Tom Evans—Rugby Union

‘Like if you know there’s Aboriginal people involved in a team, the conversation would go around about, “oh, where’s your mob from?” So, it’s very important that the players know that you value who they are and where they’re from, and connection to Country is extremely important.’ Tom Evans is an Aboriginal man who grew up in Southern Sydney. He has 20 years of rugby union coaching experience at community and high-performance levels. Tom volunteered from 1995 to 1998 and was the Executive Officer with the Lloyd McDermott Rugby Development Team Incorporated from September 1998 to May 2017—an Indigenous organisation that develops the sports skills of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander youth by providing scholarships to assist in the sporting aspects of their education. Tom is currently the Manager of Indigenous Programs at University of Technology Sydney Business School.