Richmond Football Club and Aligned Leisure’s Tiger PAW program has won a major award at the Australian Sport, Recreation and Play Innovation Awards.

The successful Tiger PAW (Physical Activity and Wellbeing) program took out the prestigious Programs, Activities and Events Award. The program educates primary school aged children in four modules, which are developed dependent on the needs of the local community.

The 2017 program was rolled out in Cardinia Shire and has been delivered to over 1,000 students, focusing on physical activity, mental health, diversity and nutrition.

This award follows Tiger PAW’s success as the Innovative Program of the Year at the 2015 Aquatic and Recreation Victoria awards.

Aligned Leisure Managing Director Cain Liddle was excited to receive the award.

“Tiger PAW is offered to every primary school in the regions that Aligned Leisure operate. The program is built entirely around local health and wellbeing programs and teaches important health messages to students,” Liddle said.

“The program uses a combination of Richmond AFL players and in class facilitators to deliver key messages on behalf of our partners”.

“In 2017, the program reached over 1,000 children in Cardinia and we look forward to expanding further in 2018, when we launch the program into the Nillumbik Shire.”

The National Sports Convention 2017 has engaged more than a dozen collaborators and over 125 global and Australian organisations who have come together to encourage the industry to be more innovative in the way it plans, funds, and provides physical activity opportunities.

The Innovation Awards aim at recognising and celebrating Innovation that has promoted and encouraged more people to play, recreate and participate in sport. The Innovation Award winners were announced as part of the National Sports Convention.

The award winnings will be donated to Aligned Leisure’s charity partner in the Cardinia region - the Casey Cardinia Foundation.

Aligned Leisure is a fully-owned subsidiary of the Richmond Football Club, and currently operate the Cardinia Shire’s major aquatic and recreation facilities and the Eltham Leisure Centre, on behalf of the Nillumbik Shire.