The newly named AFL Indigenous/Multicultural ‘All-Stars’ football team triumphed on Sunday in their first AFL game with an outstanding 44 point win again the Drummoyne Power junior football club, in searing conditions at Lakeside Oval Moore Park.
The team which had never played a game together before had been taking part in the inaugural AFL Indigenous/ Multicultural Talent Camp for Sydney and was made up of talented football players from culturally diverse backgrounds, with the high school students hailing from the greater western Sydney region.
Dominant from the start of the game, the AFL All-Stars walked away from the first quarter with a 31 point lead. However, a goalless second quarter allowed the Drummoyne Power to creep back up narrowing the lead at half time to 5.1.31 – 3.0.18. After a halftime talk by Michael O’Loughlin and Coach Eid Kassem the All-Stars then picked up again in the third quarter with two goals and four behinds before finally confidently sealing their victory in the last quarter with scoring another three goals. At the final siren the AFL All-Stars was victorious over Drummoyne Power with 10.8.68 – 4.0.24 win.
The winning team which was made up of students from multicultural diverse backgrounds including indigenous Australians, Lebanese, Italian, Spanish, Afghani and Sudanese had spent the weekend in central Sydney participating in a number of football based activities including training, tours, high performance testing and lectures.
Across the weekend the camp participants were also mentored by former Sydney Swans legend Michael O’Loughlin who addressed the group on leadership and development skills as well as taking them through a typical AFL recovery session and well deserved swim at Coogee beach after their winning game yesterday afternoon.
One of the camp coordinators AFL Multicultural Officer, Ali Faraj believed that the most positive outcome of the weekend was the bonding of cultures and the way the students accepted each other as soon as they put the football Guernsey on.
“This game created a sense of affiliation, camaraderie and true team spirit amongst a diverse group of young men who have managed to put aside the negative stereotypes that participants may have had about each other before the program commenced.
“Through football we have managed to help them opens their minds.
“This weekend many of the participants have also developed aspirations and goals beyond the football fields with a number of the students seeking advice on career paths including apprenticeship, tafe courses and returning to high school studies, which has been a wonderful result.”
The purpose of the camp was to provide the students from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds the opportunity to engage in a unique football and life educational experience including leadership and skill development sessions, training by AFL accredited coaches and players, high performance testing and talent identification activities.
Schools that have participated in the AFL Development Programs include Homebush Boys High School, Granville Boys High School, Cranebrook High School, Prairie High School, PunchBowl Boys High School, Fairfield High School, Holroyd High School, Plumpton High School, Cecil Hills High School and Nepean High School.
