The Weekender: Indigenous Football

The Weekender is an article written,usually by a Canberran, it covers football in it's broadest sense. And guarantees that every weekend Canberrans can find some football in the media written by one of their own.

Football: the final frontier?

A look at the world game taking root in remote Indigenous Australian communities

By

Terry Henry

I have been working in the Northern Territory since October last year. During this time I have travelled to many parts of the Territory visiting remote Aboriginal communities, from the Tanami Desert in the south, across the Top End, East Arnhemland, the Tiwi Islands, Groote Island in the Gulf of Carpentaria, out towards the WA border and the Barkly region over to the east on the Savannah Way.

Everywhere I have gone, the dominant sport has been Aussie Rules. Every sports field proudly displayed its four flagpoles at either end, with not a crossbar or net to be seen. Until now.




I have been working in the Northern Territory since October last year. During this time I have travelled to many parts of the Territory visiting remote Aboriginal communities, from the Tanami Desert in the south, across the Top End, East Arnhemland, the Tiwi Islands, Groote Island in the Gulf of Carpentaria, out towards the WA border and the Barkly region over to the east on the Savannah Way.

Everywhere I have gone, the dominant sport has been Aussie Rules. Every sports field proudly displayed its four flagpoles at either end, with not a crossbar or net to be seen. Until now.

Borroloola, a thousand kilometres from Darwin, or ten hours by road, is the final frontier of football, and is home to the Borroloola Cyclones, or, more correctly, FC Borroloola.

The club was founded in 1998 by Glenn Thompson who has lived in the area for over thirty years and works as caretaker for the Borroloola school. A self-confessed football tragic from Tasmania and supporter of Bolton Wanderers, Glenn is both President and coach of the Cyclones, a modern day missionary, spreading the gospel of football to Indigenous Australians.

It all started when he saw some local kids using a netball in a most unnetball-like way. Impressed by their natural talent, he bought some footballs, rounded up the kids and the rest, as they say, is history.

The challenge of running a football club in one of the most remote corners of Australia is truly daunting.

Hardly any of the kids own a pair of boots, finding teams to compete against is a major logistical exercise, and securing sponsors in a place where the economy is not exactly overflowing with employment opportunities are some of the problems Glenn faces.

But through his dedication and passion for the game Glenn is slowly starting a sporting revolution.

Recently, Glenn took the Cyclones up to Darwin where they narrowly lost to Darwin’s top juniors, Arafura Under 18’s by four goals to three, and backed up the next day to beat top league side Casuarina FC six-four.

As a result of the performance of both the boys and girls, a total of nine players from Borroloola have been selected to represent the Northern Territory in the upcoming National Selections in Coffs Harbour later this year.

Considering the population of Borroloola is only around six hundred, this is an outstanding tribute to Glenn and the young men and women of the community.

One of the club’s best players is Alistair Evans, eighteen, a left-footed striker of great promise. A number of A League scouts witnessed his performances in Darwin and were impressed with what they saw. Alistair has been invited to go to Brisbane in the near future to have a trial with the Queensland Roar A League club.

The impact on the people of Boorroloola and on football in the Northern Territory would be huge according to Glenn, if a player could make it through to the big-time. Other players to watch include Shane Anderson, fourteen, and seventeen year-old Lexine Riley (see photo).

What does the future hold for the Cyclones? The first priority is getting the nine players to the National Selections in Coffs harbour in July and September.

With the school’s support and help from local mining giant Xstrata, and local business, Red Dirt Trading, Glenn believes anything is possible.

I for one will be watching the National Selections with even keener interest than usual in the hope that one of the boys (or girls) from the bush can make it all the way to the top and push back this final frontier of football.

If you have a story or an opinion about football that you think Canberrans and others would be interested in please feel free to contact me, Eamonn.