Young Lions enter the "Colosseum"
If you think the West Coast Eagles will be eager to impress in Sunday’s AFL match against North Melbourne at Subiaco, spare a thought for the Edmund Rice Lions, who will play in the curtin-raiser.
15 November 2010
The newly-formed team, comprising African immigrants, will be up against arch rival, the Eastern Hills Hawks, in the second round of The Harmony Cup.
Hard as it seems, the Lions will be aiming to reverse its previous 114-point Cup loss, when the teams first met, two months ago.
More accustomed to the world game of football (aka soccer), the team of 22 newly-arrived young people turned their attention to AFL as a way of integrating into the Australian community. They have been together for six months now, and are improving steadily.
The team features three AFL World Team players, is coached and captained by the Sports Team of the Edmund Rice Centre Mirrabooka Youth Leadership Group and supported by the likes of the WA Football Commission, the Department of Sport and Recreation, City of Stirling and the Office of Multicultural Interests.
Members of the team have been busy not only training, but also serving their community as role models and coaching AFL clinics for younger people in the community.
The Director General of the Department of Sport and Recreation, former Eagles coach Ron Alexander, said the team was a shining example of how sport assists immigrants quickly adapt to the Australian way of life.
“The Lions are showing how sport contributes to the fabric of our culture and communities,” he said. “The team is showing all the hallmarks Aussie sportspeople are renowned for, such as courage, grit and determination. They’re out there having a go, which is wonderful to see.”
Local community members are urged to get behind the team by turning up to watch the Harmony Cup, which kicks off at 12.15pm.
Show more news
