IEC Cup helps celebrate Multicultural Round

More than 150 children participated in second annual IEC Cup at Blacktown International Sportspark on Wednesday June 20, kicking off celebrations for the 2012 AFL Multicultural Round.

The participants represented six Intensive English Centres from across Sydney – Evans, Holroyd, Lurnea, Kogarah, Cleveland Street and Beverly Hills.

AFL NSW/ACT Multicultural Programs Manager Nickie Flambouras said events like the IEC Cup were a great way for kids from around Sydney to interact and get active.

“Our IEC programs are designed to make kids feel welcome and involved in their new community, and the IEC Cup allows them to see there are a lot of other people in similar situations,” she said.

“Playing AFL is a great way for kids to learn about Australia’s indigenous game while making new friends in a safe and fun environment.”

GWS GIANTS players Israel Folau and Setanta o’hAilpin attended the IEC Cup to support the initiative. Folau, whose parents moved from Tonga to Minto in Sydney’s west before he was born, is a 2012 Multicultural Round Ambassador. He supports the effort the AFL is making to encourage diversity in the game.

“I’m very proud of my Tongan heritage. Through my role as a Multicultural Ambassador with the AFL I have been lucky enough to go back to Tonga to help promote the game there,” he said.

“Multicultural Round is a great chance for us to celebrate how many different cultures and players from different backgrounds enjoy AFL, not just at the top level here in Australia, but at a grass roots level and all over the world.”

The IEC Cup brings together children from a range of multicultural backgrounds to provide them with an opportunity to experience a new sport and meet friends as they settle into life in Australia.

Run by AFL NSW/ACT, the multicultural program has been teaching AFL to thousands of kids in a number of intensive English classrooms for the past four years.

The results from the day’s play are as follows:

Junior Boys: four teams contested the event – Winner: Cleveland St IEC
Junior Girls: two teams contested the event – Winner: Evans IEC
Open Senior: five teams contested the event – Winner: Evans IEC