Hawthorn Football Club is delighted to announce a five-year, $1.25 million extension of its philanthropic partnership with the Epic Good Foundation.

Epic Good has been the proud partner of Hawthorn’s Indigenous Program for the past five years and its support has enabled the club to dramatically increase the scope of its program in that time.

The program’s main objective is to Close the Gap in health, education and employment in Indigenous communities whilst empowering young, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people to reach their full potential.

The next five years of the partnership will seek to create Indigenous employment opportunities, grow Indigenous participation in sport, promote healthy lifestyle changes, school attendance and retention and foster reconciliation nationally.

Through the partnership extension, Hawthorn’s Indigenous Program will continue to affect real change with the employment of an Indigenous Programs Coordinator and appointment of two cadetships to students from Worawa Girls College.  

Hawthorn will also launch its inaugural Reconciliation Action Plan later this year and provide Indigenous cultural awareness training for everyone employed at the club.  

Speaking at the announcement, Hawthorn CEO Justin Reeves acknowledged the club’s unique opportunity to educate a wide section of the community and thanked Epic Good for its significant contribution.

“Epic Good’s five-year commitment to our program ensures we can continue to achieve positive outcomes and real change for Indigenous communities,” Reeves said.

“As one of the largest sporting clubs in the country, we have an amazing opportunity to reach a large number of people and subsequently, have a genuine impact on fostering reconciliation across Australia.

“We are incredibly grateful to Stuart Giles, Cathie Reid and the Epic Good Foundation for their generous support.”

Epic Good co-founder Stuart Giles highlighted sporting clubs', in particular Hawthorn’s, unique ability to provide a mechanism for social change.

“AFL is an integral part of many Indigenous communities, and can provide a bridge between communities and cultures, which is why our partnership with Hawthorn such an important one,” Giles said.  

“We are excited to see where the next five years will take us. The impact of Hawthorn’s Indigenous Program is far-reaching and has the potential to provide incredible opportunities throughout Indigenous communities nationally,” said Giles.

The renewed philanthropic partnership between Hawthorn and Epic Good guarantees funding of Hawthorn’s Indigenous Programs until at least 2024.

In addition to the club’s Indigenous Program, Hawthorn has further cemented its commitment to reconciliation and social change with the appointment of Angela Burt to the newly created role of Indigenous Development Manager.

Angela came to the Hawks to from Swinburne University where she was Manager of Indigenous Strategy and has previously been a lecturer of Indigenous education.

She is a teacher by trade and is also currently studying a PHD in Indigenous Education. 

In her role as Indigenous Development Manager, Angela will drive the club’s inaugural RAP over the next three years and be a significant connector in our work with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander players and communities, extending our community work to ensure that Hawthorn is culturally appropriate and responsive to the needs of the community.

Below are some images from today's Epic Good partnership extension launch and Sir Doug Nicholls Round celebrations.