Port Adelaide's Martin Frederick was drafted to the club through his participation in the Next Generation Academy program at Alberton.

PORT ADELAIDE encourages aspiring footballers of Indigenous and Multicultural backgrounds to register for the upcoming 2022 AFL Diversity Talent ID Testing program.

Talent ID screenings begin across the state in the coming months, with seven country sessions ranging as far the Yorke Peninsula, Ceduna and Port Lincoln, as well as a metro session held at Thebarton.

The program will be facilitated by SANFL Head of Talent Brenton Phillips, SANFL Country Football Manager Shawn Fords and former Port Adelaide player and SANFL Indigenous Liaison Officer Marlon Motlop.

Talented individuals will then be selected to participate in a high performance experience at Thebarton during the April school holidays, with the SANFL then nominating players to the AFL to transition into their 2022 National Leadership Programs – the Flying Boomerangs and All Nations World Team (boys) and Woomeras and Medleys (girls).

Eligible participants must come from an Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander background, or have themselves or have one parent born overseas from a non-English speaking background, such as African, Middle Eastern, Asian or Southern Asian.

Lachie Jones (left) was a member of Port Adelaide's Next Generation Academy prior to being selected by the Power in the 2021 AFL National Draft.

Port Adelaide SANFL & Next Generation Academy Manager, Shane Grimm said these programs formed an important part of the pathway to AFL football for aspiring Indigenous and Multicultural athletes.

“These programs are an excellent facilitator to expose Indigenous and Multicultural kids in regional areas of South Australia to the high performance pathway and opportunities available to them as aspiring footballers,” he said.

“Participation in these programs can lead to opportunities at SANFL level and potentially through our Next Generation Academy here at Port Adelaide.

“We’ve seen the success of our program in recent years with the likes of Marty Frederick and Lachie Jones progressing from their local clubs, to SANFL clubs, into our NGA and to ultimately playing AFL football.”

Martin Frederick was a member of Port Adelaide’s NGA owing to his South Sudanese background. He was selected by Port Adelaide as a Category B Rookie in 2018 from Woodville-West Torrens and has since played eight AFL games.

A fellow NGA product thanks to his Indigenous heritage, Lachie Jones was selected by Port Adelaide with pick 16 of the 2020 draft from Woodville-West Torrens and has notched six games at AFL level.

Click here to register for AFL Diversity Talent ID Testing and click here to register for Port Adelaide’s Next Generation Academy program.

For any further enquiries please contact Shane Grimm at sgrimm@pafc.com.au or Justin Westhoff at jwesthoff@pafc.com.au

2022 AFL Diversity Talent ID Testing Dates

Metro Testing:

Sunday 3rd April
Thebarton Oval
9.00am – 12.00pm

Country Testing:

Thursday 24th February
Kalangadoo Football Club
4.30pm – 6.00pm

Tuesday 1st March
Berri
4.30pm – 6.00pm

Monday 21st March
Ceduna
4.30pm – 6.00pm

Tuesday 22nd March
Port Lincoln
4.30pm – 6.00pm

Thursday 24th March
Naracoorte
4.30pm – 6.00pm

Wednesday 30th March
Pt Augusta
4.30pm – 6.00pm

Tuesday 12th April
Whyalla
4.30pm – 6.00pm