FOOTBALL: A GAME FOR ALL
The Norwood SASFA (School Football) competition was boosted with the addition of a new team from East Torrens Primary School in season 2009. The team was coached by SANFL employee Joel Baldwin and included year 2&3 students, all of which had never played football before.
The team often received comments for their unusual makeup of players, with over half the squad being females. More surprising was that 15 of the 21 person group were born outside of Australia. The various nationalities ranged from India, Guinea, China, Sudan, Korea, America, Eritrea and South Korea. Throughout the season the team was able to prove wrong the theory that AFL is just a game for Aussie males. Although they didn’t finish near the top of the table the children showed that it’s not all about winning, playing every match with a big smile on their face.
This new found ability and knowledge of the Australian game has assisted the multicultural students with the transition to their new home. Not only were they now able to kick the footy around at recess and lunch with all the other students, but they became familiar with a game that is talked about so much within South Australia. Many of the children now follow different football teams, with the Norwood Redlegs a popular favourite. At the end of the season every player was thanked for the efforts over the year and were given a selection of Norwood prizes, as well as a team photo to help them remember their first football experience.
East Torrens, along with a number of other schools within the Norwood zone, will again be running football at their school in 2010. For more information, please contact Michael Arbon at the Norwood Football Club on 8362 6278.
