen the partnership flourish over the past three years, because of the two organisations’ strongly aligned values and shared desire to create social and economic impact.

“This has led to exciting collaborations and joint efforts, especially in relation to advancing Indigenous and multicultural communities.”

“We are delighted to support Richmond’s AFLW team in 2020, having seen the impact of AFLW creating elite sporting pathways for women and promoting discussion of gender equality in sport and the wider community.”

Richmond CEO, Brendon Gale, said the extension of the relationship with Swinburne was of great importance to the Richmond Football Club.

“It is the many layers to this partnership that excites us most.

“Whether it is diversity and inclusion, working alongside the Indigenous community or unlocking high-performance, Swinburne is bold, innovative and a wonderful partner for the Richmond Football Club.

“We look forward to the next four years and beyond,” he said.

While the official naming rights agreement commenced in 2017, the partnership kicked off in 2016 with both organisations coming together to establish the Richmond Institute of Sports Leadership.

This year the institute has 167 students enrolled across the dual Diploma Melbourne program and the single Diploma regional offering in Wodonga, a significant increase from 45 initial enrolments in 2017.

Further growth is anticipated in 2020, with plans to expand the sports leadership program into a secondary regional location in Mildura.