I have such fond memories of being a child – watching AFL with my family, cheering on the Western Bulldogs for as long as I can remember! As I reflect nostalgically over the years, I am pleased to see that the sport I love has embraced diversity.
With more and more nationalities on the field each season, I am proud to see diversity in AFL being cherished, with more investment planned for the future.
The cultural melting pot that is Australia is represented on an AFL field. And I am pleased that we won’t stop there – the AFL not only aspires to see an unbiased game that is a true reflection of our nation in terms of ethnicity, but also in the gender space.
I am thrilled to see us broaden our inclusion to the women’s league – athleticism and skills are impartial to culture and gender and it is time to see the women’s game grow.
The AFL’s plan to roll out national club academies will provide a pathway for the best Indigenous and multicultural talent – both men and women.
On the field, dedicated coaching programs will nurture the best talent, increasing the diversity representation within the code. Off the field, strong links with communities will promote social inclusion and cultural understanding, helping youths to integrate with wider society, through a sport that is at its a core, an Australian game.
Indigenous people represent 3 per cent of the Australian population, with 9 per cent representation on AFL lists. AFL statistics show 90,000 Indigenous people are involved with AFL programs across the country every weekend.
The progressive and fair approach of AFL dates back over a hundred years, with the first player of Aboriginal descent, Fitzroy’s Joe Johnson setting foot on a professional AFL field and paving the way for Indigenous players.
Since then we have seen a number of successful Indigenous players make the Boomerang Squad for u/16s, going on to deliver a number of these players into the code. The very fact that a dedicated Indigenous footy show like Marngrook exists is an indication of how important the game is to our communities. Hosted by an all-Indigenous panel, including two females, diversity is at Marngrook’s core.
Beyond multiculturalism, the AFL’s investment into the women’s league, brought forward from 2020 to 2017, will see eight teams battle it out in the national competition.
Last year, over 165 new women’s teams were created, indicating that this is absolutely the right step for the AFL, and it recognises the skills, agility and professionalism of the code’s female counterparts.
This investment will help to ensure longevity of the game and its popularity as Australia’s number one sporting code.
Increasing the focus on the women’s game will inevitably see more and more women’s voices, opinions and comments, something that only last week was in question. We need to listen to and accept the voices that have merit, regardless of gender. Two of these strong voices sit next to me every Thursday night and have done so for the past ten years.
We should embrace the diversity of opinions, not shut them down and not just because we’re investing and growing the game in the gender space. More voices offer more observations, widens the dialogue and therefore offers a more hearty conservation.
Diversity represents many things to many people. I applaud the AFL for its investment and creation of official pathways, the sport will be richer for it.
However, it is a shame when such positive actions are tainted by a minority within the wider game, who continue to have an issue with acceptance, inclusion and racism.
From last’s years Adam Goodes controversy to the recent issue at the Collingwood versus Richmond clash, it is evident that as a nation, we still have some way to go.
AFL is where all Australians, regardless of race, gender, religion or sexuality can come together. Have the passion, back your team and get a little bit fired up, but do so in a way that isn’t divisive to your fellow AFL peers.
Let AFL be an example of the way we should embrace diversity in our everyday lives, where the field and stands are a true reflection of modern Australia.
Grant Hansen is a co-host of the Marngrook Footy Show which airs on NITV every Thursday at 7:30pm.
harry houdini
Roar Rookie
I don't know why you bother to prove these goons wrong time after time, i just think most say these things because they don't like football, i see a diverse range of backgrounds every time i go to my sons football football club, every time i watch community or WAFL football. What i will say is that in Sydney the big junior leagues around the city, eastern and Northern suburbs have been said to target white anglo saxon middle class boys, whilst i dont think they have specifically targeted them, it seems to be the way it has worked out for a variety of reasons Brisbane is a bit different, for many years he Western Suburbs JFC was the biggest in town, a club with a strong working class and not private school background.
jax
Guest
Geez, all incredible players Matty and I can't cover them all but I'll cover Toddy as few know anything about him and Austin was finally given some coverage at last years Brownlow - every footy purists should take a few minutes to look at the careers of the guys you named. Todd was 16 years old and 177cm when kicked 7 goals in a WAFL reserves GF. The next year he beat Polly Farmer to win the Sandover as a 17yo only to do his knee as an 18yo in the days when they couldn't fix it. He was never the same player again yet he carved out a tough 132 games. He quite possibly could have been the greatest player the game has ever seen had he not done his knee. I'm not sure how many players have won a Sandover, Magarey or Brownlow in their debut season aged 17 but there can't be many of them. He became coach of Swan Districts at age 21 and went on to win 6 flags as a coach. The AFL finally inducted him into their Hall of Fame in 2003 but he's a bit of a legend to many out west.
