Alan Tongue

Born and raised in Tamworth, NSW, Alan was selected for the Canberra Raiders on a junior Rugby League scholarship in 1999 and made his first-grade debut against the Brisbane Broncos in 2000.

Throughout his stellar 13-year career with the Raiders – five of which he served as captain – Alan tallied 220 matches, was named Lock of the Year and Captain of the Year at the 2008 Dally M Awards.

Alan first became an NRL Ambassador in 2012, and today is a NRL Community Program Deliverer. He has been the face of the NRL Voice against Violence program which uses its powerful voice to help raise awareness of and prevent violence against women and children.

Since retiring in 2011, Alan founded the Mentoring Thru Fitness program, empowering and motivating young people to better their lives throughout Juvenile Justice center’s and also running programs in the Alexander Maconochie Centre with Male and Female detainees. Alan’s unique way of using rugby league drills to connect social messages with participants is a key part of all of his workshops.

Even during his professional playing days, Alan supported a number of charity programs and today continues to serve his community as an Ambassador for Ronald McDonald House Canberra, Domestic Violence Crisis Services (Canberra) Champion, and an ambassador for the Full Stop Australia.

In 2017 Alan was named Australian of the year for the ACT.