The Rugby League Players Association and Reflect Forward are proud to announce a partnership to tackle racism in sport.
In the RLPA’s most recent Players’ Pulse survey, 7% of NRL and 5% of NRLW players said they experienced racism at their club, at a game, or on social media. Most of those players did not report the instances of racism they faced.
By partnering together, the RLPA and Reflect Forward will work to develop programs, campaigns, ambassadorships and more to help raise awareness of racism and develop proactive education to combat it.
The RLPA and Reflect Forward will facilitate current and past rugby league players as the critical voices in the initiatives to be developed through the partnership.
Clint Newton, CEO of the RLPA, spoke about the importance of the Reflect Forward partnership for elite rugby league and its players.
“The RLPA is very proud to be partnering with Reflect Forward, and this partnership will be player-led at its core,” said Mr Newton.
“The RLPA has had a relationship with Jamal and the Reflect Forward team for several years, and this is a natural next step in our work together. Racism is a serious issue for many of our players. We are committed to creating more education and awareness to combat racism in elite rugby league and sport more broadly.
“This partnership will allow the RLPA to take a more proactive approach to eliminating racism and addressing its impact on our players and the game. The statistics in our Players’ Pulse survey show racism remains a concerning issue, and with the help of Reflect Forward, our goal is to eliminate racism from rugby league and sport altogether.”
Jamal Elsheikh, Reflect Forward’s Director of Programs and Partnerships, spoke about the power of athletes in creating more education and awareness around anti-racism.
“Players have the power to shape culture in ways that policies alone cannot. By combining the RLPA’s leadership with Reflect Forward’s education expertise, we’re building practical, player-led initiatives that empower sporting organisations to intervene early and prevent racism.”
Reflect Forward’s current partners in sport include the Professional Footballers Association (PFA) and the Australian Sports Commission, as well as the Victorian Government.
About Reflect Forward
Reflect Forward is a joint-movement between racism education company One Love Australia and the Australian sports industry. It’s about starting an ongoing conversation about racism in sport, and working towards eliminating it at all levels throughout Australia. Media Release
It’s backed by athletes, professional clubs, national sporting organisations and players’ associations who want to commit to making meaningful change in eliminating racism in Australia. Many campaigns or initiatives have preceded this movement, they’ve focused on awareness and education – we go one step further by building measurable impact into our long-term model that is aimed at meeting people where they’re at in their racism education journey.
https://www.reflectforward.org
