Bridging the gap … Western Tigers’ Nick Hatzoglou, left, team manager Michael Apout and goalkeeper Mawach Thorn cannot wait to kick off Refugee week with a soccer match this weekend. 65871 Picture: SARAH MATRAY
By Natalie Gallenti
A SOCCER team made up entirely of Sudanese refugees will make its debut this weekend.
The Western Tigers will hit the pitch and take on the Mitchell Rangers in Albion to mark the beginning of Refugee Week.
The group has been playing friendly matches for the past eight years but couldn’t afford to pay the registration fees, uniform and other costs involved in joining existing clubs so team manager Michael Apout approached Brimbank Council and together with the Sunshine Heights Cricket Club, the team was formed.
Mr Apout said the team offered refugees a chance to be involved in the game they love.
“It’s important for everyone to have an opportunity to be involved in sport and make it a big part of their life,” he said.
Sunshine Heights Cricket Club vice-president Nick Hatzoglou said his members were sold on the idea of having a Sudanese soccer team on board.
“A lot of us come from migrant families and our parents were welcomed when they arrived in Australia after the war. We could participate as equals when we got into sport and we want to return the favour with new settlers like the Sudanese,” Mr Hatzoglou said.
“Soccer is the world game and the sport of choice for many new arrivals, especially those from Africa where the sport is huge. In Australia, the world of soccer is safe, friendly and embracing.
“This is not tokenistic. It’s a benefit both ways as the Sudanese members have boosted club numbers by 60 per cent and increased our talent pool. They’ve lifted our team spirit, too. We hope this helps the Sudanese players, and the community more generally, to realise what Australia has to offer.”
The players range in age from 17 to 30 and all have a story to tell.
David Nyvol Vincent, 28, spent most of his life in refugee camps. At the age of three, he fled the war to Ethiopia with his father. Separated from his father, he was forced to be a child soldier.
“After the war, I walked from Ethiopia to Kenya and ended up in the Kakuma refugee camp run by the UN. I captained the camp soccer team and thanks to soccer, got a scholarship to study in a mainstream school,” he said.
“I believe that soccer will help bridge the gap for the Sudanese. Within a few years, we should have Sudanese playing in the Premier League and maybe even for the Socceroos.”
The team will debut this Saturday June 18.
