AFL spreads its wings to the Middle East

Roar Pro

By Michael C, 26 Jun 2009 The Crowd is a Roar Pro

Tagged:: AFL, Marc Radomsky, middle east AFL, Peres Centre for Peace

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The role of the Peres Centre for Peace may not be known by readers, but it brings Israelis and Palestinians face to face through grassroots sport, agriculture, medicine and social programs.

In 2007, a Sydney mum who also happened to be the Sydney-based director of the independent not-for-profit Peres Center for Peace, had a crazy idea to use Australian Football based on the experiences of her son through sports.

The story evolved that 100 Israeili’s and Palestinians attended a trial – with many travelling hours via checkpoints to try out a game they’d seen or heard of with the goal of travelling as a team to Australia in August 2008.

A documentary has been made of this, and will go to air on Saturday 4 July 2009 on Network Ten.

The film maker, South African Marc Radomsky – initially self-financed but later able to access funding – filmed much of the lead up and an epilogue to the trip.

“Take this odd game, a unique mix of rugby, football and basketball, invented and played here at the edge of the universe, and chuck it into the middle of the Middle East conflict. It seems ridiculous to even try. But this game presented an even playing field because everyone came in on an equal level,” he says. “This is not a sport film, it’s a classic story of characters under pressure. They have to overcome huge obstacles.”

Whether fans of AFL or not, I would highly recommend anyone interested to tune in and watch.

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The Crowd Says (8) | Page 1 of Comments

Redb said | June 26th 2009 @ 7:54am | Report comment

A remarkable story that demonstrates sport can go beyond cultural barriers as indeed it does in the town of it’s orign.

Redb

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Mick said | June 26th 2009 @ 11:37am | Report comment

Real Madrid played a fixture the year before the AFL & barcelona the year before that if my memory serves me correct but anything that helps these people is fantastic……..it just never gets reported in oz

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Mick said | June 26th 2009 @ 11:42am | Report comment

http://www.peres-center.org/SectionProject.asp?cc=0116020405

I forgot to put the link

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Michael C said | June 26th 2009 @ 12:01pm | Report comment

Mick – absolutely correct –

via the Peres Centre sports tab – there’s stories around some of the soccer/football exhibiton matches and the combined girls team as well.

It’s very cool to see the AFL Peace Team listed there for all to see.

Correct though – the key bit is the message that can be brought across that hopefully helps in the bigger picture.

In a lot of respects, the impressions of Mark, the doco producer are super interesting. His observations of the personal journeys that people who otherwise would never meet and never trust – who have been forced to team together and put their body on the line for each other,

but, as he puts it :
“There was amazingly complicated stuff going on that the news doesn’t portray and the world doesn’t see. It’s easy to look at it and see it as a very black and white situation, but there’s no black and white, there’s only vast shades of grey,” he says. “I hope people engage with the journey of the characters and get a sense of the complexity; I want them to start understanding the pathos and the pain. The great sway of people really want peace and when you get them together in a meaningful way, so they can see their common humanity they really do get on. Worlds were rocked in this film. People’s entire perspectives and lives changed.

So – - hopefully the AFL haters on theRoar won’t view this as an AFL promotional doco – - this is beyond that (although the back drop of an unknown sport from the otherside of the world and the journey of both learning to get on and learning the game – ads a twist).

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Captain Nemo said | June 28th 2009 @ 3:12pm | Report comment

Everyone involved should be proud of themselves

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Midfielder said | June 28th 2009 @ 3:46pm | Report comment

Sounds good I will atch

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SideshowBob said | July 1st 2009 @ 8:56pm | Report comment

I wonder if we will see the Peace Team at this years EU Cup ?

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Michael C said | July 3rd 2009 @ 3:50pm | Report comment

Don’t forget to watch!!

SSB – the ongoing status of the team is something I guess that I’ve kinda held against it – - for all the money thrown at it, it smelled like a bit of a stunt. However, when there’s high profiled super wealthy Jewish folk getting behind it – - rather than AFL HQ, then, it all becomes good publicity at worst??

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