Students from Clontarf Academies stretching as far as Darwin in the Northern Territory to Bairnsdale in country Victoria recently participated in the inaugural Paddy Ryder Cup at Windy Hill as part of the Dreamtime week, in celebration of the AFL’s Indigenous Round.

Essendon Football Club again continued its proud involvement with Indigenous communities from across Australia when it hosted the Paddy Ryder Cup with students from the Clontarf Academies and the Rumbalara Football and Netball Club participating in various activities throughout the day, including watching the Bombers in full training before their Dreamtime clash against Richmond.

Students were divided into four teams, named after Essendon’s current Indigenous stars- Davey, Long, Lovett-Murray and Dempsey- and battled it out across a number of football matches throughout the afternoon. At the conclusion of the tournament, the Paddy Ryder Cup was awarded to the team with the best sportsmanship presented by Ryder himself. Ryder then led the winning team to an exclusive inner sanctum tour inside Windy Hill.

Following the conclusion of the Paddy Ryder Cup, the students participated in the Long Walk schools program ‘Walk the Talk’ and were treated to a dinner at the Windy Hill Social Club.