Australian Football - A Game for all
0:00:25.740,0:00:32.740
I suppose in a way I didn’t have
that much choice. Coming from Brazil,
0:00:33.230,0:00:39.620
the world game – soccer–is the biggest
sport and I love soccer but all the
0:00:39.620,0:00:46.620
kids at the time in Perth were playing
AFL football so I thought to make
0:00:46.920,0:00:51.010
friends you have to do what they do;
you have to play at lunch time etc.
0:00:51.010,0:00:55.260
Football is a vehicle that helped me
integrate into society. You can all
0:00:55.260,0:00:58.000
share in that one passion which is
football. It’s a game that brings
0:00:58.000,0:01:05.000
people together.
0:01:05.930,0:01:10.020
I was born in Rio de Janeiro in Brazil
to a Brazilian mother and a Congolese
0:01:10.020,0:01:12.909
father.
I moved to Australia when I was three
0:01:12.909,0:01:18.390
years old here in Victoria. I grew up
in Perth in Western Australia. I’ve
0:01:18.390,0:01:25.000
been at the Collingwood Football Club
for four years now – this is my fifth
0:01:25.000,0:01:30.219
year. I’m certainly settled in and I
really love playing here at Collingwood.
0:01:30.219,0:01:36.479
As you grow older, at home, you start to
notice that you do different things to
0:01:36.479,0:01:40.979
what your friends do at school.
Just little things like you might eat
0:01:40.979,0:01:45.609
different foods or your mother might
speak with an accent and people find it
0:01:45.609,0:01:49.460
hard to understand her.
All those little things that you start
0:01:49.460,0:01:54.869
to notice at a young age and then when
you get a bit older, when you start getting
0:01:54.869,0:02:01.289
into primary school, that’s when I started
to notice that I was from a culturally
0:02:01.289,0:02:06.840
diverse background and I was discriminated
against unfortunately. That is something
0:02:06.840,0:02:13.340
that has certainly evolved over time
0:02:13.340,0:02:20.340
By participating in a popular pastime such
as sport and in our case Australian football,
0:02:25.550,0:02:31.270
it helps people to integrate (into Australian
society) and it helps the resettlement process
0:02:31.270,0:02:36.780
for a lot of people from newly arrived
communities. It’s a wonderful vehicle and
0:02:36.780,0:02:37.940
entrée into Australian culture
0:02:37.940,0:02:44.940
It was really tough at times. I can remember
in an Under 10’s game in Perth when I was
0:02:48.670,0:02:51.500
playing with a team called Rossmoyne. I was
a
0:02:51.500,0:02:55.500
good player then. I used to stand out a bit
obviously with the way I looked and because
0:02:55.500,0:03:00.500
I
had a bit more ability than the other kids.
0:03:00.500,0:03:02.640
Something that once happened in a game was
that
0:03:02.640,0:03:09.130
some kids were calling me all the racist names
under the sun and I can clearly remember not
0:03:09.130,0:03:11.200
wanting to play football again. I stormed
off
0:03:11.200,0:03:14.000
the field and made a big scene and I said
that
0:03:14.000,0:03:15.890
I’ll never play football again.
0:03:15.890,0:03:20.510
It wasn’t until my stepfather spoke to me;
I
0:03:20.510,0:03:27.450
call him my father; it wasn’t until my dad
spoke to me about some different ways to
0:03:27.450,0:03:34.200
counter that (that I felt better).
It was a really positive message and that
0:03:34.200,0:03:41.200
was the point that I realised that no matter
what people say they can’t stop you from
0:03:43.890,0:03:45.100
achieving.
0:03:45.100,0:03:52.100
Its (Australian football) so much more than
just a game. Here in Melbourne it’s the
0:03:52.890,0:03:59.010
heartbeat of the city.
It’s such a great game. The game itself
0:03:59.010,0:04:03.390
is
action packed. The contest, the one on one
0:04:03.390,0:04:06.260
–
I love that element to it. I also love how
0:04:06.260,0:04:10.130
much it means to other people.
I love how it’s such a family feeling once
0:04:10.130,0:04:14.870
you are involved in the club. It’s like
a
0:04:14.870,0:04:19.590
family. Everyone looks after you and everyone
wants to success and work together to achieve
0:04:19.590,0:04:24.970
the same end result. I’m just so grateful
to
0:04:24.970,0:04:28.150
be playing professional football.
