Key Points
- Community sporting clubs are welcoming towards multicultural communities and organise events to celebrate ethnic backgrounds
- Local sports clubs accommodate non-contact version of footy and rugby for both female and male players
- Besides playing the game, community members can volunteer to help run clubs
Aussie Rules
Australian rules football, or more simply footy, became increasingly organised and integrated into Victoria in the late 1850s’ as a way to keep cricketers in good shape during winter.
Today, Aussie Rules is played by over 1.25 million players across the country. With both female and male competitions, it attracts more spectators than any other sport in Australia.
was established to grow and develop Australian football internationally and within multicultural communities in Australia.
CEO Brian Clark says AFI aims to empower people and communities through sport, and he welcomes everyone to join.
It doesn’t matter where you’re from; you can play this game.
Mr Clark says that although there are many rules specific to the game, playing the footy is particularly exciting because of the freedom the game offers.
You’ve got a bit of soccer, you’ve got a bit of rugby, even basketball – you’ve got to bounce the ball when you run.
“When you pick up the ball, you’ve got so many options: do you run, do you kick, do you handball, do you bounce. So, you can go anywhere – you can use your hands, there are no goalkeepers, everybody can be a goalkeeper.”
Mr Clark points out that understanding how the scoring works is often the most challenging part of the game for new arrivals.
“If a ball goes through the two middle posts, the higher posts, it’s a goal, and it is worth six points. But if it goes between the big post and middle post on end, it’s only worth one point. So, you might see something like one team scored 2.6. So, you need to multiply two by six points, that’s 12, and the six is multiplied by one point. So, 2.6 is actually 18,” he explains.
It can be very challenging to get their head around scoring but it helps make it the unique game that it is.”
One of the AFI’s flagship community programs is the, an annual event held in Melbourne where players from migrant communities compete under the flag of their country of origin.
Since 2004, AFI has established many different teams, including Albania, Greece, Israel, Italy, Lebanon, Macedonia, Samoa, South Africa, Tonga, Vietnam, etc.
Mr Clark says joining a local footy club is a great way to enhance your mental and physical health and learn some new Australian expressions that can help build your self-confidence and serve as a conversation starter.
For example:
- Taking a speckie means taking a spectacular mark, like jumping up on someone’s shoulders and catching the ball
- Sausage roll or snag stands for kicking a goal
Footy is played by over 1.25 million people across the country Source: Getty Images/Cameron Spencer
Soccer
Bela Blazevic plays soccer at the semi-professional Sydney United 58 Football Club, where she also works as a media manager.
She says being a part of a community soccer club is much more than just playing the game, as clubs often organise events to celebrate their members' ethnic backgrounds.
On Statehood Day, we had a big celebration in the Croatian club, and we had children in traditional outfits walking along with the players into the field.
“In New South Wales a lot of the other teams still got a strong connection to their ethnic background. A lot of them still pay tributes to the countries where we come from and celebrate the same dates as much as they can to involve, not just the community, but also the ties they have back home,” she says.
Ms Blazevic says they run programs suitable for all ages, and parents can also become referees and coaches through courses offered by Football NSW.
In Edensor Park, at the Sydney United 58 stadium that can accommodate 12,000 people, there is a game every Sunday.
Attending a community soccer event is also a great way to learn some Australian sporting colloquialisms, such as:
- To score a screamer is to kick a goal from a far distance
- Top bins means to score a goal right in the top corner of the goal
Soccer clubs often organise events to pat tribute to the connection to ethnic background of their members Source: Getty Images/Halie West/EyeEm
Cricket
Nicole Lenoir-Jourdan sits on the board of UTS North Sydney Cricket Club, known as The Bears.
She says with almost 4,000 cricket clubs in Australia, you can start knocking the ball whenever you want, regardless of your age or expertise.
Ms Lenoir-Jourdan points out that you can also start your own club to play recreationally with your friends but joining an already established local team may save you money on equipment, playing fields, and certified referees.
However, she warns that joining a local club could also require some investment for the required equipment.
Usually, you pay a fee, and with that comes your cricketing shirt, but you have to buy your own cricket pads and bats.
In cricket, governing principles are known as ‘Laws’ and there are currently 42 Laws in Cricket.
For Ms Lenoir-Jourdan, the most fun part of the game is when a player asks an umpire to decide whether a batsman is out.
A player or the whole team puts a hand up and yells ‘Howzat?’.
There are almost 4,000 cricket clubs in Australia Source: Getty Images/Corbis/VCG
Rugby
NSW Community Rugby League Manager Peter Clarke says the main difference between the Rugby League and Rugby Union is the number of players - 13 and 15 respectively.
Also, drop goals and penalties are calculated differently.
NWS Rugby League runs for culturally and linguistically diverse communities who want to learn the game in a fun and non-competitive format.
Mr Clark points out that playing rugby in a community club is different from the rough game played by professional players.
There is a safe play code in community rugby clubs, and you can opt to play a non-contact version of the game.
As part of the registration fee, insurance is offered to every registered participant.
When it comes to rugby lingo, Mr Clark says the sport has a considerable amount of jargon to describe the game.
He mentions some of the ways to explain a kick.
- Grubber is a kick that rolls around the ground
- Banana kick refers to the trajectory or the flight of the kick if it goes the opposite direction to the person’s facing
- Bomb kick is when the kicker launches the ball from his foot high into the air
- Chip kick is a small kick over the defensive line where the kicker tries to regather it or kick it for another player
NWS Rugby League runs Try League programs for CALD communities to learn the game in a fun, non-competitive format Source: Getty Images/PeopleImages