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Game, set, match: Emirates Force for Good honours Evonne Goolagong Cawley at Melbourne specialist school

Emirates

MELBOURNE, Australia - Emirates, in partnership with the Australian Tennis Foundation (ATF), has unveiled a permanent mural celebrating seven-time Grand Slam champion Evonne Goolagong Cawley AC MBE at MacKillop Education's Maidstone school in Melbourne, creating a lasting on-campus tribute to one of Australia's greatest sporting icons.

 

Designed by Melbourne-based artist Hayden Dewar, the mural was commissioned as part of the Emirates Force for Good program, a AU$2.25 million, five-year commitment to inspire brighter futures for young Australians through tennis. Alongside the mural, a purpose-built hitting wall now gives students the opportunity to engage with tennis independently throughout the school day, including at lunchtime, with ATF providing and maintaining all on-site equipment for ongoing use.

 

A lasting legacy at MacKillop Maidstone

 

MacKillop Maidstone is a specialist school supporting young people navigating neurodiversity, trauma backgrounds and school refusal, students for whom mainstream education has not always felt accessible or welcoming. The school joined the Move. Breathe. Belong. program at the outset of the Force for Good initiative and has since received four terms of structured weekly tennis coaching delivered by trained ATF coaches.

 

What began as a structured program quickly became something more. Teachers observed students who had previously struggled to engage finding calm and building confidence on court. With the installation of the hitting wall, students began organising their own games at lunchtime independently.

 

Evonne Goolagong Cawley was chosen as the focal point of the mural to honour and inspire the school's strong cohort of First Nations students, a celebration of excellence, resilience and cultural pride through one of Australia's most beloved sporting figures.

 

Dean Cleaver, Regional Sales Manager at Emirates, said: "MacKillop Maidstone is exactly the kind of community we had in mind when we launched Force for Good. These are young people who deserve every opportunity to thrive, and tennis, through the ATF's expertise and dedication, has given them a space to do just that. "Seeing students who once found it difficult to engage now independently organising their own games at lunchtime is a powerful reminder of what this program is really about. This mural is a permanent part of this school's story, and we are proud to have played a role in that."

 

Evonne Goolagong Cawley AC MBE said: "Tennis has given me so much throughout my life, and I love seeing it used as a way to bring young people together. If this mural and wall encourage students to feel confident, proud of who they are, and happy to give tennis a go, then that’s something really special.”

 

Vicki Reid, Executive Director of the Australian Tennis Foundation, said: "This partnership between the Australian Tennis Foundation and Emirates is about providing opportunities for young people facing disadvantage across Australia with the opportunity to play tennis. Evonne is the perfect icon to have on the mural – she stands for determination and excellence and fittingly this is how Evonne started her career playing against the hitting wall,” Reid said.   

 

Emirates Force for Good: investing in Australian communities

 

Having delivered four terms at MacKillop Maidstone, the Move. Breathe. Belong. program will expand to additional MacKillop Education schools across Melbourne. In 2026, Emirates Force for Good is supporting 14 community tennis projects across five Australian cities, reaching young Australians who may not otherwise have access to structured sport and the lasting benefits it brings.

 

The Force for Good program forms part of Emirates' broader AU$230 million investment in Australian sponsorships across sport and the arts, including the Australian Open, Collingwood Football Club and the Sydney Symphony Orchestra.

 

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