jax
Guest
Agreed
jax
Guest
I don't recall your posts on equity leading any charge however that doesn't mean that you didn't make them so I will take you at face value, I mean it and NP. I do recall your posts on ground dimensions, and also on the Hawks game plan at the G, long before the finals started and your doubts about teams being able to beat them when it mattered on their home ground and it turned out that you were right, well done. You didn't hit me hard. I was going to say as much in the other post but I didn't bother, but now that you bring up. I can take much bigger hits than that. Take as big a swing as you need, I can take it. Truth be told you hit me with naivety, on that particular post and that was what I was considering posting at the time but I didn't want to rub salt in. On other posts, especially regarding the game, strategy etc I've been more naive than you and I will happily admit it. That's ok, we can all learn from each other and we should be man enough to admit it. It just seems to me that you have rose coloured glasses more often than not when it comes to the AFL Commission and it's executive and then I saw your swipe at Dal and I saw some hypocrisy somImcalled it. That doesn't mean that I'm right, it's only my opinion after all and I'm happy to be proven wrong. Peace brother, all good. We don't have to win on every point.
Doc Disnick
Roar Guru
@marron Thanks for your reply. I can appreciate better than most here when someone takes the time to construct a good argument. Now whilst I don't agree with it all, I can accept that argument. I just want to clear one thing up before finishing this discussion with you. I don't for a second think a vast majority of Aleague fans are violent, which is why I came to this discussion on this thread to challenge Kaks comments. He knows he's done wrong there, but won't admit it. Let's move on though. Over time I think the over-the-top police presence will subside. Hopefully we will see less police and more fans at Aleague games in the future. Enjoy the Aleague tonight.
marron
Guest
Rick, click the link above to find your 8 articles. Overtime of course is not an explanation for the perception. However, what it means is that because there are loads of police present, it is easier for the perception to be reinforced that they are needed. Likewise with your reference to the "riot" (singular, no matter what you call it). The reality is that agreed protocols were ignored for unknown reasons, police were heavy handed and after the walkout acted provocatively and with a clear desire to use force. Perception is it was a fully blown hooligan riot and that this is normal. Anywhere else - or even normally - and someone would have been evicted and that would be the end. But police presence, and perhaps a new command who'd decided to send in the riot squad that night for unknown reasons, resulted in a situation that would have been avoided. Of course, because news crews are on the lookout for anything to fit an existing narrative, and blurry footage with no context is highly prized, it's an even bigger story. Vision sells. And helps fuel the perceptions. And vision of soccer trouble is more highly prized. The articles in the link attest to that. why do the police hold this view? Because they, and others including large sections of the public, don't understand the culture of football and in particular of so called active support. This much is evident from the comments they make about cages and England on a regular basis. Security can deal with the vast majority of situations at the game. But a perception that soccer fans need this police presence because otherwise they'd burn the place down or start fighting each other allows them to make judgements about the high numbers required. You say certain elements will take advantage. .. how? Security prevent interaction with the away "cheersquad". Surveillance nails anyone doing anything they shouldn't. Where's the need?
Angela
Guest
Yet another sermon. Obviously well-intentioned. Nevertheless; Anyone else sick of the words 'diversity'? Ditto 'conversation', 'narrative', 'closure', 'inclusive', 'identity' and 'fair'? Oh, and 'special'. Obviously, I've reached cliché saturation point. And - can't help myself - 'the games counterparts'. Does this refer to women?
Doc Disnick
Roar Guru
Not a major incident involving riot control police like at some WSW games Kaks, but I'll give you that article 7 more to go.
Kaks
Roar Guru
Marron, do you mean like this? http://www.adelaidenow.com.au/sport/afl/more-news/sa-police-threw-crows-fan-out-of-adelaide-oval-for-failing-to-cooperate-but-no-evidence-of-punch-to-woman/news-story/667f6e1b4c8217dd5a06d5c504bab747 I find it convenient that a man was thrown out, social media was up in arms because people allegedly witnessed him hitting a woman, and yet no one took down any names. Either the A-league takes safety seriously unlike other codes in the country, or the police take themselves seriously at the A-league unlike other codes in the country.
Doc Disnick
Roar Guru
@ Kaks "Rick, just for your information. 1) Police presence doesnt equate to something being more violent." That's not going to work Kaks. I never said police presence means something is more violent. Again 'copy and paste' where I said this. This negates your next point, which you just can't show. Again - send me the detail in the stats you provided. I need the total crowd numbers and the times they were played. If you can't provide this, all you're doing is referencing an article also. Again - how many of those incidents I referenced were played at SCG trust stadiums? Again - I need you to 'copy and paste' my comments about Aleague fans being violent. Again and again and again we can do this Kaks. It won't change the fact you're a liar until you prove otherwise. It's not a tough order either Kaks, it would take less than 30 seconds to prove if true. Balls in your court again 'hero'.
