Richmond’s Next Generation Academy (NGA) has received a significant boost with the establishment of a three-year partnership with Plenary Group.
Plenary is an internationally recognised public infrastructure developer and asset manager that has delivered some of Australia’s most high-profile projects.
Richmond’s NGA zone covers a significant part of Victoria including the regional centres of Mildura, Swan Hill, Echuca, Bendigo, Shepparton, Wangaratta and Wodonga. It is a region that has produced some outstanding Indigenous talent in recent years, most recently Jy Simpkin, who was taken by North Melbourne at pick 12 in the 2016 AFL National Draft.
“The Club – and indeed our supporters – are extremely excited at what our NGA zone can deliver us in terms of football talent in the coming years,” Richmond CEO Brendon Gale said.
“But the effective connection with communities in our region is going to be the foundation upon which that success is built and that is where our partnership with Plenary is so critical.
“So much of what Plenary does is about connecting communities and their support will enable us to jointly build engagement at a grass roots level that will deliver great football outcomes, but ultimately build more connected and healthier communities.”
The NGA program is currently overseen by General Manager – Football Talent Dan Richardson with Damien Villarosa recently appointed as NGA Coach. Todd Sigalas is the NGA Coordinator overseeing the day-to-day operation. Activities so far have included NGA training sessions at Punt Road Oval, Come and Try Days across regional Victoria and supporting the up-skilling of regional coaches.
“The size of our zone means partnerships are going to be critical to deliver the best and most efficient outcomes and we are thrilled that Plenary saw fit to partner with us,” Gale said.
“From a football perspective it is the top end Indigenous and Multicultural talent the Club will have access but our commitment goes well beyond that. We want boys and girls across the entire zone to benefit from Richmond’s presence.”
“There will be some inspiring stories over time and both Richmond and Plenary look forward to sharing those.”
Plenary Chairman John O’Rourke said at the core of each of Plenary’s public infrastructure projects across Australia, Canada and the US is a diverse population of local users.
“In seeking to create local and regional connections, the NGA partnership is wonderfully aligned with Plenary’s focus on delivering exceptional value to the communities in which our projects operate,” O’Rourke said.
“We are thrilled to have the opportunity to partner with Richmond Football Club and its NGA.”
The announcement comes after Richmond named premium entertainment brand Bang & Olufsen as its official Audio-Visual Partner.
For more information on Richmond’s Academy program, click here.
