By jimbo
July 4th 2009 @ 12:43am
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The Townsville indigenous football festival kicks off
Tomorrow in Townsville, 200 of the brightest indigenous football talents in our great country take part in one of Australia’s most widespread football festivals involving competitors from all corners of Australia.
We’re not talking about AFL, rugby league or even rugby. We’re talking about the round ball football code — sometimes still called soccer.
The Townsville festival is the culmination of months of regional football festivals around Australia, with great football mentors and coaches involved in helping to prepare teams for the festival. It’s a sort of FIFA World Cup style finals series where the best indigenous teams around the country congregate in Townsville for a four day festival of the boot to try and find the best indigenous Aussie football team.
It’s also a great opportunity to spot some of the best young indigenous talent and provide them with their opportunity to become one of Australia’s next generation of famous football players.
This February, the FFA launched its eagerly anticipated Indigenous football program. The response has been tremendous. The FFA’s overriding objective is within ten years to get to five per cent of all professional footballers in this country, male and female, with indigenous backgrounds, playing in the national football competitions.
That’s a pretty ambitious target set by the FFA, given that currently it stands at well below one per cent. But if the enthusiasm and participation in the first year’s festival is any indication, then it’s well within reach.
As with other codes, the move into indigenous communities with football helps to strengthen those communities, helps them to be socially more adept, reduce crime and leads to greater participation in school activities and improved community health and well being.
The war of the codes is being fought on many fronts, and in many local communities, and the push into indigenous Australia by the Football Federation of Australia is another way that the sport is trying to increase its appeal over others.
The football festival is the FFA’s first step into indigenous communities.
And who knows how many players of indigenous descent will be playing for the Socceroos, if and when we host the World Cup finals here in our own country in 2018 or 2022?
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Joe FC said | July 4th 2009 @ 1:13pm | Report comment
It’s a great story jimbo, I’m sure Warren Mundine will be fascinated to read “your” article.
Koala Bear said | July 4th 2009 @ 2:20pm | Report comment
Jimbo,
great article and it’s about choice and having a representative of the indigenous community playing for the Socceroos in 2018 Australia’s World Cup… Good on Harry Williams and company, a well deserved important programme to get behind and foster…
~~~~~~~~
KB
jimbo said | July 4th 2009 @ 2:29pm | Report comment
Joe,
surely you mean the great Tony Mundine or Anthony Mundine.
Midfielder said | July 4th 2009 @ 4:27pm | Report comment
Jimbo
Nice article will add more latter.
Jumbo said | July 7th 2009 @ 10:03am | Report comment
Jimbo,
The festival is a great initiative but it needs to be put into perspective Jimbo. The festival is not a culmination of the best indigenous football/soccer talent in the country. The teams only represent communities not states. Eg; the Dubbo team is only made up of kids from the Dubbo & surrounding areas. Some have never played before or only at a local level. Some of the best talent is still out there playing at local, regional or state level (via the mainstream progression system) who didn’t get a chance to play at the festival. Next year the FFA needs to work with the Federation states Football NSW, Tas, WA etc to ensure proper trials are held & the best players get to play-this was not done in NSW. Imagine the team that could come from this (proper) system. That team should then get a chance to play one of the Aus Joeys teams. The current system/festival was too rushed & hasty – I think to get things going-& for the bid-thats ok but its gotta change next year for credibility. Look into this Jimbo. Good story anyway.
jimbo said | July 8th 2009 @ 12:10am | Report comment
jumbo,
good points, but this is the only indigenous football competition in Australia so hard to say who is the best.
The tournament standard has been fairly good and uncovered some real talent:
http://www.ntnews.com.au/article/2009/07/06/64321_ntsport.html
This is the first one and room for improvement, but well received and look for improvements and a bigger comp next year.
The federal government is well pleased and putting up more financial assistance for the program and there are a number of other initiatives going on in rural communities and gives the indigenous kids a chance to play football if they want to.
jumbo said | July 8th 2009 @ 6:05pm | Report comment
Jimbo,
I knew there would be talent found whether some of the kids had played before or not. I wasn’t trying to be negative I’m just not sure what the the ffa is trying to do – I think they need a bit of direction. Point taken about the only competition of its kind. My view is the ffa & their state/territory counterparts should run more local or regional competitions. At these competitions they should be encouraging/supporting the kids to sign up with their local soccer club. In the remote areas maybe assist with setting up the communtities with their own competitions. Teams from these comps could then go onto the major comp. Getting to the point – if these kids are going to make it to the A League or Australian team & world cup then at some stage they must come through the mainstream systems to be able to compete at that level just like North, Dodd, Harry Williams etc. I really want to see this work. Good to see the govt getting behind the initiative.
