Promising Aboriginal Footballers are Walking Away from AFL Contracts

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When former Prime Minister John Howard won the 1996 Parliamentary press gallery AFL tipping competition, his off the cuff speech to the throng of journalists present outlined his placement of Aussie Rules in the national lexicon.

Howard said rugby league was a working class sport; rugby union was played by those at places of higher and private education, and football (soccer) was beset by ethnic rivalries. He went on to say that Aussie Rules was the true unifier of class and creed.

While the former PM's stereotyping of other codes remains questionable, his take on AFL is fair. While far from perfect, the industry does have the ability to unite those from different divides.

Recently however, there are growing concerns about where the First Australians sit in the context of the game. Issues surrounding recent draftees Dayle Garlett, Josh Simpson, and now former Melbourne player Dom Barry leave a real conundrum. Three highly rated junior players have fallen through the system in the space of 12 months. There is a concern about what this means for the future drafting of Indigenous players.

Former Adelaide recruiting manager Matt Rendell's remark to AFL community engagement manager Jason Mifsud appears to have foreshadowed some current issues. Rendell allegedly told Mifsud his club of employment "would not re​cruit an indigenous player unless he had at least one white parent" (he backed down from the comments and said he had no such policy in a later interview).

Rendell's remark was misguided and incredibly insensitive, but when juxtaposed with the recent failures of indigenous draftees, it highlights a cultural misunderstanding indigenous footballers face.

When speaking to those close to the industry, it appears there is a strong cultural discord between the establishment and those from indigenous communities striving for their own AFL dreams. That dream is as risky as ever in the current landscape.

Jim Marinas has worked in a variety of roles in the football industry, often in player welfare, and spoke candidly of the continued struggles of promising footballers from remote communities.

"With over 130 different tribes, it's very complex with their particular rituals and norms. If a family members dies, they don't mourn in ways the anglo community does, we're back to work the same day after attending a funeral. They take perhaps weeks to mourn on a personal trip. It's about understanding different cultural norms."

Marinas was clear the promotion of greater roles of indigenous employees in the industry was the next leap forward.

"I think they need to improve on what they're doing already. Having welfare officers at clubs is a start, but I think more of them need to be indigenous.

It would be nice to see indigenous development assistants and indigenous recruiters. I see too few of them at the moment and it would perhaps help to have those who understand where these kids are coming from."

Troy Cook, an Indigenous former Fremantle Docker, echoed Jim's concerns about having more Indigenous staff involved in club welfare departments.

"The earlier these young players can be exposed to the rigours of AFL, the smoother the transition will be if they get drafted. I think the AFL has a responsibility to have a full-time employee in every state coordinating these pathways, linking in with each [state] club and their Indigenous players' development, and assisting the AFL club's players with a variety of services; assisting personal development opportunities outside of football, support players transitioning out of the AFL system and more."

Cook does work at the Wirrapanda foundation, set up by former West Coast Eagle David Wirrapanda. The foundation bases itself on delivering indigenous youth programs regarding the promotion of strong indigenous role models and healthy lifestyles. He identified the key cultural hurdles that could potentially hold back indigenous draftees.

"The greatest cultural hurdle would be entering into an environment which is foreign to them and requires that player to conform to an existence which is solely focused on football.

The player will be expected to train every day, attend meetings and presentations from both club and AFL, depending where they come from transition into a new city, get to know everyone at the club, expected to develop and handle the pressures of become a better footballer, and be at the club's beck and call.

Many factors have to be taken into consideration like where is that player coming from, for example he maybe from a regional or remote town where he trains twice a week with a significant role to play within his family."

Troy cited homesickness, the intensity of training regimes, and finding the right person to talk to when things aren't going well as key obstacles Indigenous players face in their earlier years in the system.

The air of the unknown with the Indigenous and sport is not just limited to the custodians of Aussie Rules.

The House of Representatives Standing Committee on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders has an entire chapter of submissi​ons and findings regarding participation in sport.

Some of the submissions have eye-opening points regarding the importance of sport in Aboriginal communities. However, numerous respondents which included sports administrators and academics, cited the lack of available research in these areas which harmed the ability to further improve participation rates or correctly identify the positive effects of sport in Indigenous society.

Even the AFL's full s​ubmission to the committee conceded the need to "commission a major research piece that is culturally appropriate and evaluates the impact of sport in Indigenous communities at a regional level." This would provide evidence to support increased delivery of dedicated sporting programs.

Despite the crowning achievements of players such as Adam Goodes and incredibly positive steps the AFL have taken in this ar​ea, there is still a void that remains. Success for Indigenous players in the AFL is more than just individuals of Aboriginal descent making it in a white man's world. It's about affirming the idea of the former Prime Ministers' impromptu remarks – there should be no divide.

It might be too late for the three aforementioned high profile draftees, but the journey to understanding between industry and the community must begin now.

Follow Ben on Twitter: ​@bencuzzupe 

Photo by lickr user ​Rusty Stewart