Football has certainly given me a lot of
0:04:28.150,0:04:34.220
opportunities. Being at a club like Collingwood
you meet so many people that are passionate
0:04:34.220,0:04:37.490
about the club and are willing to help you
in
0:04:37.490,0:04:41.380
any way. It’s not that you get spoon fed
but
0:04:41.380,0:04:48.380
if you want to achieve anything or learn about
something, whether it be in business or another
0:04:51.830,0:04:58.830
career path, there is always someone in the
organisation who has done it before so you
0:05:00.430,0:05:03.509
can
go out and seek answers and advice and you’ll
0:05:03.509,0:05:06.330
always get it. I think that’s the great
thing
0:05:06.330,0:05:08.389
about it.
Not only the Collingwood Football Club but
0:05:08.389,0:05:12.270
living in Australia itself. The reason why
so
0:05:12.270,0:05:17.729
many people want to come to Australia is because
if you want to make something of your life
0:05:17.729,0:05:19.099
you
can.
0:05:19.099,0:05:26.050
You’ve got the opportunity. You have freedom.
That’s the beauty of it. I think the AFL
0:05:26.050,0:05:31.009
encompasses all the Australian values of fair
go and mateship.
0:05:31.009,0:05:37.090
I’m just so grateful to be part of such
a great
0:05:37.090,0:05:44.090
organisation such as the AFL and more
specifically Collingwood.
0:05:49.819,0:05:56.819
Some of the biggest barriers are, and we’ve
heard it before, transport, costs,
0:05:57.090,0:06:01.629
unfamiliarity with the sports, sometimes,
the fear of racism, which is very disappointing.
0:06:01.629,0:06:05.400
They’re some of the main ones
0:06:05.400,0:06:12.400
There might be some challenges however everyone
is so much more tolerant of each other (these
0:06:13.939,0:06:17.539
days)
and there’s an understandings for different
0:06:17.539,0:06:24.120
cultures.
The overall tolerance (in the past) is certainly
0:06:24.120,0:06:27.370
something that didn’t exist as much as it
does
0:06:27.370,0:06:34.370
today.
0:06:34.629,0:06:36.319
The parents are very important particularly
for
0:06:36.319,0:06:40.879
the younger children because they are largely
the decision makers.
0:06:40.879,0:06:44.090
For us it’s an integral part of our program
to
0:06:44.090,0:06:49.279
communicate with the parents at every opportunity
and really convey that Australian football
0:06:49.279,0:06:53.900
is an
outstanding way for their children to settle
0:06:53.900,0:06:58.659
into
Australia and be a happier person because
0:06:58.659,0:07:01.809
they
have that more all round experience. The parents
0:07:01.809,0:07:04.059
are very important in that process.
0:07:04.059,0:07:07.139
What you can do is to try and understand their
culture.
0:07:07.139,0:07:13.319
From there, when you educate yourself, you
can
0:07:13.319,0:07:18.919
share it with the rest of the team and people
who don’t come from culturally diverse backgrounds.
0:07:18.919,0:07:21.849
That’s how the whole harmony process works
and
0:07:21.849,0:07:28.849
starts. It takes someone to stand up and say
‘Right we want to include these people that
0:07:31.809,0:07:35.169
aren’t involved’.
What we have to do first is, rather than sit
0:07:35.169,0:07:40.059
back
and say they don’t share or they don’t
0:07:40.059,0:07:42.830
try and
get involved, you have to be the one who stands
0:07:42.830,0:07:46.059
up and says ‘Right we are going to get you
involved – we are not going to change who
0:07:46.059,0:07:49.610
you
are but we are going to make who you are part
0:07:49.610,0:07:51.919
of what the greater picture is’.
0:07:51.919,0:07:54.819
The tips that I would give to coaches and
club
0:07:54.819,0:08:01.569
committees is to get to know the young people
that are wanting join their club and actually
0:08:01.569,0:08:05.830
(try to) mirror their community so that they
can see themselves in the club.
0:08:05.830,0:08:12.830
That might be as simple as having your functions
at a time and in a way that is sensitive to
0:08:19.520,0:08:25.369
different cultural traditions.
8.13 - 8.22 The Future
0:08:25.369,0:08:28.409
For any people out there that are looking
for
0:08:28.409,0:08:31.869
some advice, assistance or resources, we are
available and you can find us quite easily
0:08:31.869,0:08:37.810
through the AFL website – www.afl.com; just
look under the multicultural section.
0:08:37.810,0:08:41.560
We’ve got a number of resources there that
will be very useful.
0:08:41.560,0:08:48.560
AFL is accessible to everyone and anyone.
For refugees living in the community and in
0:08:49.480,0:08:54.020
the public housing – there’s programs
being
0:08:54.020,0:08:58.690
run there. There are programs being run
everywhere. Almost every school in Victoria
0:08:58.690,0:09:01.699
is
being exposed to AFL and AFL players first
0:09:01.699,0:09:07.850
hand.
The challenges are limited. If you want to
0:09:07.850,0:09:11.779
be
part of football you can and that’s beauty
0:09:11.779,0:09:12.029
of it.
