Gatlauk ‘Paulie’ Johnson found his love for football at the age of sixteen, three years on; his journey towards a career in football looks bright.
Gatlauk migrated to Australia in 2001 with his family, after moving from various areas, his glad to settle down and focus on working towards a career in football as well as finishing his Business Degree.
Take one look at Gatlauk your first thought would instantly be “Wow, he is extremely tall”. Standing at 201cm, you’re definitely not wrong. His height isn’t the only factor that sets him apart, born in South Sudan, Gatlauk screams diversity. Majak Daw is the first and only Sudanese player in AFL at the moment, Gatlauk aspires through hard work and dedication to one day be the second.
“Teach them to follow their dreams, work hard and follow their dreams”
Implementing diversity within AFL and the VFL league is important, as the concept of diversity nowadays is existent in all aspects of life. Gatlauk recently was awarded the title of being the multicultural ambassador for Coburg Lions. A role as important as putting forward the concept of diversity isn’t taken lightly. The role of an ambassador is to spread the word about diversity to primary schools, football clubs as well as teach young kids the basics of football, the most important aspect would be “To teach them to follow their dreams and teach them to work hard”. I asked Gatlauk what it means to him to be an ambassador for AFL Diversity “It means a lot, to talk to others with a multi-cultural background and learn about their journey, it’s important”
Being recognised, as an ambassador is something any person would be proud of, Gatlauk hopes to make himself proud but more importantly his family; to be a role model for his younger siblings as well as make his mum proud. At the age of 5, Gatlauk sadly lost his father, which resulted in working hard and maintaining that drive to become successful in order to support his family. “Giving up was never an option for me”.
“I want to make my family and myself proud”
As a young aspiring footballer, his football career has somewhat just begun. Finding his love for football at the age of sixteen and fast-forward three years, to be playing for a VFL side is an accomplishment; one I think Gatlauk should be extremely proud of. When asked about his move to Coburg, Gatluak only has praise for the club, “It’s a great club, the boys are learning how to play with one another, come mid-way through the season, and I reckon we’ll do well”.
I applaud Gatluak for being a major supporter for his family whilst working towards an ensuring an always-bright future. Whilst interviewing Gatlauk and chatting about life, football and AFL Diversity. It was noticeable how important family was to him, as well as his gentle demeanor towards all aspects of his current journey with football.
To aspire to be the second Sudanese footballer to play AFL would be really great to see. I’ve always believed being different is a factor that sets you apart from the rest. Gatluak Johnson is something different, with the contributing factors of height, build and especially his cultural background; he is most definitely one to watch.
Aicha Saad
Last Modified on 17/04/2014 14:53