2015 AFL Multicultural Round
By Tom Naghten
Special events have been organised around the country to acknowledge the contribution multicultural communities have made to Australian Football, as well as welcome new communities to the game.
AFL CEO Gillon McLachlan discussed the league’s commitment to honouring diversity in the community.
“The AFL is committed to reflecting Australia’s growing cultural diversity,” McLachlan said.
“As an industry we will continue to reach out to new and emerging communities not only because it’s important for the growth of our game but as the number one sporting code in the country, we have a leadership role to play in social cohesion.”
Western Sydney is home to 12 of the top 20 most multicultural suburbs in Australia and the GIANTS have once again got behind the AFL’s initiative.
This Sunday’s match against Essendon at Spotless Stadium will feature entertainment from Chinese, Arabic, Indian and Maori cultural groups and a citizenship ceremony for 20 migrants.
The curtain raiser will be a top-of-the-table Division 2 clash between the Auburn GIANTS and UTS Shamrocks in the BLK AFL Sydney Women’s competition.
Established in 2011, Auburn became the first women’s team in Western Sydney, a significant achievement for football in the area.
A win on Sunday will all but guarantee the GIANTS top spot going into the finals.
All matches across the round will be broadcast in either Arabic, Mandarin, Hindi, Greek, Italian, Spanish and Vietnamese via the official AFL app while international passport holders can register for free tickets through the AFL website.
The round will also feature multicultural entertainment at venues, in-language markings on match balls and fields, as well as free international streaming of all games.
