Emerging football player, Diing Akur, has been awarded the inaugural Crows Children’s Foundation Next Generation Academy Scholarship.
The Year 10 St Columba student will get the opportunity to be involved in an elite football program and increase his opportunities to learn about and play Australian Rules football. Having arrived in Australia at age five from South Sudan, it didn’t take long for Diing to find his passion for the sport.
“Lots of my mates at school were playing footy and that was the only thing I was watching at home [on TV],” Diing said. “So it was only right that I start playing it.”
Diing’s skills and abilities developed when he joined a local football club and increased his training outside of school hours. He currently trains once a week with Centrals District Football Club (U15), twice a week with local clubs Salisbury (U15) and Angle Vale (U17) and once a month with the Crows’ Next Generation Academy for players aged 16-19.
Standing at 194cm, 15-year-old Diing is a promising ruckman who is involved in football carnivals and knockout competitions alongside his St Columba College teammates.
To be considered for the scholarship, Diing had to show that he regularly attends and positively engages in school at the same time remaining committed to football.
“St Columba College has helped me build my character and helped me find who I am and what it is that I want in life,” Diing said. “The College has taught me the right values to uphold myself as a respectable young man.”
“My ultimate dream is to play alongside my football idol Nic Naitanui [West Coast Eagles] at the MCG,” Diing said.
Christian Brothers College has announced the development of a new centre of innovation and learning at its Senior Campus on Wakefield Street.
