AFL West Coast Eagles Club soars to new heights with United Nations SDGs

By Dr Renée Ralph, Co-Founder, The Brilliant Foundation

AUSTRALIA - United Nations Association of Australia (WA) (UNAAWA) held its second Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) Business Forum of 2021. The forum was a resounding success with over 100 participants in attendance at West Coast Eagles Club, Mineral Resources Park, Laithlain.

This was the first ever SDGs forum in Australia featuring the sports industry, and it has taken three years for West Coast Eagles and United Nations (UN) in Western Australia (WA) to officially launch this partnership. The forum explored the issues of SDGs in relation to the sports arena and how local government, community leaders in WA can help transform businesses to deliver positive social and environmental outcomes.

Photo : Nic Naitanui, West Coast Eagles Australian Football League (AFL) 2020 Club Champion; Founder of Naitanui Academy and Author of Little Nic's Big Day

Dr Sandy Chong, President of UNAAWA and Harvard alumna, facilitated the event with the Honourable Dr Tony Buti MLA Minister for Finance; Lands; Sport and Recreation; Citizenship and Multicultural Interests presiding; Russell Gibbs, Chairman, West Coast Eagles and Nic Naitanui, West Coast Eagles Australian Football League (AFL) 2020 Club Champion, who zoomed in online (abiding to quarantine rules and regulations after a recent inter-state game).

Other special guests speakers included:

Michelle Cowan, Australian Rules Football Coach who was the inaugural head coach of the Fremantle Football Club in the AFL Women's competition. Michelle is currently new head of Operations and Player Wellbeing, with West Coast Eagles AFLW.

Dr Alec O’Connell, Headmaster of Scotch College

Professor Sophia Nimphius, School of Medical and Health Sciences from Edith Cowan University

UNAAWA and SDGs

Dr. Sandy Chong, President, United Nations Association of Australia (WA)