Koorie Academy Basketball joins United as Charity Partner

Melbourne United is excited to announce that the Koorie Academy Basketball (KAB) will become an official Charity Partner of the club for the NBL25 season and onwards.
The KAB is a not-for-profit organisation based in Narrm (Melbourne) providing opportunities and experiences in sport to Indigenous young people across Victoria.

United has worked closely alongside the KAB and its founder, Ricky Baldwin, across the past number of years. This partnership has helped better connect the club to our First Nations community, who we look to celebrate throughout much of what we do as a club.

Baldwin, a proud Gunai Kurnai man with a passion for basketball, touched on his excitement at making the partnership official.

“For me it’s huge. Having the connection with a club like Melbourne United has been really special,” he said.

“Getting the direct interactions with current players and past legends like Adam Ballinger, who has come down and gotten involved in our training sessions are experiences some of these kids will never forget.

“It tells me as an Indigenous man that the club cares about being on a journey together. To walk alongside Melbourne United means the world to me because it’s giving more opportunities to young Indigenous athletes.

“Having events like Indigenous Round where kids from disadvantaged communities can see their culture showcased and celebrated by people they look up to in front of 10,000 people is really meaningful. It lets them know that they can be proud of their culture and they can work to achieve whatever they want in life.”

Melbourne United CEO, Nick Truelson, believes the partnership will only work to further solidify the organisation’s commitment to being as inclusive as possible.

“It’s our purpose at Melbourne United to use the power of basketball to inspire, entertain and enrich people’s lives,” he said.

“Our partnership with the Koorie Academy Basketball has been a meaningful one over the past few years. It’s incredibly important for us as a club to live our values, with one of those being inclusion.

“Having young Indigenous athletes get to come into our club and experience basketball at the highest level is something we want to continue to do, and through this partnership I believe that will be the case.” 

If you want to get involved with Melbourne United, contact us at community@melbourneutd.com.au