I suppose in a way I didn’t have
that much choice. Coming from Brazil,
0:00:33.230,0:00:39.620
the world game – soccer–is the biggest
sport and I love soccer but all the
0:00:39.620,0:00:46.620
kids at the time in Perth were playing
AFL football so I thought to make
0:00:46.920,0:00:51.010
friends you have to do what they do;
you have to play at lunch time etc.
0:00:51.010,0:00:55.260
Football is a vehicle that helped me
integrate into society. You can all
0:00:55.260,0:00:58.000
share in that one passion which is
football. It’s a game that brings
0:00:58.000,0:01:05.000
people together.
0:01:05.930,0:01:10.020
I was born in Rio de Janeiro in Brazil
to a Brazilian mother and a Congolese
0:01:10.020,0:01:12.909
father.
I moved to Australia when I was three
0:01:12.909,0:01:18.390
years old here in Victoria. I grew up
in Perth in Western Australia. I’ve
0:01:18.390,0:01:25.000
been at the Collingwood Football Club
for four years now – this is my fifth
0:01:25.000,0:01:30.219
year. I’m certainly settled in and I
really love playing here at Collingwood.
0:01:30.219,0:01:36.479
As you grow older, at home, you start to
notice that you do different things to
0:01:36.479,0:01:40.979
what your friends do at school.
Just little things like you might eat
0:01:40.979,0:01:45.609
different foods or your mother might
speak with an accent and people find it
0:01:45.609,0:01:49.460
hard to understand her.
All those little things that you start
0:01:49.460,0:01:54.869
to notice at a young age and then when
you get a bit older, when you start getting
0:01:54.869,0:02:01.289
into primary school, that’s when I started
to notice that I was from a culturally
0:02:01.289,0:02:06.840
diverse background and I was discriminated
against unfortunately. That is something
0:02:06.840,0:02:13.340
that has certainly evolved over time
0:02:13.340,0:02:20.340
By participating in a popular pastime such
as sport and in our case Australian football,
0:02:25.550,0:02:31.270
it helps people to integrate (into Australian
society) and it helps the resettlement process
0:02:31.270,0:02:36.780
for a lot of people from newly arrived
communities. It’s a wonderful vehicle and
0:02:36.780,0:02:37.940
entrée into Australian culture
0:02:37.940,0:02:44.940
It was really tough at times. I can remember
in an Under 10’s game in Perth when I was
0:02:48.670,0:02:51.500
playing with a team called Rossmoyne. I was
a
0:02:51.500,0:02:55.500
good player then. I used to stand out a bit
obviously with the way I looked and because
0:02:55.500,0:03:00.500
I
had a bit more ability than the other kids.
0:03:00.500,0:03:02.640
Something that once happened in a game was
that
0:03:02.640,0:03:09.130
some kids were calling me all the racist names
under the sun and I can clearly remember not
0:03:09.130,0:03:11.200
wanting to play football again. I stormed
off
0:03:11.200,0:03:14.000
the field and made a big scene and I said
that
0:03:14.000,0:03:15.890
I’ll never play football again.
0:03:15.890,0:03:20.510
It wasn’t until my stepfather spoke to me;
I
0:03:20.510,0:03:27.450
call him my father; it wasn’t until my dad
spoke to me about some different ways to
0:03:27.450,0:03:34.200
counter that (that I felt better).
It was a really positive message and that
0:03:34.200,0:03:41.200
was the point that I realised that no matter
what people say they can’t stop you from
0:03:43.890,0:03:45.100
achieving.
0:03:45.100,0:03:52.100
Its (Australian football) so much more than
just a game. Here in Melbourne it’s the
0:03:52.890,0:03:59.010
heartbeat of the city.
It’s such a great game. The game itself
0:03:59.010,0:04:03.390
is
action packed. The contest, the one on one
0:04:03.390,0:04:06.260
–
I love that element to it. I also love how
0:04:06.260,0:04:10.130
much it means to other people.
I love how it’s such a family feeling once
0:04:10.130,0:04:14.870
you are involved in the club. It’s like
a
0:04:14.870,0:04:19.590
family. Everyone looks after you and everyone
wants to success and work together to achieve
0:04:19.590,0:04:24.970
the same end result. I’m just so grateful
to
0:04:24.970,0:04:28.150
be playing professional football.
Football has certainly given me a lot of
0:04:28.150,0:04:34.220
opportunities. Being at a club like Collingwood
you meet so many people that are passionate
0:04:34.220,0:04:37.490
about the club and are willing to help you
in
0:04:37.490,0:04:41.380
any way. It’s not that you get spoon fed
but
0:04:41.380,0:04:48.380
if you want to achieve anything or learn about
something, whether it be in business or another
0:04:51.830,0:04:58.830
career path, there is always someone in the
organisation who has done it before so you
0:05:00.430,0:05:03.509
can
go out and seek answers and advice and you’ll
0:05:03.509,0:05:06.330
always get it. I think that’s the great
thing
0:05:06.330,0:05:08.389
about it.
