Racism no barrier for junior footy team

A multicultural footy team has devised the best revenge for its detractors - winning.

The coach of a multicultural junior football team north of Melbourne says his players endure racial slurs in at least one of every three games.

The Sunshine Heights under-13s have a range of players from migrant and refugee backgrounds including South Sudan and Liberia. The team was started by coach Ren Olivieri in 2013, in a bid reinvigorate the club and offer the benefits of team sports to kids in the area.

But he said as his players became some of the best in their division, the racist sledges began.

"I've had some of team in tears not once, not twice, it's happened multiple times,” he said. “It's something that us as a community that us as Australians have to change."

Liberian-born midfielder Mohamed Fofana had been on the receiving end of racial abuse.

"At times it can be rough and dirty but as my coach tells me, 'stay bulletproof and that's what wins the games’," he said.

(Abby Dinham)

Coach Olivieri said the Western Region Football League was taking the issue seriously. Offenders and their families were brought in to the league for discussions and players could be called before a tribunal.

But those on the receiving end of the racial slurs could be hesitant to follow through on complaints.

"It's hard to tell these kids, ‘Hey you've got to go present yourself’," Coach Olivieri said. “To stand up there and say, 'You said this and you said that,' these guys are kids it shakes them up."

He's calling for more awareness and education to address the problem, and he'd like to see clubs undergo mandatory cultural awareness training.

Coach Olivieri said football was a great tool for integration for kids of a refugee and migrant background, and it shouldn't be sullied by racism.

"Sport is so important to these guys, it brings a smile to their face [and] it lets them be kids. It lets them be with their friends, they sing the club song at the end of the day there's no feeling like it."

"I've had some of team in tears not once, not twice, it's happened multiple times."

The Sunshine Heights under-13s reached the grand final in its debut year, and currently tops the tables in its division.

Team manager Debbie Sharples it was incredible to see the change in kids after they joined the team and their confidence was boosted.

"This is a great way for children to feel like they belong somewhere and are part of the community,” she said. “So this has been a great way for many of them to come to Australia and get involved and be part of the community.”

But the coaching doesn't end at the siren. Since 2013, Coach Olivieri had organised football clinics at the local schools to recruit new players. He also maintained collaboration with local principals and teachers to ensure his players were kicking goals on the field and in the classroom.

(Abby Dinham)

"I'm a very disciplined coach so they know if they make mistakes here or if they make mistakes at school I find out one way or another and I make sure they're not getting away with it,” he said.

He said support from sponsors like the Brimbank Council, as well as businesses including Orica, Winslow Constructions, Star Fish and Chips, Intencity and McDonalds in Sunshine had been essential to ensuring that kids from low-income families did not miss out on being part of the team.

"We have been able to purchase all the juniors footy gear. The training tops have brought solidarity to these kids from all different cultures in the world," he said.

11 year old South Sudanese refugee Bol Atem a rising footy star

@abbydinham