NRL CEO Andrew Abdo has declared rugby league will play a central role in supporting Indigenous communities after the launch of the league's second Elevate Reconciliation Action Plan.
The NRL is the first national sporting organisation in Australia to launch a second Elevate RAP and builds upon the initial plan that ran from 2018 to 2022.
In unveiling the new initiative, Abdo detailed the importance of rugby league in supporting Indigenous communities around the country.
"Elevate means so many things for us," Abdo said. "Elevating the importance of the conversations around reconciliation, elevating the importance of us doing more now and elevating the importance of what role sport, and specifically rugby league, can play.
"It's the language we all speak, we all understand and we all love. That in our modern society is something to really treasure."
The NRL has a long legacy of supporting Indigenous Australians on and off the field, with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people some of the game's biggest names.
Currently, 17% of the NRL’s national workforce identify as Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander peoples on top of a professional playing group that is made up of 12% Indigenous male players and 17% Indigenous female players across the NRL and NRLW competitions respectively.
Nearly 20% of players at the community level are Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander people and more than 3000 youths have been supported by the School to Work program.
The new RAP has been formulated in close consultation with Reconciliation Australia, the NRL's men's and women's Indigenous Player Advisory Groups and the Australian Rugby League Indigenous Council.
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The RAP aligns with Reconciliation Australia's aspiration of moving the reconciliation movement from safe to brave and the organisation's broader goals across the five dimensions of reconciliation.
While considerable time has gone into the establishing the new RAP, Australian Rugby League Commissioner Professor Megan Davis said the work has only just begun.
"The RAP sets out a number of commitments for the NRL to deliver upon for the next four years until the end of 2028 in the areas of relationships, respect and opportunity," she said.
"Our purpose remains the same as it always has. To ensure Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and communities feel a sense of pride and opportunity through their involvement in rugby league.
"While we're proud of our achievements, we know there is much to do. We face challenges on our journey towards reconciliation such as addressing systemic barriers and discrimination that affect our Indigenous communities, embedding cultural competence and accountability across all levels of the game, but we know the rugby league community is with us, moving forward together."
