Stepping off Alberton Oval and away from almost 700 First Nations students playing football, Murray Bridge high school Aboriginal Secondary Education and Transition Officer (ASETO), Aunty Cheryl sits down in a quiet room. As she collects her thoughts, a smile appears on her face which can only be described as a fitting symbol of the pride she feels.
As the door closes behind her, the noise of hundreds of students laughing and playing football fades into the distance. But Aunty Cheryl’s smile continues to beam as she begins to explain the impact the Santos Aboriginal Power Cup has had on her students.
Involved in the program for more than 12 years, she’s witnessed firsthand how the curriculum and key performance indicators (KPIs) keep her students on track to complete their SACE, even when at times for some students, the odds were sadly against them.
To take part in the annual carnival, which is held during Sir Doug Nicholls Round each year, students must meet a series of KPIs relating to positive behaviour and schoolwork completion, an element of the program Aunty Cheryl credits for keeping students engaged in the classroom.
“I just think it's a great program, a wonderful program to help close that gap for our Aboriginal young people. For the last 12 years I’ve seen the increase of our Aboriginal students who have gained their SACE through this program,” she said.
“It (the program’s KPIs) keeps them on track, and it keeps them focused. Education is the most important thing. It is what I believe, and I have been in education for over 30 years, the key to their success”.
For 18 years, education has always been at the centre of the Power Cup program, which uses the power of sport as a hook to engage students, delivered in partnership with the South Australian Aboriginal Secondary Training Academy.
“Sometimes they might think that Aunty Cheryl is a bit bossy, and that's okay, I'm bossy for a reason.
“I tell them, it's because I care, it's because I love you all. I care about you, and I want you to be successful. We've got 25 students with us today, and I'm very, very proud of them all”.
Choking back tears, she recalled a particular story of a time where the program helped a student complete their schooling in exceptionally difficult circumstances.
“I get a bit emotional actually. There's one particular girl, and this was about maybe six years ago, who came from a very challenging background. She had a fair bit of trauma in her life, living in a challenging environment. How she got up every day, I don't know,” she said.
“But she got herself up, and came to school, and she was the first out of six children to get her SACE. It was an amazing feeling. It was just awesome. We all celebrated with her.
“In my time, I've come across students like that and some of them drop out and go, this is all too hard, but not for this one particular girl. She said I'm going to do it, and she did it”.
In 2025, 680 First Nations students across regional, remote, and metro South Australia and the Northern Territory took part in the Santos Aboriginal Power Cup – the biggest ever in the program’s long history.
Power Community’s Head of Programs, Braedon Talbot, reflected on the scale of this year’s Power Cup.
“The growth of the program has been significant. This year is our biggest ever with more than 680 students taking part,” Mr Talbot said.
“We’ve always had a focus on ensuring as many First Nations students have equal access opportunities aligned with education and career pathways, so to see the program grow each year is very rewarding, and something we couldn’t do without the support of our partners.
“To be out here today seeing them be rewarded for their hard work in the classroom will never get old.
“You can’t be what you can’t see, and for many of the students in the remote communities this is their first time interstate. To see their faces light up at all the experiences they’re afforded by taking part in the program is what it’s all about”.
To learn more about the impact of the Santos Aboriginal Power Cup, please click here.