Team Up extended until 2025

Teaming Up until 2025

Team Up, the Australian Government’s sport for development program in the Asia-Pacific, has been extended to deliver a second phase until March 2025 to build on the work done by more than 30 programs across the region to deliver impactful sport for development initiatives at the community level.

Team Up supports sport for development programs in community, school, and sporting settings that use sport to bring people together, champion inclusion and create opportunities. They include initiatives that attract and retain women and girls in traditionally male-dominated sports, seek to address gender-based violence, and enable people with disabilities to participate.

In conjunction with the program extension, Team Up has kicked off 2023 with a series of in-country reflection workshops for its partners, focused on understanding, evaluating and communicating the impact of their activities.

Team Up Partnerships Manager Andrew Lepani said: “We are delighted to be able to continue to support our partners across the Pacific to deliver programs that work to transform lives through sport. We are particularly excited to be able to resume face-to-face workshops, training and support for partners in all our Team Up countries in 2023, following the travel disruption caused by the pandemic. We hope this will help all programs strengthen their impact during this second phase.”

NRL in Fiji In-Country Manager Ema Levaci, who manages the Team Up-supported League for Life program in Fiji, said: “We are absolutely thrilled about the extension of Team Up, as this means we can continue to deliver the League for Life program, which uses the power of rugby league to make positive impacts on people’s lives, particularly focusing on empowering girls, women and people with disabilities. The recent workshop has been a great reminder of the importance of sport for development – especially after sharing and learning from other Team-Up supported programs in Fiji and Nauru.”

Team Up programs are delivered in partnership with sporting and non-sporting organisations, with technical support from Team Up staff in Fiji, Papua New Guinea and Australia. Team Up builds on more than two decades of Australian Government sport for development programs, activities and partnerships in the Asia-Pacific.

The Australian High Commission Chargé d'Affaires in Fiji, John Williams, said he was delighted Australia would be able to continue such a powerful vehicle to support inclusive, community-level development in Fiji, and across the Pacific.

“Within each of the Team Up-supported programs in Fiji, you will find inspiring coaches, sport for development officers and volunteers who are all passionate about breaking barriers to ensure women, girls, and people with disabilities get to fully enjoy the benefits of sport.” 

Williams further added: “We couldn’t be more excited to build on the success to date of Team Up, a program that embodies the spirt of vuvale – strengthening the bonds between Australia and Fiji through sports.” 

Team Up supports programs in Fiji, Nauru, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Tonga and Vanuatu, that primarily focus on gender equity and disability inclusion. Solomon Islands will join Team Up in 2023.