Hailing from a vast array of cultural backgrounds and with limited to no exposure to AFL, the students were offered an exclusive insight into the West Coast Eagles football facilities in the lead up to attending their first AFL game when the West Coast Eagles took on Melbourne in Round 22.
The tour of the club was contextualised in the club lecture theatre with the participants viewing ‘AFL Explained’ - a resource developed through the AFL’s multicultural unit which provided a brief overview of the rules and history of Australian Rules football.
The students were then guided through the football facilities where their consistent flow of questions highlighted their interest and eagerness in developing an understanding of the game. At the conclusion of the tour, each of the participants also received an overview of AFL written in their first language to take home with them.
West Coast Eagles Schools and Community Development Officer Joe Wear sees a great deal of benefit in the initiative for all involved.
“It’s exceptional to have the guys here, obviously they’re from a wide range of backgrounds,” Wear said.
“So to get the guys in from South Africa, Mauritius, USA, Canada, Germany, they’re all here and they get an insight into how football is played and the skills of the game.
“We give them a bit of a kick, hopefully they can kick a football quite well, it is a funny shaped ball, but hopefully they get used to it.
“It’s also a fantastic opportunity to promote and grow our great game on an international scale and something we are keen to continue to offer each university semester.”
ECU Guild representative Trent Barron said that the tour acts as a great way to introduce students to AFL, and also makes match-day more enjoyable.
“We’ve taken a few of the international students to the footy before and when they get to game day they’re a bit ‘green’ on some of the rules and what’s going on,” he said.
“Together with the Eagles, obviously bringing them in and giving them a tour of the stadium and teaching them a bit about the rules, it will hopefully enhance their match-day experience.”
The highlight for all of the students was of course watching the West Coast Eagles send-off club legend Dean Cox in what turned out to be the last game of his career with a win against Melbourne. The occasion contributed to a great atmosphere at Patersons Stadium and provided a fantastic experience for the first time attendees.
The initiative is aligned with the West Coast Eagles and West Perth Falcons’ recent partnership on the ‘Spirit of Mateship’ program which aims to promote and engage people from multicultural backgrounds in the Cities of Wanneroo and Joondalup in Australian Rules football.