Doc Disnick
Roar Guru
@marron "Police presence doesn’t mean there’s a problem. It just means there’s a perceived one." Possibly, and it's why I asked the questions I did. What I received was a a tirade from Kaks, much like a petulant child past their bedtime. He persisted with ludicrous statements about woman being beaten at AFL games, insinuating that a 'hero' like himself like himself could have handled the situation better. Of course, when asked to clarify his position on this, he didn't bother replying. Surprise surprise hey. You; however, may be more rational and willing to dig a little deeper. So let me ask you this: Why do you think their is a perceived threat level at Aleague games by the police? Please don't use overtime as an answer. I'm genuinely being serious. My thoughts were clear, and I outlined these in the thread on the NRL forum two days ago. I believe it's 'Peace through Strength'. With time the level of police presence should drop, but will certain elements take advantage of this should it happen. Please enlighten me from an Aleague fans perspective and be honest in your appraisal.
Kaks
Roar Guru
Rick, just for your information. 1) Police presence doesnt equate to something being more violent. 2) News articles arent statistics, they are news articles. However, statistics can be found in news articles - like the one I sent you! Hope this clarifies a few things for you so you can stop digging yourself that massive hole. "I would also like you to reference my comments about Aleague fans being violent. If you can’t do this, I’d appreciate an apology." Considering you're unable to provide any statistics to substantiate this claim (not news articles, statistics - if you are unsure what this means then look at point two above!) even though I showed you a statistic that disproves your comment, I think it's you who should be apologising
marron
Guest
Reply moderated. Police presence doesn't mean there's a problem. It just means there's a perceived one. And looking at the fact that there are many incidents at other codes, looking at the ignorance of the police when it comes to these matters, and looking at just how little the police have to do, and looking at what gets reported and what doesn't, and looking at how the aleague is far more proactive when it comes to stamping out any anti social behavior, which at other places goes uncensured and largely un-noted, or passed off as isolated, then you see just how incorrect those perceptions are. If, that is, you poke your head outside the bubble for a minute.
marron
Guest
Parramatta is incident free. We get them out in force though. Standing around. Doing nothing. playing handball. Watching the game. Why are they there? Because they volunteer for the easiest overtime they'll ever get. The powers that be meanwhile decide- more or less correctly in my opinion - that police aren't required at AFL games or anywhere else in large numbers because security can deal. But it becomes self fulfilling.
Doc Disnick
Roar Guru
"Because it’s an easy target for overtime." Awesome argument, and I thought Kaks was bad at this.
marron
Guest
Why are they overpoliced? Because it's an easy target for overtime. There's a cavalcade of violence that occurs every year at other sports. Nobody ever suggests there should be a greater police presence. In fact, when something occurs, the seccos kick them out without taking any details and the police don't go near it. The a-league could do that. But the commish decides that its not to be.
Doc Disnick
Roar Guru
"Those arent statistics Rick those are articles." Firstly, our discussion was based around police presence...remember? I don't need stats to back my argument up. I have police statements, which I referenced in those articles. You even admitted to Aleague games being over policed. My question was: why are Aleague games so over policed? You then proceeded with a character assassination of the high-ranking police officers I referred to and their statements. Fair enough, that's you argument. I countered by reference a further 8 articles, all reporting on major crowd incidents within a 6 year period at Aleague matches. All of these incidents required heavy police presence to contain. Furthermore, within those 8 articles I referenced another 4 high-ranking police officers making similar comments about Aleague crowds. I guess you could character assassinate them also, but I think any reasonable person will start to realise your argument is wearing thin. You provided an article outlining incidents at SCG trust stadiums within a 12 month period. It had a limited same size and showed only 1 incident at football matches vs 2 at AFL. I challenged you on these stats by asking the total crowd sizes for the respective codes. Why? Because I'm pretty certain Aleague crowd sizes are going to be around half the size of AFL average attendances, which distorts those figures you produced. You were unable to provide these figures, just the article referencing them. The irony is mouth-watering though. You accuse me of not proving stats, only articles, yet all you provided was an article referencing some stats. In order for those stats to be meaningful, things need to be put into perspective, such as crowd sizes, times of matches etc. You have been unable to provide this information, despite me asking several times now. Why? Because you can only produce an article and not the stats, how they were conducted, which provides critical information when trying to make an argument. I asked you how many of the 8 incidents I referenced to occurred at SCG trust stadiums. Why? Because it shows you have deliberately picked limited stats to back your argument up. Not many (if any) of those incidents occurred at SCG trust stadiums, which is why you won't answer the question. It shows deception on your part - nothing more! You have steam-lined this argument for me though Kaks. It's simple now for all to read. "I can do the same with the AFL if you’d like me to?" Yes, I would like you to. Please reference me at least 8 articles involving crowds incidents requiring heavy police presence to sort out. I would also like you to reference my comments about Aleague fans being violent. If you can't do this, I'd appreciate an apology.
marron
Guest
Newspaper articles are statistics are they? Cool. http://fearofaroundball.com/things-you-just-dont-see-at-the-afl/
clipper
Guest
I think he's suggesting we should follow the Zimbabwean Cricket team's recruitment policy.
Kaks
Roar Guru
"You mean apart from those 8 articles I linked showing major issues ALL involving police over 6 years. All those incidents involved more than 1 person, and on occasions, more than 20+. No wonder the police were involved." Those arent statistics Rick those are articles. I can do the same with the AFL if you'd like me to? But again, that isnt a statistic LOL