Not only the Collingwood Football Club but
0:05:08.389,0:05:12.270
living in Australia itself. The reason why
so
0:05:12.270,0:05:17.729
many people want to come to Australia is because
if you want to make something of your life
0:05:17.729,0:05:19.099
you
can.
0:05:19.099,0:05:26.050
You’ve got the opportunity. You have freedom.
That’s the beauty of it. I think the AFL
0:05:26.050,0:05:31.009
encompasses all the Australian values of fair
go and mateship.
0:05:31.009,0:05:37.090
I’m just so grateful to be part of such
a great
0:05:37.090,0:05:44.090
organisation such as the AFL and more
specifically Collingwood.
0:05:49.819,0:05:56.819
Some of the biggest barriers are, and we’ve
heard it before, transport, costs,
0:05:57.090,0:06:01.629
unfamiliarity with the sports, sometimes,
the fear of racism, which is very disappointing.
0:06:01.629,0:06:05.400
They’re some of the main ones
0:06:05.400,0:06:12.400
There might be some challenges however everyone
is so much more tolerant of each other (these
0:06:13.939,0:06:17.539
days)
and there’s an understandings for different
0:06:17.539,0:06:24.120
cultures.
The overall tolerance (in the past) is certainly
0:06:24.120,0:06:27.370
something that didn’t exist as much as it
does
0:06:27.370,0:06:34.370
today.
0:06:34.629,0:06:36.319
The parents are very important particularly
for
0:06:36.319,0:06:40.879
the younger children because they are largely
the decision makers.
0:06:40.879,0:06:44.090
For us it’s an integral part of our program
to
0:06:44.090,0:06:49.279
communicate with the parents at every opportunity
and really convey that Australian football
0:06:49.279,0:06:53.900
is an
outstanding way for their children to settle
0:06:53.900,0:06:58.659
into
Australia and be a happier person because
0:06:58.659,0:07:01.809
they
have that more all round experience. The parents
0:07:01.809,0:07:04.059
are very important in that process.
0:07:04.059,0:07:07.139
What you can do is to try and understand their
culture.
0:07:07.139,0:07:13.319
From there, when you educate yourself, you
can
0:07:13.319,0:07:18.919
share it with the rest of the team and people
who don’t come from culturally diverse backgrounds.
0:07:18.919,0:07:21.849
That’s how the whole harmony process works
and
0:07:21.849,0:07:28.849
starts. It takes someone to stand up and say
‘Right we want to include these people that
0:07:31.809,0:07:35.169
aren’t involved’.
What we have to do first is, rather than sit
0:07:35.169,0:07:40.059
back
and say they don’t share or they don’t
0:07:40.059,0:07:42.830
try and
get involved, you have to be the one who stands
0:07:42.830,0:07:46.059
up and says ‘Right we are going to get you
involved – we are not going to change who
0:07:46.059,0:07:49.610
you
are but we are going to make who you are part
0:07:49.610,0:07:51.919
of what the greater picture is’.
0:07:51.919,0:07:54.819
The tips that I would give to coaches and
club
0:07:54.819,0:08:01.569
committees is to get to know the young people
that are wanting join their club and actually
0:08:01.569,0:08:05.830
(try to) mirror their community so that they
can see themselves in the club.
0:08:05.830,0:08:12.830
That might be as simple as having your functions
at a time and in a way that is sensitive to
0:08:19.520,0:08:25.369
different cultural traditions.
8.13 - 8.22 The Future
0:08:25.369,0:08:28.409
For any people out there that are looking
for
0:08:28.409,0:08:31.869
some advice, assistance or resources, we are
available and you can find us quite easily
0:08:31.869,0:08:37.810
through the AFL website – www.afl.com; just
look under the multicultural section.
0:08:37.810,0:08:41.560
We’ve got a number of resources there that
will be very useful.
0:08:41.560,0:08:48.560
AFL is accessible to everyone and anyone.
For refugees living in the community and in
0:08:49.480,0:08:54.020
the public housing – there’s programs
being
0:08:54.020,0:08:58.690
run there. There are programs being run
everywhere. Almost every school in Victoria
0:08:58.690,0:09:01.699
is
being exposed to AFL and AFL players first
0:09:01.699,0:09:07.850
hand.
The challenges are limited. If you want to
0:09:07.850,0:09:11.779
be
part of football you can and that’s beauty
0:09:11.779,0:09:12.029
of it.