Proud Parent said | July 10th 2009 @ 3:28pm | Report comment
I would like to congratulate the FFA & their State Representatives for putting together the Indigenous Football Festival just held in Townsville. There was a lot of positives to come out of this festival for reasons other than finding the next Dodd or North ect.. My 13 yr son came back with a greater appreciation and understanding of the very real differences and difficulties that some, though not all, Indigenous Youth face to be able to play in any sporting competion, be it Football, (all codes) Tennis, Cricket, Swimming ect.. Some of the players that he met from around the Country had to travel very long distances, both by road and by plane just to get to the Festival. That being Indigenous, was not necessarily idenitified by the shade of a persons skin or a perceived behaviour. He was able to play against boys up to 3yrs his senior, who all played showing fair and good sportsmanship, with no negative episodes from any or the games. Back at the accomodation, he was able to mix easily with boys from other states and he discovered through the many conversations between boys from all over the country, that there was a real strong kinship throughout many of the family connections and communities. All the boys exchanged playing tops with others and this gesture also gave the boys a sense of pride of belonging to the wider Australian Indigenous Community. This Competition/Festival was not perhaps totally representative of the very best and real talent of actual Indigenous playing football young men, but hopefully in time and with all that FFA will learn from this the first tournament, there is room for improvement. Our son has come back a Taller and Prouder young man, who will go back to his Club and School Teams, happy to share his experiences and that of the exciting future of Inigenous Football that will descend onto Australia in the years to come. Lets hope that as the word spreads throughout the sporting and school arenas, that more and more Indigenous players come forward to trial out for next years Tournament. Thankyou FFA and all your dedicated staff for a wonderful experience.
MVDave said | July 10th 2009 @ 4:07pm | Report comment
Proud Parent
Great feedback…thanks for providing us with an insight into such a important tournament. As you say hope it has even more participants next year.
Joe FC said | July 10th 2009 @ 4:12pm | Report comment
thanks Proud Parent for sharing your family’s experiences.
Pippinu said | July 10th 2009 @ 4:21pm | Report comment
PP
terrific post.
Kazama said | July 10th 2009 @ 4:26pm | Report comment
Great post Proud Parent, much appreciated.
ronny said | July 12th 2009 @ 8:07pm | Report comment
Well said Jumbo, they wanted one team to come from the one town ie, Dubbo….a few very good players missed this tournament because of this reason, players that have been identified…..they then wonder why later on down the track they want nothing to do with these things….
Midfielder said | July 12th 2009 @ 9:34pm | Report comment
Proud Parent
Enjoyed reading your post … thank you for a post with such passion..
jimbo said | July 12th 2009 @ 10:51pm | Report comment
Thanks ronny for your post.
There wasn’t a lot written about how the teams were selected and it’s disappointing to think that some of the better players were overlooked because they didn’t live in town.
I hope they don’t get too disillusioned about it all, because the tournament will be bigger and better next time with more funding and more coverage.
We hope there are more kids like proud parent’s son and less of those disappointed next time.
There are a growing number of ways for good young talent to be spotted these days and no-one wants the good young indigenous players to miss out.
jimbo said | July 12th 2009 @ 10:53pm | Report comment
FINAL Results of the Football Festival
Boys
Field 1/Match 1: 4th play off
Marngrook Meenteel 7 (J. Kinces 9’, 36’; J. Sloan 10’; A. Dalton-Love 19’; J Beckhurst 31’; A. Brooke 43’; D. Cooper 53’) Tarrabah 2 (J. Hart 48’; A. Smith-Richardson 52’)
Field 2/Match 1: 3rd play off
Wakala 5 (K. Sumner 1’, 11’; J. Bendessi 36’, 47’; K. Brown 48’) Eritja 1 (M; Lansen 58’)
Field 2/Match 2: 2nd place play off
Borroloola Cyclones 4 (D.Ellis 7’, 30’; S. Anderson 48’, J. Noble 52’) Maali 2 (C.Papertalk 19’, R. Pickett 51’)
Field 1/Match 3: FINAL
Yallorin of the North 3 (T. Surha 4’, J. Pedro 21’, N. Cobbo 33’) Giralang Galang 0 (Final)
Final Placings
1 Yallorin of the North (North Queensland)
2. Giralang Galang (Dubbo, NSW)
3. Borroloola Cyclones (Borroloola, Northern Territory)
4. Maali (Perth, Western Australia)
5. Wakala (South Australia)
6. Eritja (Alice Springs, Northern Territory)
7. Marngrook Meenteel (Shepparton, Victoria)
8. Tarrabah (Tasmania)
Girls
Field 2/Match 3: 3 and 4 play off
Wakala 2 (R. Sumner 3’, 40’) Miyay Yulu-gi 2 (H. Ranby 34’, 52’). Wakala wins 5.3 on penalties
Field 1/ Match 2: Final
Yallorin of the North 5 (M. Lingden 3’, 14’, 25’, 59’; S. Chong 38;) v Borroloola Cyclones 0
Final Placings
1. Yallorin of the North (North Queensland)
2. Borroloola Cyclones (Borroloola, Northern Territory)
3. Wakala (South Australia)
4. Miyay Yulu-gi (Moree, New South Wales)
SBS will be broadcasting highlights of the Indigenous Football Festival NEXT Sunday 19 July @12:30 on SBS ONE.
