Corey Payne

Footballer and mentor

2013 NSW Young Australian of the Year

Canterbury Bulldogs back rower Corey Payne is a champion athlete on the field and a remarkable role model away from the game. In 2010, he fulfilled his childhood ambition to play for the Canterbury Bulldogs but at the same time realised he needed something more to fall back on.  Completing an undergraduate commerce degree, he now juggles his postgraduate studies with top level competition and training. Passionate about encouraging Western Sydney High School students to continue with tertiary education, Corey is on the board of the scholarship committee of Youth Off the Streets. He also established and runs the Future Directions Network to provide financial support, mentoring and careers advice for young people to go on to university. He says he is determined that the kids on the borderline, the children of parents who didn’t go to uni and first generation Australians get every chance to continue their studies . In 2012 Corey was awarded a prestigious Churchill Fellowship to research culturally diverse programs that build ambition and aspiration in young people from disadvantaged backgrounds to inspire them to continue their academic studies. Corey will carry out his research in South Africa, Spain, Brazil and the UK.