MORE than 5000 people are expected to converge on Raymond Terrace next week when the PCYC Nations of Origin tournament returns to town.
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More than 30 aboriginal nations from around NSW will field teams made up Indigenous and non-Indigenous high school students in netball, rugby sevens and football fives competitions.
Football will be held at Speers Point in Lake Macquarie. The netball and rugby competitions will be held in Raymond Terrace between Tuesday, July 12 and Thursday, July 14.
Port Stephens Council general manager Wayne Wallis said he was excited to see Nations of Origin back in Raymond Terrace this year after its success in 2015.
“This is a fantastic event that brings our Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal community together, fostering reconciliation and a better cultural understanding amongst young people,” he said.
“Sport is a fantastic tool to encourage students to focus on leadership, their education and ultimately life after school and the ongoing success of this event is testament this is a winning formula.”
The event is expected to inject $800,000 into the Port’s economy.
Nations of Origin is a sporting, cultural, education and leadership program that follows directly on from NAIDOC Week.
Teams are made up with a 70 per cent aboriginal and 30 per cent non-aboriginal player ratio, which is aimed at furthering the event’s aim of fostering reconciliation and culture among young people.
All students within the teams are required to have an 80 per cent school attendance to be eligible to participate.
Teams represent their respective communities under traditional aboriginal nation names.
This year Worimi will field one boy and one girl under 14 side in the five-a-side soccer, which will be held at Speers Point on July 11 and 12.
One under 14 girls netball side will play in the first ever Nations of Origin netball competition, set to be held at the Raymond Terrace courts between July 12 and 13.
Rugby league sevens will again be contested at Lakeside Sporting Complex between July 13 and July 14. Worimi will field two boy and two girls under 16 sides in the rugby sevens.