Midfielder said | July 12th 2009 @ 11:10pm | Report comment
Jimbo
You have done a good job on this thread ..
ronny said | July 13th 2009 @ 9:16am | Report comment
Thanks Jimbo, would love to see the next Kewell, Cahill come out of this festival, it can only get bigger and better…sorry proud parent did not see your post earlier, thanks for the read and I hope your son continues to grow and succeed with his soccer…….
Midfielder said | July 13th 2009 @ 8:24pm | Report comment
Jimbo & Others
FFA have a vedio clip .. http://wm.footballaustralia.com.au/FFA/JohnMoriarty060709.wmv
Proud Parent said | July 19th 2009 @ 2:25am | Report comment
One week on and our son is still as proud about being a participant in the recent tournament, even though he came home with the flu, that had spread through the camp on the last two days.. He has worn his playing shirt with pride to his club training night and one playing shirt was sent to his grandparents, so that they too can share in his achievements and moment in the sun. . As a parent, I am hoping that this experience will be the start of many positive aspects to my sons development, as a young Australian, with a proud and diverse Heritage, both Indigenous and European. Reading the many posts, not only on this page but on the many others, it is obvious that this competition was arranged quickly and did not follow the mainstream football selection, like that for State Squad Trials.. Let us not forget, State Rep Teams are specifically broken up into yearly age groups. This comp was for 13yr to 16yr olds, & one could argue that the teams with the older boys had a distinct advantage of any team with a collective younger squad.. I can assure you all, that all the kids were well aware of the age differences and one team in particular was picked by age and not merit, so says my son, as the boys were open and honest about how they all got picked.. On the Football West Home page, WA openly state that they were extremly proud of their 4th placing at the Tournament, considering that only half the squad were current football players, the rest was made up of AFL Code players, ect.. Again, as I said in my earlier post, this first Tournament is the one that we all will learn from and now its up to ALL of us to ensure that the word is spread to the wider Indigenous Community, not just in the City but also the Regional Centres, that there is and will be a yearly Tournament and that all kids between the ages of 13 – 16yrs, need to look out for the trials in their respective States.. Considering that an area as big as NSW would have more than 15 talented kids playing football/soccer, perhaps its up to those areas to show FFA that the comp should include 3 NSW Teams,ie, Norhtern, Central & Southern, or NSW should hold a mini tournament, with the winning team going on to represent the State, rather than just the Dubbo Region, as was the case this time. . Lets not forget, the Government have given the grant to FFA to administer to bring together the ongoing development, training and tournaments for the next 10 years, and if there is enough interest by the volume of players in different States, then the comp will have to expand to incorporate more teams or switch to the current State Module, of different age groups ect, ie all states, ie U13, U14, U15, & U16, which would be a fairer reflection of actual talent and allow all the players to be challenged to showcase their skills against their own age goups. I for one will be sending a personal letter to our State Football Federation as well as FFA and also to the Sports Minister in Canberra, to point out that this competion needs to be run just like that in the mainstream, or else, it will become just a token comptetion and another bottomless pit of wasted money with little or no results, but with plenty of divided public opion. So, now its up to all of us, to make sure the comp is run with credibility and lets not forget, all boys and girls, are eligible to try out every year in every State for State Squad seletion and if successful, they are then also up for the Junior Australian Squads.. Thanks again to all for your regards on my last post, and good luck to you all.. PP
Jumbo said | July 21st 2009 @ 1:58pm | Report comment
Thanks for your comments Proud Parent it really gave me a better insight into the festival. And so your son should be proud of his achievements & its good that he gained some valuable life experiences out of it. I watched some of the footage of the festival on SBS last Sunday & the quality of football was just fantastic. As I thought it would be, it was inevitable, most indigenous kids can play any sport well.
It was good to see indigenous Socceroo great Harry Williams involved with the festival. The ffa indigenous program is in good hands if Harry is involved as he understands both the demands of the football system & the important life skills that can can come from participating in sport. I take back what I quoted in earlier comments when I agreed with Jimbo about the ffa’s festivial being the only tournament of its type. This is not correct as the Harry Williams Cup run by Football NSW was the first initiative of its kind which I believe is now not running anymore due to funding shortages. I believe however that Harry is still involved & has a scholarship program with FNSW & works with the FNSW’s technical directer to bring aspiring indigenous talent through the mainstream system in NSW. Harry & FNSW were already one step ahead of the ffa. Again – the ffa needs to work with thier state counterparts if this program is to work properly in regard to all outcomes not just sporting as Proud Parent explained so well. A good start would be to drop off the pollies (& aspiring ones) now & let the program grow under the steady guidance of people like Harry Williams & John Moriarty who are passionate about the sport & indigenous involvement & also have the appropriate credentials. If this happens i’m confident the program will excede all expectations & beyond.