More than 60 Aboriginal teams from throughout NSW will bring a vital social message to Wollongong during a rugby league tournament on September 20 and 21.
The Kids in Care Cup creates pathways for talented First Nations footballers to enter mainstream NRL teams and acts as a warm-up for teams taking part in the NSW Koori Knockout in October.
Organiser and Dharawal-Yuin man Rod Broad said the contest was a means of supporting the large proportion of Aboriginal children in the out-of-care sector across the nation.
“This is how we play our part as Aboriginal people – we’re making sure that these kids aren’t forgotten and they're still being looked after” Rod says.
“We use rugby league as the vehicle, and the message is around how we can support Aboriginal children in out-of-home care.”
Since 2011, Jirrawich Aboriginal Community Centre has partnered with the Illawarra Titans Rugby League Football Club to host The Kids in Care Cup annually during Foster Care Week. This year’s event will welcome more than 1500 participants and about 3000 spectators throughout the two-day carnival at Ziems Park, Corrimal.
“The cup came about in 2010 and began in 2011 at WIN Stadium in Wollongong,'' Rod says.
“We knew that our people love the game of rugby league, and the best way to bring people together and support a campaign message, especially something of this importance, was to host a rugby league carnival.''
The cup is endorsed by NSWRL and garners support from local and state-wide sponsors in support of Aboriginal communities.
Rod created the event to invite Indigenous communities from across NSW to come together and connect.
Teams from Newcastle, the Central Coast, Bega and Eden will compete teams from Dharawal and Gadigal country alongside groups from areas further inland – Wiradjuri teams from the Central West and beyond. Divisions range from U8s boys all the way to open men's, and Rod says the cup is seeing a welcome influx in girls' teams, with U14s and U16s teams competing over the weekend.
“Supporting Aboriginal kids is how we keep their connection to their culture, their community and their people alive,” says Rod. “It’s always a good atmosphere; it’s very family orientated. People come from all over the place. You come for the football, but then when you get there, you realise there might be people you haven't caught up with for a while – you get to mingle and socialise again with those people.
“Most of the teams that come to our events know that this one is our baby. We got a big brother called Battle of the Countries, which has a mental health and suicide prevention message behind it.”
Indigenous families and communities continue to see high numbers of kids in care nationally, with 44.5 per cent of children aged 0-17 in out-of-home care identifying as Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander, as reported in 2024 by the Closing the Gap Information Repository. In NSW, more than 45 per cent of children in care are Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, and numbers have increased by 5.1 per cent since 2019.
The cup helps to raise awareness for complex issues Aboriginal youth face in the out-of-home care system and encourage Aboriginal people to become foster carers to create change.
“A few years ago there was a couple thousand kids that identified as Aboriginal in the out-of-home care sector in the Illawarra, which is not what we want. We want it down to a couple hundred and then eventually zero,” Rod says.
“I’m of the belief that we are talking about future leaders, future knowledge holders. It’s important that we protect, nurture and educate these kids. Aboriginal children have cultural needs and obligations that they have to meet as Aboriginal people. We need people who are going to take care of the needs of our young people.
“Support can look a lot of ways. For blackfellas, we’re always going to have this genuine care factor about one another. We’ve always had that. The biggest way they could help out is to look at becoming foster carers, and attending these events, strengthening your knowledge around kids in care.”
Rod works in child protection and has a mentoring company that supports children from an out-of-home care background. He accepted a City of Wollongong Award for Sporting Achievement this year on behalf of the volunteers who help put on the Battle of the Countries and Kids in Care Cup.
“That award might have my name on it, but it's about the volunteers and the dedication that they have to it. Growing up, my grandmother always reminded us that we do these things for a reason and a purpose, and it’s not about gratification or an award system.”
The Illawarra Titans Rugby League Football club was formed in 2008 by committed members of the Illawarra Aboriginal community to represent the region at the NSW Knock Out Carnival. The club focuses on physical mental health, education, community capacity building and strong families. They support Aboriginal kids to strive, and work to help disadvantaged kids reach their full potential.
“I want to help clean some of the stats up. It’s nice to hear that the events we run are changing lifestyle and thought patterns. If people are suffering from mental health issues or suicide, they know where to go,” Rod says.
“We’ve been running the Kids in Care Cup since 2011, and our big boy Battle of the Countries since 2019. People ask when these campaigns will end, and I always say to people when no kids are in care, I can stop the Kids in Care Cup, and when we're not affected by mental health and suicide, we can walk away from Battle of the Countries.”
To stay up to date, like and follow the Kids in Care Cup on Facebook.
If this story has raised concerns for you or someone you know, please reach out:
- Lifeline on 13 11 14
- Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander crisis support line 13YARN on 13 92 76
- Thirrili 1800 805 801 Indigenous suicide postvention service (24/7)
- Kids Helpline on 1800 551 800
- Beyond Blue on 1300 224 636
- Headspace on 1800 650 890
- ReachOut at au.reachout.com
- MensLine Australia on 1300 789 978
- QLife 1800 184 527