David Schmidtke is a force to be reckoned with. The Griffith University PhD candidate is on track to create multilevel impact through sport after delivering an AFL program to more than 300 students across Bali, Indonesia, in just one week through his not-for-profit company, Via Sport.
David, along with Rory Brown (University of Queensland), Alexander Horton and Nick Parry-Jones (University of Melbourne), founded Via Sport in September 2017. A modern take on the traditional not-for-profit, Via Sport was officially launched on 9 January 2018 with its flagship AFL program in Bali.
For David, the need for an inclusive sports program in Indonesia was apparent after his two-month stint in Bulukumba, as part of DFAT’s Australian Indonesian Youth Exchange Program (AIYEP).
“We noticed that the boys were playing soccer in the morning and afternoons in the village; however, we rarely saw girls playing sport,” explains David.
“As a result, we introduced AFL 9s, a sport with
Skip to content
News and other stories about real people, places, and events in Mount Gravatt and nearby suburbs.