High-school teams from Whyalla, Quorn, Port Pirie and Port Augusta will do battle in the McLeod Challenge at K.M Bennett Oval in Whyalla this Wednesday.

The McLeod Challenge is a nine-a-side competition for Year Eight and Nine Aboriginal youth across regional South Australia.

Run by the Adelaide Football Club in partnership with Crows legend Andrew McLeod, the McLeod Challenge is part of the Club’s key Indigenous programs to allow Indigenous youth access to similar opportunities McLeod experienced during his career.

The programs use sport and mentoring to engage and educate Aboriginals youths, providing them with the experience, skills and knowledge required to seek independence, self-determination and the individual capacity to achieve their goals.

The McLeod Challenge, Aboriginal Youth Leadership and Governance Program, and the Future Leaders Program are unique in that they focus on continued mentoring of participants from remote and regional areas of South Australia.

Late last year, the Adelaide Football Club launched the first part – the Aboriginal Youth Leadership program.

Now, the McLeod Challenge is ready with two carnivals planned for the pilot program. After Whyalla, the second will be held in Adelaide on August 7, with the winning school teams from the two days to play in the final to be held on August 24 at AAMI Stadium as the curtain raiser to the AFL match between Adelaide and Melbourne.

Next year, McLeod and the Club are hoping the McLeod Challenge will involve more than 750 youth across SA.