The Western Sydney Wanderers have announced a three-year extension of their partnership with Western Sydney University.
The partnership, which was officially launched at the first home game of the 2013/2014 season against Wellington Phoenix, will continue to show the Wanderers dedication towards education programs as well as the front of shirt sponsorship of the Wanderers Westfield W-League team.
The Wanderers’ partnership with Western Sydney University aims to engage the Western Sydney community in recognising the vital importance of education combined with a healthy, active lifestyle.
Several Western Sydney University students make up the Wanderers volunteer program, the Wandercrew, who play a vital role in ensuring a successful match day experience at Wanderland, and characterise the partnership between the two organisations.
The Western Sydney Wanderers and Western Sydney University share a strong philosophy of giving back to the community and creating joint programs that have produced positive change in the lives of many young people in the region.
The Read with a Wanderer literacy program, which was launched in August 2014, brings together schools, teachers and young people to improve literacy levels across the Western Sydney region.
Similarly, the Future for All program has given young students the opportunity to plan out potential careers and dispel certain myths about higher education, in order to change the current imbalance of tertiary education access for underprivileged areas of the community.
Western Sydney University will again feature on the front of the Wanderers Westfield W-League jersey.
Western Sydney Wanderers CEO John Tsatsimas said that he was proud of the partnership and the positive outcomes that it has created in Western Sydney.
[social_quote duplicate=”no” align=”default”]“We have always been committed to engaging the community of Western Sydney and since the establishment of our partnership with Western Sydney University we have been able to do this on a greater scale,” Tsatsimas said.[/social_quote]
“The extension of the partnership is a win for Western Sydney and will give both organisations the opportunity to benefit a greater reach of people.”
Western Sydney University Chancellor Peter Shergold agreed that the partnership helped the region.
“From our point of view our educational partnership with Western Sydney Wanderers, particularly our support for the women’s team, is really important,” Shergold said.
“It is a way for us to work with the club to emphasise the importance of education in Western Sydney. Just like the Wanderers, just like Western Sydney, we have a point to prove. The Wanderers and Western Sydney University are institutions that give a sense of identity to Western Sydney.”
