The QBE Sydney Swans Academy will look to expand its programs in the near future to further cater for the Indigenous community and females.

Chairman Andrew Pridham revealed the plan to expand the offerings of the QBE Sydney Swans Academy at Thursday night’s Annual General Meeting.

“Our philosophy is not to rely on a recruiting zone where AFL talent comes by default, rather to develop as many kids as we can reasonably afford,” Pridham said.

“With this philosophy I believe we will unearth some elite talent but as importantly we will build a love and passion for the game among thousands of boys, their families and friends.

“Over time we hope that this can extend to specific programs catering for the Indigenous community and girls.”

Despite a cost of over $1 million per annum to run, Pridham confirmed the Club saw investment in the Academy as a key priority.

“We have invested nearly six million dollars in the Academy since 2010,” Pridham said.

“If we are to recruit talent such as Isaac Heeney and Callum Mills we are passionate about our responsibility to develop footballers who would have otherwise not have played AFL.

“As I said last year, whilst the cost is significant we believe it is an important investment into the development of players, coaches and fan engagement in New South Wales.”

Jared Crouch was earlier this week named the new Head Coach of the QBE Sydney Swans Academy, taking over from Michael O’Loughlin who is standing down due to business commitments.