Some of the AFL’s biggest Indigenous stars have aligned to create a resource for clubs to help them get the best out of their Indigenous brothers.
The Indigenous Advisory Board, chaired by Adam Goodes, has developed the framework of a best practice policy to support Indigenous players in the AFL.
The nine-member advisory board, which includes Nathan Lovett-Murray, Shaun Burgoyne, Lance Franklin and Patrick Ryder, developed the framework after listening to the thoughts of all attendees at the AFL Players’ Indigenous Camp in Alice Springs in February this year.
Indigenous Advisory Board Chairman Adam Goodes said the need for a best practice policy comes from the views of the 79 Indigenous players currently on AFL lists.
“In 2011 at the Indigenous Camp up in Sydney we all voted we need a voice… and we voted that we wanted to set up our own board called the Indigenous Advisory Board…from there the first job of the board was to come up with this best practice policy,” he said.
Goodes said all clubs do great things to support their Indigenous players and through this policy it will provide consistency across the board, so all Indigenous players have an equal opportunity to succeed.
“Every year we meet and talk about issues at each other’s clubs and we thought it would be a good idea to share all the things we do at the good clubs and for those clubs who aren’t doing so great, share those ideas and come up with a best practice policy to help all Indigenous players that come into the game.”
The current framework is based around four pillars; Induction, Our Culture, Professional Development and Personal Support, and is currently being delivered to clubs before it is officially released later in the year.
Induction
Hawthorn forward and Indigenous Advisory Board member Lance Franklin believes it is important for AFL clubs to be able to provide a support network for Indigenous players coming into the club.
Franklin said he was fortunate to have Chance Bateman at Hawthorn when he arrived in Victoria who made his transition into the environment as smooth as possible.
“I think that for Indigenous kids coming through having that support with older blokes at the footy club around makes things a lot easier because they know where we have come from and they know our backgrounds…If they don’t have those senior players they go outside that and look for support for the young Indigenous kids coming through.”
Personal Support
Shaun Burgoyne said it is not just new players who need support; he found he needed extra assistance when shifting his wife and three kids from South Australia to Victoria.
“A lot of Indigenous players are drafted with kids very young, Indigenous people have kids very young normally, so if you are drafted interstate with a young family, the support network the club gives that player and his family is important,” Burgoyne said.
“We thought it was great the club engaged my wife and my kids and got them to meet other players partners and children so not only do I feel at home at the club but my wife becomes engaged with the club and has friends outside footy and they can settle into Melbourne as well.”
Professional Development
Paddy Ryder started thinking about life after football in his fourth year, “I probably should have started sooner than that”, he said. Ryder believes Indigenous players might need a “kick start” to help them feel comfortable to commit to opportunities outside of football.
Ryder said it is vital AFL footballers establish a career beyond the football field to ensure they continue to be role models to their people and the wider community when they retire.
“You can get caught up living the life of an AFL footballer; you are getting paid good money and you might not be developing yourself outside footy,” he said.
“Once you get out of footy you want to be set-up so that you can teach people in your community.
“There are a lot of businesses out there who are willing to support Indigenous people in their workplaces, (it’s important) to get that development so that when you step outside footy you can move into the mainstream and work comfortably in a job.”
Our Culture
Nathan Lovett-Murray said it is important for clubs to have an understanding of the individual story of each Indigenous player. He said they need to recognise the unique culture of every player and provide latitude to players around “sorry business” and family leave.
He said those times are particularly important to allow players to re-connect with their culture, something they miss being away from their land.
“That could be just letting the player go back home for a couple of days to re-connect with family at important times,” Lovett-Murray said.
“Family is extremely important for Indigenous people and the players that move away from their family at a young age, and even if they have been living in the city and away from their family for a while, it’s always important for them to have that connection back home and be able to spend time with family.”
Lovett-Murray said he has seen the mutual benefits of a working environment where diversity is valued and promoted.
“…Kevin Sheedy was really big on non-indigenous people learning about Indigenous culture. His way was by taking the football club up to Darwin
and going out to some of the remote communities and that was the best way to learn.”
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Adam Goodes said it is crucial that each generation of Indigenous players continue to leave a legacy in the game and in society.
“We are in the 20th year since Nicky Winmar stood up against racism in sport and the legacy he left behind just from that one gesture of lifting up his t-shirt and saying “You know what? I am proud to be black,” Goodes said.
“If this becomes something that I and the people who I sit on the Advisory Board with, it becomes a legacy that gives club that vital information to help Indigenous players be the best they can be, then I would be very grateful and proud to be a part of it.”
Goodes stressed that for this policy to have an impact and to generate change then the support of all stakeholders, including all 18 clubs is a must.
“We want all clubs to endorse this best practice policy, any policy that comes up is about the people behind it and the people behind this policy are the players. This is what the players want and this is who we listen to as an advisory board.
“They want it, we want it and we’d love the clubs to jump on board and really get behind this.”